Oslo 2 – 25 May

D Day!
I suppose I had to expect something to go wrong somewhere along the line on a trip of this length.  Not wrong!  While visiting the Viking Ship museum, my wallet was lifted from my right-hand trousers pocket (I know not how), which I did not notice till an hour later when I had returned to the City Hall.  The hotel receptionist was very helpful and phoned the museum to check if it had been handed in, but no luck.  Modern day Vikings still plundering the unsuspecting!  So I called ANZ in Sydney and had them stop both my credit cards.  Not too concerned, as I had a back-up travel card in my suitcase.  Made report to police, then went to get some money with the back-up card.  No dice.  At 5 different ATMs service refused.  Phone again to ANZ to discover that the thief had wasted no time in maxing out my travel card, leaving me having to wait 24 hours before I could get any more money!  So I had a few coins:  just enough to have a tasty dinner comprising a Seven 11 hot dog and coke!  No money to get to airport next morning, and still had to pay hotel.  Too late to get money wired via Western Union from my sisters.  Big lesson:  always have some spare cash stashed in a safe place for when disaster strikes.  Anyway, by next morning the ATM was willing to pay up, and life returned to normal.  I hope I can manage the rest of the trip without any more excitement.


Back to Oslo.  A fairly modern city, only founded about 1000 AD.  Half destroyed by the Black Death, and then burnt down in 1624.  King Christian IV built a new town of brick across the river: Christiania.  Over time it grew, and spread back over where the original town had been.  Once a part of Denmark, then linked to Sweden, Norway became independent in the 1920s, and renamed the city Oslo.  So most of the major buildings seem to date from the 1800s, and have as clean new look. 

Visited the Vigeland Sculpture Park.  Gustav Vigeland was recognised as a brilliant sculptor at age 15.  In time the city gave him land and a studio to create public art.  The park has 227 of his pieces in both bronze and granite.  He actually created all his works in plaster.  Some were then cast in bronze;  the others were copied exactly into granite by a team of master masons.  His main work is a series called the Cycle of Life that traces human life from birth to old age.  He died in 1943, and the park is his free legacy to the city.  Quite worth the visit.  I might add the sunny day (32C) brought the uni students out into the parks in their hundreds;  mostly sunbaking, not much study!

Next I took in the Norwegian Folk Museum.  This is a large area where original buildings from all over the country, dating back to the 1600s, have been brought together and relocated in thematic settings.  Both urban and rural life is portrayed.  There is also a museum building with lots of period furniture and clothing etc.  The custom of roofing the house with turf is apparently still in vogue in rural areas.  When the grass on the roof gets a bit long, they toss a goat up there to tidy it up!

The Viking Ship museum houses 3 Viking longships from 9th century that were used as royal burial chambers.  The deceased was laid in a chamber at rear of vessel; grave goods such as food, clothing, sleds etc.  to assist on the journey into the next world were loaded aboard,  then all was buried.  The nature of the clay at the burial site preserved the ships in fairly good condition until discovery last century.  All cleaned up and preserved now.

That ended my sightseeing in Oslo.  Lots more on offer, but I am sure I won’t be back to see it.

What the camera saw you can see here.