oslo
day 9 - Monday, july 13, 2015
We arrived this morning after taking the DFDS Seaways overnight from Copenhagen. It was very much like a luxury cruise ship. After checking in to our Thon Hotel Cecil there were many things planned for the day. First was a guided tour of Oslo with our local guide Yael. Then lunch was on our own. At mid-afternoon we boarded or bus for a visit to Frogner Park, home to Gustav Vineland's famous lifelike sculptures. On the way back, we stopped to visit the Norwegian Resistance Museum (no pictures were allowed). Then we had our group dinner at Rorbua on the waterfront. After that, there was a last minute decision to see the Oslo Opera House which has a slanted roof where people play and sunbath on. The roof actually slants into the waterfront.
We checked into the Thon Hotel Cecil and then were off on our first event of the day which was a tour of the harbor and heart of Oslo with our local guide Yael. We visited the Akershus Castle which is one of Oslo's oldest buildings, built in medieval times around 1300. From there, we strolled along the harbor heading to City Hall. City Hall was built on a reclaimed slum area and was finished in 1950 to celebrate Oslo's 900th birthday. The leading artists of Norway all contributed to the beauty of this building. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each December in the central hall (though the general Nobel Prize ceremony takes place in Stockholm's City Hall). After the City Hall visit, we headed to the Grand Hotel & Cafe for lunch. Below are a few pictures from the morning tour.
We checked into the Thon Hotel Cecil and then were off on our first event of the day which was a tour of the harbor and heart of Oslo with our local guide Yael. We visited the Akershus Castle which is one of Oslo's oldest buildings, built in medieval times around 1300. From there, we strolled along the harbor heading to City Hall. City Hall was built on a reclaimed slum area and was finished in 1950 to celebrate Oslo's 900th birthday. The leading artists of Norway all contributed to the beauty of this building. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each December in the central hall (though the general Nobel Prize ceremony takes place in Stockholm's City Hall). After the City Hall visit, we headed to the Grand Hotel & Cafe for lunch. Below are a few pictures from the morning tour.
Now it was time to jump on the bus and visit the 75-acre Frogner Park. This park contains the lifetime work of Gustav Vigeland, Norway's greatest sculptor. In 1921, he made a deal with the city. In return for a studio and state support, he would spend his life beautifying Oslo with this sculpture garden. He worked on the garden from 1924 to 1943 designing 192 bronze and granite statue groupings. A total of 600 figures all unique and nude. Gustav Vigeland even planned the landscaping. The park is loved and respected by the locals. There are no fences, no police, and no graffiti. Below are a few pictures of Gustav Vigeland's work.
After our visit of Frogner Park and Gustav Vineland's famous sculptures, we were off to a group dinner at Rorbua on the waterfront where I had reindeer for the first time. I was very tasty. After that, Jeff and I walked to the new Oslo Opera House that rises from the water on the harbor. Below are a few pictures of the evening.
day 10 - tuesday, july 14, 2015
Today we catch a ferry to Oslo's Bygday Peninsula to tour the Viking Ship Museum, Kon-Tiki Museum, and the Fram Museum showcasing the Polar exploration ship. After that we had free time and we visited the Edvard Munch Museum, the Noble Peace Center, the National Theater and general sightseeing.
We started out by visiting the three Museums starting with the Viking Ship Museum. This museum contains two oak Viking ships dating from the 9th and 10th centuries. The Oseberg, from 834 has very ornate carving. The Gokstad, from 950 is a working boat capable of sailing the sea. Eric the Red used a ship such as this to sail from Norway to Iceland to Greenland and finally to Newfoundland in Canada. In 1892, a replica of this ship sailed from Norway to America in 44 days. The Fram Museum is home to the 125 foot steam and sail powered ship that took Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen deep into the Arctic and Antarctic. It was designed to survive the crushing pressure of frozen sea ice. It survived three years trapped in the Arctic ice. The Kon-Tiki Museum houses the Kon-Tiki. This raft was constructed in 1947 by Thor Heyerdahl out of balsa wood using only pre modern techniques and tools. It sailed from Peru to Polynesia in 101 days. The point was to show that South Americans could have settled Polynesia. Below are some pictures of these ships and artifacts.
We started out by visiting the three Museums starting with the Viking Ship Museum. This museum contains two oak Viking ships dating from the 9th and 10th centuries. The Oseberg, from 834 has very ornate carving. The Gokstad, from 950 is a working boat capable of sailing the sea. Eric the Red used a ship such as this to sail from Norway to Iceland to Greenland and finally to Newfoundland in Canada. In 1892, a replica of this ship sailed from Norway to America in 44 days. The Fram Museum is home to the 125 foot steam and sail powered ship that took Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen deep into the Arctic and Antarctic. It was designed to survive the crushing pressure of frozen sea ice. It survived three years trapped in the Arctic ice. The Kon-Tiki Museum houses the Kon-Tiki. This raft was constructed in 1947 by Thor Heyerdahl out of balsa wood using only pre modern techniques and tools. It sailed from Peru to Polynesia in 101 days. The point was to show that South Americans could have settled Polynesia. Below are some pictures of these ships and artifacts.
After visiting the ship museum, the afternoon was free to explore on our own. The first thing we did was visit the Edvard Munch Museum which had a special Van Gogh exhibit. Pictures were not allowed in the museum, but the memories are still vivid. From there we visited the Noble Peace Center, and general sightseeing. The Noble Peace Center houses and celebrates 800 or so past and present Noble Peace Prize winners with very interesting audio and visual displays. After that we viewed the National Theater, The Royal Palace, and walked Kari Johans Gate. Take a look at some of the pictures below.
Tomorrow morning we leave wonderful Oslo and head for Elvesaeter.