Our train left Stockholm a bit late Tuesday afternoon, but arrived in Oslo an hour late. We didn't get to our hotel until after 10pm, which made for a long day, especially given Jerry's puny state. It helped that it was almost like daylight outside, so didn't feel quite so late.
Jerry had a pretty rugged night Tuesday night, but we think his fever broke, so onward and upward. Let's hope this aspect of our travel is finally going to fade away!
On Wednesday, our first order of business was to get some Norwegian currency--as easy as going into your corner Seven-Eleven. Ditto our second order of business, which was getting tram tickets. We snagged the next tram and headed for the Norwegian Resistance Museum. It was a bit of a slog uphill, or maybe it just felt that way given our condition and given that it was already in the 80's and a bit muggy.
We have found people to be so incredibly welcoming and helpful here. A young woman saw us trying to decipher the tram map to determine what stop would get us nearest the Resistance Museum. She told us generally but suggested we sit near her and she would tell us when to get off. Not only that, but at the stop she proceeded to point out exactly where we needed to go up the hill and where to turn to take us toward the museum. I told her she was our angel. Not sure how that may have translated, but hopefully she realized how much we appreciated her assistance.
We had heard good things about this museum from several people, and it didn't disappoint. Many of us are unaware of Norway's role in WWII. Jerry and I had both read books that took place during this era--surprised at the time we read them, because we'd had so little knowledge of it--and we welcomed an opportunity to learn more and learn about it where it happened. We had no previous knowledge of all the coastal bombing raids by the Germans. In fact, many of the places we'll visit in the next 2 weeks were bombed and played key roles in the resistance. This will add a whole new layer to our explorations.
Akershus Fortress:
Harbor view from the fortress:
Norwegian Resistance Museum (a part of the fortress complex):
Another plan for the day was to visit the National Gallery. We might ordinarily give this a pass, but it is highly recommended by our guidebook. While I've never considered myself a big Munch fan, it was pretty special to see The Scream in its native habitat. In fact, there is an entire room of Munch's works, which was illuminating. Even though I've taken some art history classes, I must admit that I was only familiar with his one seminal piece. I have more of an appreciation for him now. And as frosting on the cake, we got to see a raft of other Norwegian art and a roomful of lovely Impressionist paintings.
The Scream, of course:
But also Munch's The Girls on the Bridge:
Karl Johans Gate is the main boulevard running from the Central Train Station past Parliament to the Royal Palace. It has myriad sidewalk cafes, green space and flowers, fountains, benches, play areas, everything one could want. We walked much of it and enjoyed the lively space and being able to sit and admire the fountains while we rehydrated with some water.
Parliament:
Karl Johans Gate (in Norwegian, "gate" basically means street):
Royal Palace:
On Thursday, our primary goal was to visit Vigeland Sculpture Park. It was about a 15-minute walk from our hotel. Our neighborhood was a lovely, treed, hilly area filled with pretty period apartments and several embassies (and a major shopping district or two). Part of its charm translates into diagonal and meandering streets. I knew where we were headed, but I was having to watch the map pretty carefully to make sure we made the right zigs and zags. Once again, we had a guardian angel appear--this time in the form of a young man with dreadlocks who was pushing a postal cart and making mail deliveries. He saw me studying the map and trying to decide which angled street we were supposed to take at one particularly interesting intersection. He asked if we were looking for the park and then explained which street to take and told us to walk until we saw a tram line and follow it left to the main entrance. That did the trick!
Vigeland Park is big and very pretty. Of course it's main attraction is the huge array of Vigeland sculptures--600 of them! But they are laid out in a very pleasing way. They line a 300 foot bridge. They encircle a fountain. And then you climb up to a monolith, where even more of the sculptures sit, and you have a nice vista over the gardens. It's quite something.
After this visit, we took a tram downtown to visit the Oslo Cathedral, where royal marriages and burials occur.
The Royal family's pew and a portion of the bright and fanciful Art Deco ceiling:
We also took in the daily flower market. The fragrance in there was something else. I took one step in and was pleasantly overwhelmed with the scent of lavender and all the colors. The market is heavily aimed at selling bedding plants, but there were lots of orchids and cut flowers, too.
Amazingly, I didn't see any lilacs in the market. We have been struck over and over by the abundance of lilacs everywhere. All the colors you expect of lilacs, from white to purple. Whole hedges and walls of lilacs, in the countryside and in the cities. Lilacs everywhere, except apparently in the flower market. Maybe they're too ubiquitous to be sold?
Ah, but I did spy some in the nearby park.
We enjoyed our time in Oslo. I especially loved its 19th century architecture and the pretty neighborhood where we stayed. But it's time for the next installment of our Scandinavian adventure.
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