OSLO

It's a leisurely breakfast, collerct our bags from the room and get in line to disembarck.  We only had  about 15 minutes to catch the bus for our tour of Oslo and we didn't want to miss that.  We were right up in front and before too long our 8 ladies from Malaysia came a long and we got to talking again. One suggested we have our pictures taken together and we got a volunteer to do the taking.

Note all those suitcases.  Not ours!

We got off the ship and found our bus.  When we asked the bus driver where we should put our bags he pointed to the back of the bus so we found a door at the back, opened it up and sure enough it would hold luggage.  Only had a a big old chain on the step so I stepped over it and managed to get our bags in a little area so we could get them off quickly.  While we were leaving the luggage area we ran into our friends, dragging their luggage, and we told them where to put them.  I would have loved to have helped but I've come to realizie I'm not as young as I think I am and I can't take any chances getting hurt so they struggled on their own.  There are 8 of them and they're always smiling so when they returned to the bus the smile was still there.They didn't need my help.

The scheduled tour was a two hour duration and familiarized us with the city.  We were parked in front of the City Hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each December 10. It is the only Nobel prize given in Norway the others are presented in Stockholom.  At the time of Nobel's death and when his will was read Sweden and Norway were one country.

Oslo goes back to around 1000AD and has gone through great changes, even the name of the town has changed quit a few times before it became the city it is today.  It has been called Oslo, Kristiania or Christiania.  It's history began in the midle ages.  Around 1300 AD Oslo had about 3000  Inhabitants.  The town was the residence of King Hakon V (1299-1319) who commenced the building of the fortress known as Akershus .  From 1536 Norway was in a union with Denmark.  After a dramatic fire in 1642 the Danish King Christian IV rebuilt the town below Akersus and named the town after himself.

As a consequence of the Napoleonic Wars Denmark had to cede the territory of Norway to the Swedish King in 1814.  In the same year Norway got its own constitution and Christiania became the capital of Norway.  In 1925 the City name reverted back to Oslo.

The tour took us around the city and the  walls of Akershus are still remaining.  Inside Akershus are a number of museums and the grounds are used for numerous celebrations.

You can just see Akershus sitting on the hill behind the boats.

The tour had two stops.  The first was at Vigeland Park.  It is 80 acrea and has 212 granite and bronze sculpures done by Norwegian native sculptor Gustav Vigeland.  The Park is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist.  "It is one man's exploration of the human form, including the bizarre and delightful."  All the sculptures in the park are nude except for one which is of the sculptor himself.  There wasn't enough time to see the park as it should be seen during our 2 hour tour and unfortunately we did not go back which we are really regretting.

Each statue is unique. Vigeland worked over a 20 year period and donated his works to the city of Oslo.  I managed to get a few pictures but the guide was really rushing from one area to another and I didn't want to get left behind.  Actually when I think about it I wish I would have.  

The "Monolith" is the focal point of the park.  It is made of one piece or Norwegian granite and has 121 intertwined human figures meant to represent the human desire to reach out to the devine.  

The sculptural groups around the monolith depict the circle of life - babies to oldsters.

                                

                           

                     

Sharon had run off and left me but some nice young man asked me if I wanted to have my picture taken.  Mmmmmmm interesting choice of sculptor he selected to have me pose in front of.  

This fountain is one of the highlights of the park and was originally designed to stand in front of the Norwegian Parliament.  The location, however proved controversial.  The sculpure consists of 60 individual bronze reliefs representing again the circle of life, with sculptures of children, teenagers, oldmen, and skeletons.  

The figures below also carry on the theme " The Circle of Life".

                                

The next sculptors are  on the bridge as you enter the park.  The theme on the bridge is the relationship between man and women and family.  This particular one symbolizes eternal love and affection.

Most famous - "Angry Boy"

There is also an angry girl but it's not so famous.  Probably because girls so seldom get angry that few people coud relate.  I'm almost sure that's the reason.

The park itself is beautiful.

                          Well we flew through the park  and as you can see there was so much to see  (Don't miss it if you ever get to Oslo). Next we boarded the bus and proceeded to Holmenkollen. It is the neighborhood where Holmenkollbakken, a large ski jumping hill is located.  The drive up to the hill had beautiful vista's and would have been wonderful places to stop and take photographs but we just proceeded up the hill.  I couldn't help but think the view from the top will be spetacular.  Nope. Not so unless you think a ski jump hill is beautiful.

Holmenkollen has hosted the Ski Festival since 1892, which since 1980 have been part of the FIS Jumping World Cup and 1983 the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup. It has also hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics and the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 1930, 1966, 1982, and 2011.  Between 2008 and 2010 the entire structure was demolished and rebuilt.  

We couldn't even get a good view of the city from here.  We were on top of the world and not a piece of it could you see from where we were.  Oh well.

The commentary on the bus was rather interesting.  In 1962 a US oil company asked permission to look for oil and gas in the area.  Nine years later oil was discovered and Norway went from being a poor country to one of the richest in the world.  Oslo is the most expensive city in the world.  ( I can vouch for that - I could hardly afford a glass of wine , $18.00  for a house wine.  There is compulsory military training for all men ages 18-44.  They are thinking of making it compulsory for all women as well.  Men and women are allowed 43 weeks of maternity/paternity leave with full benefits, 58 weeks with partial benefits.  All individuals have health care.  

We were let off at the City Hall and proceeded up the street to find a cab.  There was a taxi stand there so we got in the cab,told the driver the name of our hotel and that it was located near the central train station. We left the city hall, drove through a trunnel, and when we came out it seemed that we were far from where we had been.  We drove around and finally found the hotel.  Because  we couldn't 

find the hotel right away the driver had stopped the meter and told us that we were his first fare ever and he told us all about his relatives in the states, etc.  So friendly.  I gave him the 149 Norwegian Krone and a little tip bisides because he had turned off the meter and was loosing money on us.  Bid him good bye with a happy face.  Went into the hotel to check in and there were a few of our friends from Malaysia. We compared fares and found out they had been charged 148 Krone.  Close.  Went to the registrar and they didn't have our names.  She looked at the sheet I had from the travel agency and we were at the wrong hotel - only a few blocks away.  So with suitcases in tow we all left the hotel and proceeded to wheel our bags over the coblestoned street to the hotel with the same name, different location.  The poor Malaysia ladies had to tote their luggage too.  If you remember they had a lot more than we did.  When we got inside of our new hotel there were some of the other ladies from Malaysia sitting waiting for their friends.  They had paid 118 Norwegian Krone and gotten to the right hotel.  ( We paid $24 plus tip to be delivered to the wrong hotel and the 4 Malaysian ladies paid $19.00 to get dropped off at the right hotel.)  Oh well, it's only funny money when  you're traveling in foreign countries, isn't it?

We did get a nice upgrade and after unpacking a bit went over to the train station to exchange our voucher for train tickets.  Got that done and went to look for a place for lunch.  Found a cute little place close to the station and had a little lunch that included these :

Ordinary fries.

Extraordinary sauce to dip them in.

Mayonaise plus 

 Soooooooooo good!!!!!!!!

Just a half a day done so more to come.  

 

A LITTLE BREAK

I'm currently in Stckholm and a little under the weather so don't really feel like blogging about my travels  There is another reason also which I thought I'd blog about instead.

Last evening I learned that a dear friend of mine had pased away.  When I left in April I knew that not everything would be rosie all the time.   I knew that I would miss family ,friends, events and experiences.  I was just hoping that when I arrived back in the states my circle of friends would be in tact.  Not to be.

Judy Emerick passed away yesterday morning.  I first met Judy in Kansas City.  I really didn't know her all that well there but we played bridge together and when she and her husband,Bob, moved to NC I mentioned that I might get out that way as I had a nephew living there. We exchanged personal info so when I decided to move to NC I contacted her.  She immediately called me and told me about 

" New Friends" and proceeded to introduce me to people. We even started a little bridge foursome 

 in which Judy and I helped two of her neighbors  learn to play bridge.  I had no  business teaching anyone to play bridge but Judy  convinced me we should do it.  So we did.  As time went on Judy's husband passed away and she moved into my neighborhood.  When I think of Judy I think of bridge.  She organized more bridge groups and got more people together than anyone I know.  She was generous with her time and her talents.  

Over a year ago Judy had a colonoscopy that resulted in a perforation of her colon She had emergency surgery and her recovery was anything but easy.  She never complained, just kept right on trucking.  She continued playing bridge and for awhile because of complications with the incision we just played at Judy's house.  There were many complications that followed but Judy was determined to get everything done medically so she could get on with her life.  Unfortunately things did not go as planned and she died yesterday morning.

When something like this  happens you realize how important friends and family are.  They lift you up in times of sorrow.  So I'm feeling a little down.  I know Judy would tell me to go on , enjoy.  But I want to take just a little time to remember and embrace the memories that Judy Emerick gave to me.  

So I bid farewell to Judy.  I can't be there physically at your service but I will be there in spirit.  You were a true friend and I will miss you!

A LITTLE MORE OF COPENHAGEN

We were up and at'em, out the door and headed to the nearest bus stop to learn more about this city of Danes.  The rainbow the day before was a sure sign that today things were going to go well.  The bus was at the stop and we boarded and we waited.  Well a ten minute wait was in order since we had arrived at 9:30 so departure would be at 9:40.  We did not leave - I think they wanted a full bus before they left but finally without the full bus we daparted.  Today we learned that because of the Ironman competition in the city a lot of the roads usually used on the tour would not be open so we would be taking a different rouote and would not go  to some areas. Oh well, we would get to see the little mermaid and that was on our agenda.  We went about  3 stops and pulled up to the Marriott Hotel and sat there for a half an hour waiting for people from the hotel to join the bus tour.  We were not happy campers.  Two other bus companies had come and gone.  Finally we departed and again the 

ccommentary on the bus did not sync with the sites we were seeing.  Of course we had the Ironman competition to thank for that but still the commentary had a way of starting with a thought and shifting to another one. ( When I think about it it was a lot like my conversation - I bet the commentary was just old.) We finally made it to our destination - The Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid statue was a present from brewer Carl Jacobsen  (( The Carlsberg Breweries) to the city of Copenhagen, made by a then little known sculptor called Edvard Erichsen.  The statue was unveiled in 1913 as part of a general trend in those days, selecting classic and historical figures to be used as decorations in the city parks and public areas. Carl was so taken with the dancer Ellen Price that he asked her to pose for the statue.  She agreed but was not very intrested posing without her clothes when she found out how public the statue was going to be.  Edvard Erihsen's wife stepped in and modeled for the body.  The little mermaid symbolizes the fairy tale by Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen, the story of a young mermaid who fell in love with a prince who liveed on land, and often came up to the water's edge to look for her love.

After our look and picture taking at the statue we headed for the bus stop hoping that it would not be an hour before we got picked up.  It wasn't and we were off once again.  We decided to go visit the Amalienborg Palace and started to walk in the general direction.  Not being entirely sure what direction to proceed I decided to ask for directions.  I stopped a very nice woman who was most helpful and also informed me that the crown prince was probably participating in the Ironman competition.  

As we were walking we saw a building that we thought was the Parliament and so decided to take a closer look.  It was indeed the government building but was also the former home of the royal family and the rooms that are used for state functions were open to the public.  We decided to save some shoe leather and just stay and view the rooms in what is known as the Christiansborg Palace.    The royal family had lived there until 1794 when a fire broke out. 

The queen was attending an event at the palace the next day and they had the guard "huts' out for herarrival  so I just popped in for aminute.

We proceeded inside and I have to say that the room are quite impressive.  This was the grand staircase and me feeling grand in my littl blue shoe covers.

 

 Unbelievable chandaliers.Pictures can't capture their beauty.

The ceiling of the library.

The libary's decorations was originally financed through a collection on the Danish Island of Funen and for that reason only caraftsmans from Funen worked on its interior.The library contains over 90,000 books and about 10.000 are kept in Christiansbourg, while the rest are in Amalienborg Palace.

The pink room.  Redone for the 

Queen's 60th birthday.

                     

The State Dinning room.  The chandeliers originally were used in the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway but were sold when electric lights were installed in 1903.  When Norway celebrated the 100 anniversary of its independence the Norwegian royal house had copies made of the original chandaliers and they are used today in the Great Hall in the Royal Palace in Oslo.

This is The 

Great Hall which is used by the queen for state dinners, banquets, and the New Year Levee.  The room can hold 400 guests.  

                        

The throne Room.The Monarch receives guests in this room.  Today the Queen no longer sits on the throne but stands to receive guests.

I want to point out that I was not invited to either of these events at the palace.  

As I go through these magnificent buildings I am always so impressed with the chandeliers, the tapestries, paintings, and the doors.  Yup, I really love the treatment on the various doors.

Aren't they beautiful!

We left the palace and walked into the royal chapel for a quick glance.

After leaving the palace there was just time to catch a quick lunch and grab our bags and and get ready for the cab to pick us up and take us to the boat terminal for our trip to Oslo.  While sitting waiting for the cab to arrive we met some lovely ladies from Malaysia and found out they too were heading for the boat and on to Oslo.  Sharon and I both looked at their suitcases - they each had a big one and a little one and we just looked at each other and thought - no way.  They were traveling for a couple  of weeks also and had to move every few days and catch different kinds of transportation.   Better them than us.

We arrived at the terminal.

and once onbaoard waited for the elevator along with hundreds of other passangers.

We finally got to our room which wasn't too large but we did have a seaview.  After settling in, which took all of 5 minutes we were out the door exploring the ship.  

We found the lounge on floor 7 and decided to get a seat by the window and watch from there as the ship departed the city.

                

And we left the city and the rain behind.

That night onboard we enjoyed a casual dinner in one of several restaurants and than walked around and ended up sitting in a lounge area listening to a great piano player and singer.  His repertoire included great songs from my generation.  Songs you could actually sing a long to.  After his first set he came over, pulled up a chair and started a conversation.  This was his first week on the ship.

We sat there for a long time and just listened until some people came and interrupted the music with loud chatter.  We went to the big entertainment area and listened to that band for awhile and than decided it was time to turn in for the night.  The ship wouldn't get into Oslo until 9:45 so we could enjoy a leisurely breakfast onboard and finish throwing our things into the suitcase.