Saturday was spent boarding our bus again and getting a tour through Oslo. Visiting Frogner Park where Gustav Vigeland's 193 bronze and granite sculptures are situated was very, very impressive. The statues depicted life's various stages from birth through a person's elderly years. The statues are unclothed because Vigeland wanted the story of a person's passage through life to be without tether to a specific time in history, a timeless recounting of the relationships between one person and another and the relationships among family members. A wonderful walking tour through the park.
We also stopped at the current City Hall, and had an opportunity to see the National Theater, Parliament, and the Royal Palace pointed out to us.
In the afternoon we visited several museums highlighting how the history of Norway has been intertwined with the seafaring nature of its earliest explorers. We saw a 1000 year old Viking ship which was very much intact. When you come from a country whose history is only a few hundred years old, it is so very amazing to see a ship that carried some of our first explorers over a thousand years ago. Not only was the ship there a available for viewing the handcarved decoration adorning the ship made it even more incredible. We also had a chance to see the FRAM, a 100 year old primitive ship made for Arctic expeditions. Amundsen's life history was also shared during this time. Finally, Thor Heyerdahl's vessels, RA and KON-TIKI, were also available for viewing. Definitely after visiting these museums, it seemed very clear the Norse have always had a proclivity for adventure and exploration.
Finally, on Sunday we walked over to the Nobel Peace Museum, where the Peace Prize is awared annually. There was a special exhibit regarding Barack O'Bama because he is the most recent honoree. This was something that Karrah very much wanted to do. Everyone agreed after visiting this museum that the tour and the museum itself was very impressive. Understanding how the Nobel Peace Prize originated and its purpose made me even more proud that our current president had had this high honor bestowed upon him.
We had a lovely dinner with Oevind and all of our tour companions on Saturday evening. And once again the buffet dinner did not fail to satisfy and impress.
On Sunday after visiting the Nobel Peace Museum we walked around the City Centre, had a delightful meal at a sidewalk restaurant with a mediterranean theme. We decided to take a taxi to the airport tomorrow instead of the express train because it would be less hassle with all of our luggage. It is hard to believe our time in Norway has come to an end, but returning home certainly has its appeal as well.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Seeing Norway Through our Photos..............
These pictures are from the last 4 days of our travels. You will notice the beautiful scenery pictures from the fjord country. Most of these were taken on Thursday as not only was the scenery phenomenal, but the weather cooperated, too! There is a picture of the stave church that we visited on the way to Oslo. Then on Saturday when we did some sight seeing around Oslo, we visited the Viegland sculpture in Frogner park. There was an amazing number of sculptures, This is a sight that should not be missed if you are ever in Oslo!
Our Return to Oslo - July 2, 2010
We returned to our "home" base in Norway today --- returned to Oslo to do a little more sightseeing on Saturday and then prepare for our return to the States on Monday.
Although, the cities (Oslo and Bergen) have some allure, and I have really enjoyed people watching in the cities---such freedom to be who you are, or at least that's the impression I have received is such a positive thing. Still it was the fjord country that really stole my heart. Even after seeing many pictures of the fjords as we prepared for this strip, these areas still struck me with awe.
On the way to Oslo on July 2, we stopped by a hydroelectricity plant that played a critical part during the 2nd World War. The movie " The Heroes of Telemark" is supposed to be a pretty good reflection of what happened. I'll have to watch the movie when I return home. We had another stop to view a stave church---It was quite large and is very old. It really was beautiful and so was the cemetery surrounding the church.
We arrived in Oslo during the afternoon and headed out to do some shopping soon after arriving. We looked around alot, but did not buy very much. I'm going to post some of Pam's pictures that she has downloaded in a seperate post.
Although, the cities (Oslo and Bergen) have some allure, and I have really enjoyed people watching in the cities---such freedom to be who you are, or at least that's the impression I have received is such a positive thing. Still it was the fjord country that really stole my heart. Even after seeing many pictures of the fjords as we prepared for this strip, these areas still struck me with awe.
On the way to Oslo on July 2, we stopped by a hydroelectricity plant that played a critical part during the 2nd World War. The movie " The Heroes of Telemark" is supposed to be a pretty good reflection of what happened. I'll have to watch the movie when I return home. We had another stop to view a stave church---It was quite large and is very old. It really was beautiful and so was the cemetery surrounding the church.
We arrived in Oslo during the afternoon and headed out to do some shopping soon after arriving. We looked around alot, but did not buy very much. I'm going to post some of Pam's pictures that she has downloaded in a seperate post.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Unspoiled Area of Telemark, Noway - July 1, 2010
On the road again----from Bergen to Telemark. This was a day mostly on the bus. We traveled along the fjords so the scenery was onced again very exceptional. Also, we had a day of completely blue skies with no clouds in the sky. To say picturesque, is to minimize the extraordinary scenery we saw today. There was a very quaint hotel in Raulands where we overnighted today. Telemark is described a rustic and unspoiled in our tour booklet and we certainly found this to be true. Karrah, Pam, and I went out for quick walk before dinner. Also Lake Totak is located in the Telemark area and was quite beautiful.
We crossed the Hardangersfjord by ferry----what a great day for a ferry ride. The breeze running through your hair. Not a cloud in the sky---just a photographer's dream. Hopefully, Pam, Megan, and I together where have some really good pictures of this area. There was a beautiful waterfall called Latefoss. I think I really need to upload some pictures to capture this let of our journey. A wonderfull day! Karrah was feeling better so actually suggested that we go out for a walk. In the winter this area is bustling with skiers etc.
Oevind said he makes a cross country trip on his skis in this area occasionally and said that it takes him 6 days to cross the Hadangervidda plateau. We saw quite a bit of snow today and part of our jouney today passed through a high altitude where there were no trees. The homes that we saw today seemed to be very, very isolated. They put nets over the areas most likely to suffer from a rock slide to help protect the road and homes below.
We crossed the Hardangersfjord by ferry----what a great day for a ferry ride. The breeze running through your hair. Not a cloud in the sky---just a photographer's dream. Hopefully, Pam, Megan, and I together where have some really good pictures of this area. There was a beautiful waterfall called Latefoss. I think I really need to upload some pictures to capture this let of our journey. A wonderfull day! Karrah was feeling better so actually suggested that we go out for a walk. In the winter this area is bustling with skiers etc.
Oevind said he makes a cross country trip on his skis in this area occasionally and said that it takes him 6 days to cross the Hadangervidda plateau. We saw quite a bit of snow today and part of our jouney today passed through a high altitude where there were no trees. The homes that we saw today seemed to be very, very isolated. They put nets over the areas most likely to suffer from a rock slide to help protect the road and homes below.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Bergen - Amazing City! June 30,2010
I'm a couple of days behind in entering on the blog because Internet can be kind of spotty across Norway, especially the more isolated areas. Although, I have been pleasantly surprised at how often the Internet has been completely free, a total contrast to Chicago and Philadelphic where they wanted us to buy access at several dollars for every 15 minutes!
Today we traveled between Stallheim and Bergen. Bergen is an amazing city and there is quite a bit of seafood for the entire country of Norway that is caught and sent out from this port, Our hotel was very close to the fish market on the wharf. We had lunch at a special restaurant picked out by Oevind, our guide. I fear I misspelled his name in an earlier post. It was really, really good and it was only the second time we were offerred a free alcoholic beverage during the past week. Pretty much the going rate for one glass of wine is around $10. Just before we were to leave Bergen on Thursday morning I finally found the liquor store (only place you can buy wine in Norway) but alas, it did not open until 10 and we were to be at the hotel prepared to leave by then!
We had time to do a little shopping and that was really fun in quaint and historic town. It is so rich in history and had such a nice ambience about it.
We bought fresh seafood for our evening meal in Bergen --- we had very, very fresh shrimp that were tasty. Pam and Megan also sampled some crab from the market. Unfortunately, Karrah was not feeling well so she took some time at this overnight to get some extra sleep.
It has been so nice to sample both the city life and the very, very rural areas, especially in the fjords where many of the homes seem very isolated. I haven't had a chance to get anymore pictures uploaded lately, so I think I'm going to update my posts and then add pictures. Most of the people in our tour group are flying on Sunday (July 4th) but we are not flying back until July 5th so hopefully Sunday will be my day to get organized with the pictures.
Today we traveled between Stallheim and Bergen. Bergen is an amazing city and there is quite a bit of seafood for the entire country of Norway that is caught and sent out from this port, Our hotel was very close to the fish market on the wharf. We had lunch at a special restaurant picked out by Oevind, our guide. I fear I misspelled his name in an earlier post. It was really, really good and it was only the second time we were offerred a free alcoholic beverage during the past week. Pretty much the going rate for one glass of wine is around $10. Just before we were to leave Bergen on Thursday morning I finally found the liquor store (only place you can buy wine in Norway) but alas, it did not open until 10 and we were to be at the hotel prepared to leave by then!
We had time to do a little shopping and that was really fun in quaint and historic town. It is so rich in history and had such a nice ambience about it.
We bought fresh seafood for our evening meal in Bergen --- we had very, very fresh shrimp that were tasty. Pam and Megan also sampled some crab from the market. Unfortunately, Karrah was not feeling well so she took some time at this overnight to get some extra sleep.
It has been so nice to sample both the city life and the very, very rural areas, especially in the fjords where many of the homes seem very isolated. I haven't had a chance to get anymore pictures uploaded lately, so I think I'm going to update my posts and then add pictures. Most of the people in our tour group are flying on Sunday (July 4th) but we are not flying back until July 5th so hopefully Sunday will be my day to get organized with the pictures.
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