Oslo Outing: Vikings, Victors, & Victuals

 Hello again, Blogonauts!

My first full day in Oslo, the weather was glorious. So I filled it with wanderings through the city center and harbor area, along with a couple of museums.

Karl Johans Gate is Oslo's main drag, stretching from the central train station to the royal palace (the flying flag means the King is in residence). Along the way you pass the cathedral, the parliament (the flying flag means parliament is in session), and a cascade of exuberant beggars and guides...and it isn't always clear which is which.

Karl Johans Gate, toward the Palace

 

The street nonetheless was cheery & modern. About halfway along the route lie a broad park with the national theater, several statues of notable Norwegians, and a fountain that in winter becomes an ice skating rink.

Parliament Entrance

The fountain & park that are adjacent to the National Theater

Statue of Henrik Ibsen outside the National Theater

The Lutheran cathedral is from the 17th century. Some of it is baroque, but the painted ceiling comes from the Art Nouveau period. Its rear is surrounded by a disused set of market stands. (Hey, Oslo! These deserve to be updated and filled with vendors!)

The Cathedral's baroque pulpit.

The Royal Box in the Cathedral, it's art nouveau ceiling, and its baroque

 

The towering brick city hall was built in the 1950s. Entry was restricted, so there was no access to the art in the interior, but the courtyard is filled with wooden carvings from Norse mythology. Viewing them is like taking a course in the subject. Each year, the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony happens within these walls.

City Hall

A depiction of the legend of Baldur (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldr)

Thor (with hammer) pulled by a team of goats

The Valkyries...which don't match up well with Wagner's depiction

Directly behind the city hall sits the main harbor. Ferries and fjord cruises depart from here, but that's for later.

Oslo Harbor

Alongside the harbor sits the Akershus Fortress and the Norwegian Resistance Museum. On the whole, the Norwegian people were astonishingly resilient in their rejection of Hitler & their Nazi invaders. Thank goodness that they and the allies were ultimately victors in the conflict. The museum tells the story in clippings and artifacts, with excellent English explanations.

 

Ankerhus Fortress

After reviewing some World War II history, I crossed the harbor to the Norwegian National Museum, which contains art stretching from the renaissance to the modern era...including one of Edvard Munch's paintings of The Scream. (He re-painted it several times.) Included too was an exhibit on Norwegian design that has been taken up by the rest of the world.

The exquisite 12th century Boldishol Tapestry, found covered in mud beneath church floorboards

Edvard Munch's "The Scream," the face that launched a thousand memes & emojis

 

I ate dinner at another street food fair. I'm becoming fond of this!

Thai Tofu Red Curry. (Yum!)

 

It's now Wednesday, and Bob, Shawn, & Toby have arrived mostly intact. (Bob is shy one suitcase.) We've had another full day, but those details will have to wait until next time.

Blog to you later!