Tuesday, August 2 (Oslo, Norway)

An easy day planned in Oslo today. 

As we were ready to head out the door, Paul asked where the keys were, to be sure.  At that moment I was trying to get the door open, a small lock that you turn instead of the doorknob.  I had left the keys in the lock from the night before, and when Paul slammed the door behind us...

we were locked in. 

We knocked on the door and watched for people coming out of the front door.  Paul even picked up the pager phone to say that we were on the 4th floor and needed help.  Finally, after maybe 20 minutes, a Norwegian man came up and helped us, not quite realizing that we were helpless instead of needing oil for the door.

Every trip needs a little story like this, I think.

After a day of shopping, we realized that Norwegian sweaters come in only two designs, maybe three color schemes each.  I got a few things at Sandwich, a Dutch store that made me feel like I was ready to go back to school a little bit.  I have to remember to go to the tax-free counter at the airport to get a small refund.

We met Oddgeir at 4:30 and walked to Vigeland again.  This time I had my camera.  We hadn't yet held the lucky left hand of the little angry man, a bronze statue of a baby in a temper tantrum.  Tacos, wine, and a bit of the wedding video from Waverly.  Karianne and Lars Erik arrived to spend the night and we arranged to drive with them tomorrow up to Oslo.  An hour to get home despite being only 1.4 kilometers away from our place. 

Monday, August 1 (Oslo, Norway)

Happy August!  Our morning started a little earlier and we got on the Metro with our same breakfast of apples and sweet buns.  National Library for some Ave Maria research and checking email.  Lunch was next already, and the place we wanted to go was inside the blocked section of town.

King-Kong-sized kabobs, which miraculously did not make us ill.

We rose to Bygdoy Peninsula for the Kon Tiki, Viking Ship, Polar Ship Fram and the Norwegian Folke Museum.  The first three were all about Norwegian explorers.

Kon Tiki was the most interesting; ancient peoples were theorized to to have achieved long distance oceanic travel on rafts and ships made of balsa wood and papyrus.  The anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl thought this because South America and South Asia shared some traditions, beliefs, and symbols that didn't seem to be coincidences.  He designed prototypes of boats made from local materials and by local builders to get him and an international crew of five others across the Pacific Ocean, then the Atlantic.  Heyerdahl's original documentary of the Kon-Tiki expedition won and Oscar in 1951.  Now, a Norwegian film-maker is shooting another version of the story, released in Summer 2012.

Fridtjof Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat, and humanitarian who wanted to chart Greenland and the North and South poles.  Between 1893-96 he lodged his ship in the winter ice flows of the Arctic sea and moved close enough to the Pole to pursue it by dogsled.  The ship was built knowing that other boats had been crushed trying the same thing.  His crew of 12 men brought fuel and provisions for five years.  He was the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with Russian refugees displaced during the Russian Revolution.

We could have skipped the Folke Museum except for the Stave Church, which looked to me like a gingerbread house.  The structure was moved around 1885 from its original location in Gol to the museum in Oslo.  A copy stands in the original location.

My camera battery died today, so these are all internet pictures of what I wished I had snapped myself.  We stopped in the Nobel Peace Center right by Arke Brygge when we got off the ferry.  It had fabulous exhibitions and a kids' center with a famous turntable game that the Dalai Lama has played.  The Norwegians obviously seem to favor Obama, and we were reminded of that as we saw his picture bending and swaying in this lit display.

After coffee and sitting for a while, we decided to explore the Arke Brygge, known for its upscale shopping and pricey restaurants.  The term Brygge is meant to describe the area around the harbor, once a merchant area for maritime trade.  We chose a spot on the large wooden steps and watched the yachts come in and out.  We ate our sketchy kabob leftovers and watched street performers.  One was a girl who practiced crystal ball rolling/gravity ball juggling-- it's called different things.  She moved this leaded crystal ball from arm to arm, around her hands, and through her fingers with such control that it looked like it wasn't moving.  Check it out. 

We actually withdrew money to support another street performer we saw.  A classical guitar player from Russia stole my heart with his Bach Cello Suite No. 1:1 and we ran to the MiniBank.  The most expensive part of the night, though, came next, when we decided we wanted beer and nachos at, wait for it...

Sunday, July 31 (Oslo, Norway)

It was søøøøøøøø (emphasis and wrong character intended) waking up in Ingrid's room.  We grabbed chocolate buns and apple at the gas station to eat on the way into town.  Today we visited the National Gallery and saw their entire collection of Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, and of course Edvard Munch (there is also a separate Munch museum we didn't see).  Munch's expressionist paintings were very evocative- the ones that stuck with me were 'The Dance of Life' and 'Cabbage Farmer.'  'The Scream' was of course the most popular.  The other big collection was Norwegian Romanticism, with large scale scenes of nature: fjords, forest, and ocean.

 

Next was the city center to find lunch; Jambo turned out to be the worst fifty dollar Chinese meal we could have imagined.

We bought the Oslo Pass and walked to the Opera House.  The building is designed to look like an iceberg that sinks right into the water.  The sloped roofs make it possible to walk all the way up and around for a great view of the harbor.  The building was full of people relaxing, reading and sleeping on the white Italian marble (Carerra?)  Oddgeir said that some Norwegians think it strange that the building was not built from plentiful Norwegian granite.  The view from the harbor was full of cruise ships and construction.  Apparently the National Library and other museums will be moved there, the whole project scheduled for completion in 2020.  About 50 meters away in the Oslofjord is an even more iceberglike sculpture made of metal and glass.

Off to Akershus, Norway's medieval 13th century fortress and remodeled in the Renaissance style in the 17th century.  The ballrooms and halls are still used for state events; it is not a residence anymore.  The castle houses many museums, and we saw the Norwegian Resistance Museum and the Armed Forces Museum, both inside Akershus.

The Resistance Museum had documents, artifacts and models from the 5-year German occupation in Norway.  It was considered an important location for both Germany and the Allied forces.  The initial attack was by complete surprise from almost all ports and important cities.  The king narrowly escaped and the leader of the Norwegian Nazi Party claimed a sort of power over the country, albeit very unpopular.  We couldn't read most of the newspaper articles and posters but some original materials were in English later on in the war.  The Nazi Party systematically took away Norwegian access to the press, the radio, and meeting in groups of more than three.  The most interesting part was the secret ways they distributed their messages-- through fake table legs, compartments in fish crates and hollow loaves of bread, and secret broadcasts.  They had many examples of the ways the Resistance could receive radio signals- irons, suitcases, and even a prisoner's false teeth were wired to get the messages.

I couldn't tell you anything about the Armed Forces museum.  We dragged ourselves through to get our money's worth.

We watched the changing of the guard at the palace while we ate our dinner on a shady bench.  Many Norwegians were lounging, napping and hanging out on the lawns.  The guards who stood in the little post had long black ponytail plumes on one side of their hats, and therefore had to turn their necks fully from right to left.  There was definitely a little menacing guard-glare in their eyes, too.

Why not make it a full day?  Vigeland Park was next, Norway's central garden lined with sculptures from Norway's sculpture laureate.  His body of work was incredible; large bronze sculptures of mainly two figures, male and female, adults and children, in every manner of position.

The three main parts of the park were set up in a line.  Statues lining both sides of a bridge; fountain with huge figures holding up the big bowl of water; and a tall sort of totem pole of characters mashed in to each other.  Iron gates, gardens, pools, and steps separated each section.  Again, the Norwegians were using their public spaces-- lounging, grilling, on dates, and running.

We were on our feet a lot today-- Nuts, Coronas, and TV.
Forgot my camera while we were out today, so these are the only pictures I have from the day...

 

Saturday, July 30 (Grimstad to Oslo, Norway)

After a terrible 5 hour bus ride, we arrived.  Oslo was immediately different- bustling and diverse and hot.  Our route to Røa was thwarted of course by construction and security from the bombing.  We made it to the hardware store where Kristin, Ingrid's sister, works.  She passed off the keys and some tips to navigating the area and we set off for 33 Aslakveien.  I didn't read her first email carefully enough because I didn't know which apartment or which floor was hers.  I had to knock on every unmarked door until the 4th floor.  Her apartment is absolutely beautiful- potted ivy, lavender, and orchids are everywhere.  The picture windows in the dining room and bedroom look into the Oslo hills to Holmenkollen (huge ski jump).  Every single thing has its place.

We played Nuts (getting closer now to our 1000 point mark), and got ready to go out to Grønerløkken for dinner, an area called Oslo's Greenwich Village.  On the subway, a Irish guy commented on my Claddaugh ring and suggested we go for beers to place called 'Rees' which serves three beers for 100 Nkr.  We actually found it without really trying- a shady spot near the park called 'Ryes.'  It seemed a local restaurant; Norwegians were on dates or hanging out with friends.  More Nuts.  Bed.

Friday, July 29 (Grimstad, Norway)

Our extra day in Grimstad!

Watchtower for an extra super view of Grimstad!

Old church (name coming) built in 800 A.D.

Thomas the doubter!

Assigned seats

Famous Grimstad lunch

Famous Grimstad treat, iced coffee (is kaffe)

Tuva!

Beach again.

Sunset at Kaare's BBQ

Getting mini Norwegian lessons and tips on what to do in Oslo

Thursday, July 28 (Stavanger, Norway)

It was a hot morning that got started with a late 9:30 breakfast.  There was not a cloud in the sky (hence the beginnings of my sunburn) and we sat out on the deck nearly until lunch as we waited for Lars Erik and Karianne.  We walked down the lane to the site of their new home.  Anna's parents had a house on that lot and Lars paid the Stavanger fire department (about 35,000 Norwegian kroner) to burn it down.  Cheaper than tearing it down and disposing of all the pieces, he said.  Lars is building it in his free time after work as a contractor.

Morning time at the new house.

View of the future living room

Grandpa Lars, Tuva, and Lars Erik

When Lars Erik and Karianne arrived we made plans to go to the beach, a saltwater inlet of the ocean.  We swam in the cold water and had pretzels, cookies, coffee (always coffee), and ice cream.  The weather was perfect, warm and breezy.

 
LE showed us around the cobblestone streets of Grimstad with pride.  A BBQ dinner was ready to go at the site of the new house- salmon, chicken, pork, sausages, hot dogs, salads, potatoes, chips, and beer.  We again got on the subject of politics and government with Anna's brother.  The money from oil that the Norwegian government found 40 years ago has ensured the strength of their social democracy.  It is incredible to me that the oil and revenue from it landed totally in the hands of the government and not a private company.  Their 500 billion in the bank is expected to grow into much more, creating security for years to come.

Childhood friends of LE took us on his boat for an evening swim.  We rode in a small plastic speedboat through reedy canals and more Minnesota-looking lakes past beautiful cottages.  The destination was a favorite jumping rock.  I jumped once, Paul twice, off the nine meter cliff.

Path down to the boat.

Karianne, Cora, Lars Erik, Paul

A definite highlight came next, when Cora took us to his father's brewery, Nøgne Ø (Naked Island) in the site of an old power plant.  Cora took us for a private after-hours showing and walked us through the whole process, from barley roasting to boiling and fermenting.  We tried maybe seven types of bottled beer and also a batch that had just begun to ferment.  The beer was very very flavorful and had even won a few international awards.  Cora (who also works in a brewery) was very interested in the beers we might have tried in Eugene, known for its craft beers.  Some of the Nøgne Ø beers make it to a distributor in Boston, but 70% of the beer stays in Norway.

Beer straight from the proverbial teat.