Scandinavia—September 19-21

Stockholm to Oslo, Norway

Because of maintenance on rails, we had to catch a later train from Stockholm to Oslo, arriving at 10:30PM instead of earlier. That meant we couldn't make our normal orientation walk and find where our first tour would begin. Turned out it was about three blocks from Karl Johan, our hotel.

The park near our Stockholm hotel. We're on our
 way to the Central Station.

Stockholm Central Station.

Lunch. All over Scandinavia fresh salads can
be purchased at convenience stores like 7-11.

Check out this picture and caption
at the bottom of the salad bowl.

Waiting for the Oslo train.

The train to Oslo was six hours, but the scenery was pleasant.

Hotel breakfast room.

Everything is better with bacon.

Weaving baskets at the park adjacent to the harbor.

Our 7.5 hour tour and Fjord cruise begins.

Our tour started with a drive through the city center where Chris, our guide, pointed out historical landmarks such as Constitution Square (our hotel faces it), Parliament building (adjacent to our hotel), City Hall (where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded), The National Theatre (founded by Ibsen), and the center of the old town where King Kristian IV founded modern Oslo in 1624 [more about that in a caption on the next post]. You can read more about Oslo's history (going back to the Viking Age1040) here if so inclined.

Our drive around the city center complete bus driver headed to our first destination— Holmenkollen Ski Jump.

Although this is a picture, it was this foggy when 

we visited. Our guide said the views are amazing,

and that we'd just have to take his word for it.

Ski jump runs over this cafe and museum.

We were joined by other tour groups, of course.

Michael, our driver and Chris, our guide.

The Vigeland Park was the second, and our favorite site of the day. If you visit Oslo, you have to visit it. If you don't have plans to do so, check out Rick Steves' video (start video at 22:07), because he does an excellent job of explaining the pictures I included below.

There are over 200 statues in the park representing his life's work in granite and bronze. The statues are naked, because Viegland wanted his work to represent the timelessness of human nature from birth to death. He hoped visitors would view these works closely, seeing their own emotions play out in the statues. He also designed the bronze gates to the sculpture park; note how they depict three women and three men in conversation.

Vigeland Park is within Frogner
Park, all of which was once one
of the largest estates in Oslo. 

You can read more about the park here. Be sure  

and scroll down to "Vigeland Installation—the

sculptures in Frogner Park".

Beyond the Bridge, the path continues through a rose garden to the Fountain, the earliest sculpture unit in the park.

In the center of the park six giants hold the large saucer-shaped vessel aloft and from it a curtain of water spills down around them. The men, representing different ages, may be interpreted as toiling with the burden of life.

Water, a universal symbol of fertility, is used within the fountain complex in a meaningful juxtaposition with the twenty tree groups on the surrounding parapet, the latter evidently symbolising "the tree of life".

The tree groups represent a romantic expression of Man's relationship to nature. They also form the setting for life's evolving stages, stretching from childhood and adolescence through adulthood to old age and death. (https://vigeland.museum.no/en/vigelandpark/the-fountain)

In 1943, Vigeland moved...

...over 50 statues from his studio...

practically overnight...

...because he feared Oslo...

...was going to be bombed...

...saving them in this park outside 
the city center.

Fighting the demon within.

The park is beautiful.

Exiting to the next destination.

The Fram Museum was the next stop. Click on the link to find out more about Amundsen's race to the South Pole and the ship they used to get there. Rick Steves also does a bit about the Amundsen expedition. Check out Steves here, beginning at 8:44.

Bow of the Fram.

Stern of the Fram.

Ya, giant walrus tusk.

One of the cabins on the ship.

Marie checking the rigging.

From top deck looking down on the galley.

Which explorer doesn't match the others?

We sat on benches outside the Fram Museum and
watched the world go by. An Oslo Fjord ferry 
heading to a suburb and an approaching sailboat
heading somewhere else.

And after The Fram Museum, we visited the Open Air Folk Museum. You can read all about the museum when you click on the link or you can watch what Rick Steves has to say. Click here for Steves' comments and begin watching at 12:51-14:30.

Stave church, circa 1200.

Stave church altar goes back to the 1600's, a

modern addition.

Doorway into the church.

Inside an upper class Setabu cottage.
Check out this oak table!

An upper class Setabu cottage has a fireplace with a
chimney. That's why this fireplace is in the corner
of the living room instead of the middle where 
smoke was released via a hole in the ceiling.

The stone chimney also warmed the sleeping
quarters behind it.

These tin plates reflect light from the windows 
into the room.

And this is how you know this Setabu was built
by a wealthy family. Yep, it has windows. Glass
was expensive in the 14th century.

Typical "living room" farmhouse. This is where 
a typical family would gather to live.

Chris explains the importance
of hops. Norwegians had to
brew beer (because it is food,
after all) or risk being fined.

A sauna that's probably 800 years old.

We ended the day with a 1.5 hour tour of the Oslo Fjord. This was a relaxing way to end the day after jumping on and off the bus and walking 5 miles throughout our museum stops. Check out the Oslo Fjord electric ship.

Folks walking on the roof of Oslo Opera House.

We'll do this Sunday, our third day here.

Opera House from the harbor fjord cruise ship.

This is a hot box with an outboard motor. These
are popular. Folks take a sauna and then leap into
the harbor fjord to cool down.

Summer homes on islands dotting the Oslo Fjord.

This is a lighthouse on one of the harbor islands.

So, we're on this electric ferry cruising through
the Oslo Fjord looking out at summer homes and
lighthouses and these folks are on their phones.
Wowser, really?!

The electric ship is modern & sleek.

Another lighthouse in the harbor.

This yacht is named Norge and I wondered if it's the
king's. It does have a royal look to it.

Ferry to suburb with City Hall towers in background.

This pirate ship replica can be chartered.

Akerushus Fortress from the ship.

Back at port opposite the Opera House. Click here
for the top 10 sites to visit in Oslo.

Our hotel.

Saturday was our second full day in Oslo and it 
was packed with runners and supporters lining the 
streets. We had scheduled a walking tour of the
city center, and our guide had to make adjustments
to avoid the race route.

Friday evening we noticed porta-potty deliveries

made throughout the city center.

Parliament building adjacent to our hotel.

Friday night dinner across the street from our hotel
at Peppe's Pizza. Believe it or not, this was a small.
The large would have fed a village.

Saturday morning we took it easy, because our two hour city center walking tour didn't begin until 2PM and the Oslo Marathon was beginning. The 20K mile marker was by our hotel so we took in the fun cheering on the runners at the beginning and then at the end of the race.

We threaded our way through the marathon crowd to the Central Train Station where we met Susan, our guide, at the Tourist Centre Office. She had to make adjustments for the streets blocked off due to the marathon, but we managed just fine. 

Marie and I were surprised at how much of the city center we were familiar with since arriving. It's always a bit shocking to go from being disoriented upon arriving to feeling familiar within a day. This has been the case in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and now Oslo. Anyway, here are some pictures from our walking tour.

Oslo Cathedral in the back-
ground. The Central Train
Station is just beyond, but
getting past the runners and
around barricades was tricky.

  

This chicken fountain near the Cathedral

and and flower market made us smile.

Our guide Susan shows points of
interest along the harbor on the side
of this shipping container. 

There are 10 of these strategically 

placed along the harbor promenade. 

They provide historical information

as well as plans for future projects.

We will visit the Deichman Library
tomorrow, Sunday 9/22/24.

Havnelageret has quite a history. The bomb
shelter is on the 4th floor.  

Couldn't resist snapping this picture of a '59 
Chevy with six guys cruising the harbor.

Click on this to enlarge a description of the
sculpture below.

Was Edvard Grieg, Norway's  

leading composer, Einstein's

long-lost twin?

The marathoners just kept on a coming.

Christiania (1848) is Norway's oldest bank.

Domus Biblioteca, Faculty of Law, University 

of Oslo.

University of Oslo, Faculty of Law. The Nobel
Peace Prize was awarded here 1947-89 and then
again in 2020 when it was awarded to the World
Food Programme for addressing hunger and
food insecurity.

Henrik Ibsen stood outside the offices
of the University of Oslo law building
and checked his watch everyday at noon.

This planter below the law building offices is
one of many throughout Oslo. They have recently
been replanted for the fall/winter season.

The National Theatre championed by Henrik Ibsen

and Bjorn Bjornson. 

Eidsvolls plass is the park between the 
National Theatre and Parliament. The
Norwegian Constitution was signed here.
This fountain is turned off in winter and
the pond is used for ice skating. Our hotel
looks out over the park.

We congratulated finishers of the marathon from
our hotel's Mezzanine balcony. 

     This band encouraged the marathoners, too.

Our plan Sunday is to visit the Oslo Cathedral, Opera House, the Deichman Library, and perhaps the Akershus Fortress. Should be a busy day, and we still haven't seen City Hall where the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony takes place. We have all day Monday so we should be able to pace ourselves in the same relaxed way we did in Stockholm.