May 13 – Oslo in a Day

The word that best describes our experiences today is familiar. We saw things and experienced emotions that felt like home, from the Viking ship Museum (our hands down favorite museum today) to the textiles and folk art which reminded us of the home we grew up in and our mom. We focused heavily on the ship museums (the Kon-Tiki, the Fram and the Viking Ship Museum). We have pictures of mom and uncle Lloyd at the ship museum and we were not disappointed when we first encountered the Oseberg Ship (the one with the spirals) and got some great shots.

We also loved the Norwegian Folk Museum for it’s walk-through towns and authentic replications of Norwegian life in different eras. In my video I was desperately trying to find words to describe (or even just name the Vigeland Sculpture Park in Frogner Park and the amazing fountain which was behind me as I filmed. You’ll simply have to look up Gustav Vineland to understand the images we posted here of his body sculptures which are on the handrails of the bridge leading up to the fountain and the tower of bodies. The most commercial of the bodies is “the angry boy” and we took a picture of us with that sculpture. This installation was in a park that we swore was greener than any park we’d seen in the northwest. The climate, the marinas and the feel of Oslo are so similar to Seattle and Poulsbo that I can almost forget that I’m not in Poulsbo anymore. We went to the Opera House which is on the waterfront and stunning to look at from any angle. Right next to the Opera House is the Barcode District which is a group of buildings that resemble a barcode from afar.  The most impressive view I got of this district was from the train coming into Oslo; I wasn’t quite quick enough to get a shot of it. Maybe on the way out…  Fun day; we really pushed ourselves today. Tomorrow we begin the “Norway in a Nutshell tour that gets us from Oslo to Bergen. Until then, god natt.