Oslo

According to the Norse sagas, Oslo was founded around 1049 by King Harald Hardråde. Its original name was Oslo which was changed to Christiania and then later changed back to Oslo. (Kind of reminds me of Bombay/Mumbai). It has been ruled many times by the Danes, then the Swedes and again by the Danes. It has also been ravaged many times by fire.

However today, Oslo is a world class city with many interesting sights to capture the visitors' imagination. It is best to buy a "Visit Oslo" card which covers not only the public transport but also a wide variety of museums and other attractions.

Some of the main attractions in Oslo are:

- The Vigeland Sculpture Park - check out my blog on The Vigeland Sculpture Park

- The Royal Palace where one can watch the changing of the guards at 1400 hrs.

The Royal Palace

The changing of the guards

- The Parliament Building. You can do a tour during the summer months.

The Parliament Building

- The City Hall which is not only the seat of the local government but also where the Nobel Peace Prize is given away. They conduct free tours of the city hall. The exterior of the building was not to my taste (I was told, it grows on you) but the interiors were fantastic. Also since Norway was under foreign rule for most of their history, when they became independant they were keen on establishing their own identity and they looked to their folklore for inspiration. Therefore you will see a lot of reference to sea faring activities, fishing and plant gathering. They also love their mythical creatures like trolls and valkyries. Outside the City Hall, there are friezes depicting stories based on their folklore.

The City Hall

The tree of life

A tapestry in one of the reception rooms of the city hall

 One of the friezes outside the city hall

- The National Theatre.

The National Theatre

- The Cathedral

The Cathedral

- The Opera House which is a unique modern building. www.oslooperahouse.com

The Opera House

- The National Maritime Museum which has a huge collection of miniature ships.

- The Fram which houses the Polar Ship Fram and catalogues the escapades of the polar expidition teams.

- The Viking Museum which has exhibits of ships and artifacts from that era.

The mast on the Viking Ship

- The Kontiki Museum which documents the adventures of explorer Thor Heyardhal and his voyage using the reed boats.

- The National Heritage Museum which has exhibition houses from various parts of the country. It includes a beautiful stave church.

The beautiful 14th Century stave church

Another view..........

A close up.......

A Norse brewery

A modern pub/cafe! :)

- The Harbour from where you can catch ferries to various islands in the fjords. You have a variety of restaurants along the harbour.

The are many other museums covering a variety of topics and works of various artists like Edvard Munch, Henry Ibsen, etc.

The mini bottle museum!

The public transport system which includes the ferries and the subway make it convenient to visit the main sights. The city is dotted with various sculptures of their most famous artist - Vigeland.

http://www.visitoslo.com/

The Vigeland Sculpture Park

The Vigeland Park is the largest sculpture park made by one single artist in the world. The unique sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland's lifework with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron. Vigeland was also in charge of the design and architechtural layout of the park. The Vigeland Park was mainly completed between 1939 and 1949.

Most of the sculptures are placed in five units along an 850 meter long axis: The Main gate, the Bridge with the Children's playground, the Fountain, the Monolith plateau and the Wheel of Life.

The Main Gate:
The Main Gate in granite and wrought iron facing Kirkeveien marks the beginning of the 850 meter long axis that leads over the Bridge to the Fountain on to the Monolith and ends in the Wheel of life. The Main Gate consists of five large gates and two small pedestrian gates in wrought iron. Railings curve outwards on each side and end in two copper-roofed gate houses, topped by guilded weather vanes.

The Bridge:

The 100 m long and 15 m wide bridge, lined with lanterns and sculptures on the granite parapets, is built on top of an old bridge constructed and has 58 sculptures in bronze. These include a rich variety of children, women and men in different ages, some alone, others in groups. Dominant motifs are the relationships between man and woman, adults and children. Stationary figures that flank the cube formed lanterns alternate with dynamic groups. By the run of the waterfall the bridge widens to each side and is marked with figures surrounded by massive bronze wheels. Here you will also find Sinnataggen, the little Angry Boy.

In spite of his size, the little boy is one of the most popular figures in the park. Although the sculptures on the bridge were among the latest Vigeland made for the park, they were the first to be installed. Already in the summer of 1940, when the rest of the park still was a large construction area, the bridge was opened to the public. At this time the four tall granite columns portraying humans fighting lizards were also erected. These show demons in absolute control of their victims, and represent a dramatic contrast to the more unconcerned play and joy of life depicted on the bridge.

Below the bridge is a circular playground with eight bronze sculptures of small children. In the centre, mounted on a small granite column, is the figure of an unborn child. Vigeland also designed a children's ferry to the amusement of the park's younger visitors, and the boat had its monumental granite wharf a few steps further down from the Children's Playground. For many years after the second world war it sailed around where today only swans and ducks swim. Inspired by other public parks in Europe, Vigeland also wanted rowing boats in the upper pond. This plan was, however, never carried out.

The Fountain:
The 20 tree groups were all modelled between 1906 and 1914. Beneath the crown of the trees the life of man, from cradle to grave, unfolds. Our time on earth is at the same time only a part of an eternal cycle with no beginning and no end. After the tree group with the skeleton which is about to decay in nature, follows a tree full of children: From death arises new life. The bronze reliefs along the outer side of the pool render the eternal life cycle of mankind.

The Monolith:
On the highest point of the park, on the Monolith Plateau, rise circular stairs towards the Monolith. The figural part, with 121 figures, is 14.12 m and the total height, including the plinth, is 17.3 m high. The Monolith was carved from one single granite block, hence the name (mono: one, litho: stone). Whereas the melancholy theme in the fountain is the eternal life cycle, the column gives room to a totally different interpretation: Man's longing and yearning for the spiritual and divine. Is the column to be understood as man's resurrection? The people are drawn towards heaven, not only characterised by sadness and controlled despair, but also delight and hope, next to a feeling of togetherness, carefully holding one another tight in this strange sense of salvation.

The Wheel of Life:
In the axis further west from the Monolith is a Sundial, completed around 1930, and finally the Wheel of life, modelled in 1933-34. The wheel is a symbol of eternity and is here executed as a garland of women, children and men holding on to each other. In a sense, this sculpture sums up the dramatic theme of the entire park: Man's journey from cradle to grave, through happiness and grief, through fantasy, hope and wishes of eternity.

http://www.vigeland.museum.no/

The Oslo-Bergen rail journey

The Oslo-Bergen rail journey is listed in the top 10 rail journeys of the world. It takes around 7 hours from start to finish but it is time well spent. I joined in at Myrdal which connects the Oslo-Bergen line to the Sognefjord through the Flam railway.

The train journey is at a high altitude and the highest point is Finse at 1222 meters above sea level. Throughout the journey you can see nature at its best.

One of the greatest challenges for the Bergen Line is the harsh and changeable weather. The line is exposed to deep low-pressure centers from the west, which can mean strong winds and heavy snow for part of the year. Keeping the railway open demands great effort and technical expertise. Skilled workers, effective equipment, tunnels and snow tunnels currently make the Bergen Line one of the safest and most comfortable ways of traveling between Oslo and Bergen.

Flam

The Flam railway station

The village Flam is a true delight. It is one of the main stops on the Fjord cruises and is the start/end point of the Flam railway. It is a good place to stop over for a night or two. One can hike in the neighbouring mountains or even explore the neighbouring villages of Gudvangen and Underdal. You can either access these villages by road or by water.

The boat that takes you to the neighbouring villages

Gudvangen has a cave with stalacites and stalagmites but a booking must be made well in advance. Underdal is famous for the stave church and its farms where you can see cheese being made and learn more about organic farming and sheep rearing in Norway.

The Stave church in Underdhal

A sheep farm in Flam

A hotel in Gudvangen

My best moments in Flam were:

- Staying at the historic Freitheim Hotel.
- Walking through the village which is nestled in the foothills of the mountains. The place is scenic with its river running through the village and the lovely waterfalls.
- The beautiful stave church built in 1667, which to my good luck, was open. A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction. Once quite common in Northern Europe, they are now mostly found in Norway.
- The Panaroma film which highlighted the beautiful sights in the different seasons.

The tourist information centre in Flam and the shopping area.

The local pub!

The river runs through it.....

Flam from a height.

In the lobby of the Freitheim Hotel

The comfortable lounge area of the Freitheim Hotel

The beautiful stave church in Flam

The altar of the church

The pulpit with frescoes unique to a stave church