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...
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...
