PfG: Sunny Summer Oslo

Sailing through the Oslofjord was one gorgeous vista after another.

When we reached a section about a half hour from Oslo, Captain Stig came on the PA system to share some information on a historic battle that took place in this spot on April 9, 1940 as the Germans made their attempt to occupy Norway during WW2.

On two islands in the middle of the fjord the Norwegians had in place a gun battery, shown in the prvious photo, and a torpedo installation to protect their capital, Oslo. The Germans sent their newest battleship, the Blũcher, which had only been commissioned three days before sailing, off to Norway in a surprise attempt to take Oslo, the king, and the government.

They came up the fjord in the dark of night to Oscarsborg Fortress. When the Blũcher wouldn't answer any of the radio calls to identify itself, Colonel Birger Eriksøn, commander of the fortress, made an executive decision that the ship he saw was German and that the battery would fire on it. The Blūcher, captain, who thought his ship could sneak past was fired on point blank from the gun battery causing major damage, followed by two torpedos which hit the German ship and sank it.

The Blūcher is still at the bottom of the fjord today, north of the islands, and sometimes oil can be seen floating on the top of the water, despite efforts over the years to pump it all out. There were 1000 sailors and 1000 soldiers on the ship when it sank, many who survived. It was the first major loss for the Germans in WW2 and a huge, albeit fleeting victory for Norway.

Sinking the Blūcher and delaying the ships with it from sailing into Norway, who had been neutral in the war until that time, allowed the king and members of Parliament to escape to London before the Germans reached the capital later that day. The queen and her children went to Sweden, where she was encouraged to cooperate with the Germans and to get her husband to return. She refused and eventually she and the children sat out the war in the U.S. Meanwhile the king continued to work with the Allies. It was a fascinating piece of history I'd never heard of before. The blue dots on the maps above are left, next to Oscarsborg Fortress, and right, where the Blūcher sank.

Oslofjord is 60 miles of scenery carved and shaped by a long ago ice age. Oslo itself is Norway’s main seaport and capital city, a place that’s known for its natural beauty and modern flair. It's the smallest of the Scandinavian capitals and was founded in 1024 as a Viking trading hub by King Harald Hardråde, one of the last real Vikings to rule in the area. Later on it was called Christiania, after Denmark’s King Christian IV, then after several hundred years it reverted to the Old Norse name of Oslo following independence in 1905.

We had a walking tour of the city planned today so as we walked to meet our guide I got a photo of my beloved Serenade.

A fountain along the waterfront made a good photo op as well.

A view of the Akershus Fortress Complex near the pier. It was built in the 14th century by King Hakon V as a royal residence, then upgraded by Christian IV in the 17th century.

Some of modern architecture along the pier.

Also along the pier they have a memorial to the battle with the Blūcher which includes one of that ship's actual anchors.

The boardwalk here is long and spacious. The Norwegians plan well.

Not sure who this statue is of but LeaAnn trying to imitate the guy riding was pretty funny.

All along the boardwalk we'd see these floating saunas. Apparently these belong to a club where you can enjoy the sauna right there on the sea and then jump in the water to cool off. On the right is another of the large clocks in town.

All of the ferries that run between Oslo's islands are electric. All of the electricity generated in Norway is hydroelectric. Our guide, Judith, told us that electric cars are becoming more and more popular in Norway.

After visiting the Nobel Museum in Stockholm you would have thought that we'd know that the Nobel Peace Prize is not awarded there but in Oslo each year. There has always been a love/hate relationship in some ways between the two countries, or maybe just more of a rivalry, but when Alfred Nobel set up the terms for the awards he stipulated that the peace prize was to be awarded in Norway because it was a country known for peace. To this day they take that title of a leader in peace very seriously.

Oslo City Hall is near the museum and is the site of the Nobel award ceremony. We would later go inside to see the venue. In the meantime, check it out, another clock! The building was begun in 1931, delayed by WW2, then finally completed in 1950, but according to Judith is was finished right on schedule. Not sure why it the plan would have been for it to take 19 years to build!

Oslo is super easy to get around in. There are these blue trams, as well as a great bus system, to get you all around town. They come every few minutes and you ride on the honor system. Once you buy your ticket and validate it you just get on and off at will. Inspectors may come on board at any time and if you don't have a valid ticket there are hefty fines. It was an excellent way to get us from one area to another on our tour, our tired feet and legs were grateful.

Once a military academy this building is now a high school. I asked the grandkids how they'd like to go to school in a building like this that overlooks a fjord. I got all affirmative answers!

We walked through the lovely Ekeberg Park to get to a viewpoint of the city. Let me qualify that, the flowers in the park were beautiful, the sculptures were totally weird. They are the collection of local wealthy businessman Christian Ringnes who donated them to the city and whose foundation sponsors the park now. Judith said she thought it might be just because his third wife had wanted to get rid of all the "art" at their home. There are some pieces by well-known sculptors like Rodin, but most I didn't even want to look at.

Anyways, the viewpoint was fabulous. Just below it, out of the photo, is where the original settlement of Oslo was located. Much of what you can see in the foreground of this photo is an ongoing city project to create new housing and cultural sites.

Off in the distance to the left is the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Since it’s pretty much at the top of the city you can get an amazing view of Oslo and the fjord from there as well. The original jump has been rebuilt multiple times from its beginnings in 1892 until the latest 2011 state-of-the-art version was created for the World Championships. There is even a ski jump simulator there for visitors to try. On the right you can see the Royal Palace, where we'd stop by later for a photo.

More of the Oslofjord behind us.

No one lives on this island but turns out it's lots cheaper to anchor your boat there than across the water in Oslo.

This area used to all be commercial but it is being turned into residential space with a school and markets.

A nice group photo for the day.

The main pedestrian drag in Oslo is Karl Johan Gate. Gate means street in Norwegian.

Oslo is also called the Tiger City, not because they have them here but because tigers are dangerous, like a city is, at least to the 19th century Norwegian poet that the idea of the tigers is attributed to. Judith is on the right explaining that this silver hammer monument is not to Thor, but to honor all the railroad workers who died during WW2. You can't see it but there is a swastika being smashed by the mallet because the railroad saboteurs believed it was worth fighting for freedom for all people.

More lovely floral decor found all over the city.

Green space ran down the middle of the road making a nice park.

On the left is the old train station but in front of it stands a fountain, unfortunately it wasn't running, which was a gift from the Norwegian American Line, a company that brought many immigrants to the U.S. Both of the people at the top of the fountain are looking west, towards America. Judith told us that parking is a huge problem in Oslo, it's either nonexistent or prohibitively expensive. One of the prime parking areas near the train station has now been turned into a playground, which I have to admit doesn't make much sense in this particular place.

Part of the area of Oslo which has been developed in the last 20 years includes the city library on the left and the Oslo Opera House on the right.

The opera house has a unique design that runs right down into the fjord.

We always need a least one selfie together each tour day.

Just yards away from the opera house is this sculpture called She Lies, which looks a lot like a glass iceberg with light that plays off the opera house as it pivots around in the water. Apparently it is especially stunning in winter.

You can rent this sauna to take it out into the fjord for a private sauna party.

The newest addition to this part of the boardwalk is the Munch (pronounced monk) Museum, hidden there behind what Judith hoped was a temporary ferris wheel. Munch's most famous work is The Scream. I'm not really much of a fan of his creations but Norwegians are quite proud of him.

I always love to have a good flag photo.

We stopped for a snack at Halvorsens. It's where the upper class women would go for their cakes and pastry.

I was happy to comply, even though it was a hard choice to decide which to choose, I chose a slice of raspberry marzipan cake. Oh did that real cream taste good after so much fake cream on the ship.

When the Swedes were in charge in Norway the king needed a place where his friends could stay so he had the Grand Hotel built. The guy who owns is today is the one who donated all the weird statues to the city that I mentioned earlier.

This has been the Norwegian Parliament Building since 1814, during the days the Swedes were in charge after the Napoleonic Wars. The constitution here was based on the U.S. constitution except that it did not guarantee freedom of religion, if you lived in Norway you were required to be Lutheran, at least until 1861 when that law was changed. They currently have seven major political parties in Norway who all manage to treat one another respectfully, get along, and get things done. Sounds like a lesson could be learned in other nations.

I know, more flowers, they were just so vibrant I couldn't help it. On the right is a view down Karl Johan Gate towards the Royal Palace.

This statue is to memorialize Henrik Wergeland, known for his contributions to Norwegian literature and most especially for his efforts in having religious freedom added to the constitution, much to the consternation of his father who was in favor of keeping all Catholics and Jews out of Norway.

When we saw this sculpture we thought it was just some random guy with a bike but it turns out it is a memorial to all of Norway's Resistance Fighters during WW2. Pictured is Gunnar Sønsteby, Norway's most decorated citizen, having received their highest military honor, the War Cross with three swords. He was a leader in the resistance who was also trained in sabotage by the British.

A quick glimpse of the State Department building of Norway.

A closer view of the palace, although we didn't have time to go in.

When the Norwegians finally got out from under Swedish rule and their king in 1905 they needed to have a monarch according to their constitution so it was time to go king shopping. They invited Prince Carl of Denmark to be their king, he agreed and became King HaaKon VII. His grandson Harald V is the current king who is married to Sonja who was born a commoner. They are a pair of popular monarchs.

Pictured here is one of two national theaters in Oslo. They need to have two because each one is language specific, either "book language" or new Norwegian. Only works in the former can be performed here.

We were back again at Oslo City Hall,

not only is there a large clock on the front of the building but there's another huge, highly decorative one on the back of the building. I'm telling you, Norwegians love their clocks!

This side of the building is much more decorative than the other side.

At the top of the building is a statue known as The Oslo Girl who has been recently shined up. She just glows!

Different Norse motifs decorate the walls outside,

as well as various scenes from Norse mythology.

After going through security we entered the main hall where the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony has been held each year since 1991. All of the artwork here was done between 1945-1950 when the building was completed in time for the celebration of the city 900th anniversary.

This mural tells the story of the city's very beginnings to more modern times.

On this mural are reminders of Halvard, the patron saint of Oslo.

Another wall covers the five years of Norway's occupation by Germany with many of the figures in it showing defiant faces, until the Germans are ousted by the Soviets on May 8, 1945 and they can look towards the future.

How many times in my life am I going to be in the hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded? Probably once!

The final wall shows the various industries of Norway, from mining and forestry to fishing and farming.

Things took a lighter turn as we exited City Hall and headed for a souvenir shop with the funky Norwegian troll outside. Jane was a wannabe viking but Judith said DO NOT buy a Viking hat with horns, the actual Vikings never had them on theirs.

Our final stop of the day was the Vigeland Sculpture Park, the creative brain child of Gustav Vigeland which sits in the midst of Frogner Park in Oslo. He also designed the original Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1921 Gustav Vigeland made a deal with the city that he’d spend the rest of his life creating beautiful works for Oslo if they’d give him a studio and state support. They took the deal and from 1924 until his death in 1943 Vigeland not only designed the park itself but 192 sculpture groupings with 600 figures, some of which are quite bizarre. It’s the world’s largest sculpture park designed by a single artist, although it’s interesting to note that Vigeland didn’t actually sculpt or cast the final works, he did do the originals in clay or plaster and had assistants who then executed his models into bronze and granite statues. I will warn you now that Vigeland loved Classical and Renaissance sculpture so all of his works are nude. If that is going to be offensive, just scroll on past.

Just some of the flowers in the magnificent park.

This was one of my favorite pieces. The joyful look on the woman's face and the same in return on the baby's filled me with that exact emotion.

There is a lot of energy and happiness in these two bronzes.

Probably the most famous sculpture in the park is the Angry Boy, named by those who look at it because Vigeland didn't name any of his pieces, he wanted people to find their own impressions of the works. This little guy is aptly named.

I kind of preferred the sweet little girl that was nearby.

It was the sculptures portraying relationships that touched me the most.

And of course I loved the rose garden!

Aren't these beauties? And many of them smelled oh so good.

The sculptures around the fountain portrayed a progression of life, from birth to death.

The bronze reliefs around the bottom were totally unrelated to the rest of the fountain. Vigeland just had way too many ideas and not enough space or time.

This man was nearing the end of life and sharing with a new generation.

Again, the old and young together.

A selfie with my buddies and a long view of the fountain.

This part is called the Monolith Plateau. The monolith in the center was carved in place out of a granite block over a period of 13 years by three Scandinavian artists, one Norwegian, one Swedish and one Danish.

In the park is a photo of the original granite block being moved into place, being prepared for the sculpting to begin.

Jane and Mark at the bottom of the plateau,

and me at the top. Karl had already been to the top and was waiting on a bench below.

Again on the. plateau was the theme of birth to death in all of these granite statues. There was such sweetness in this one with the mother cuddling her children.

Children who love being together. Any titles I give these are my own.

A father with his children.

Who hasn't done horsey rides with their children? Look at the laughter on those faces.

This one felt like sisters to me.

I liked the idea of working together in this one.

Caring for one another in old age had a definitely pang to it.

Looking back down the promenade of the sculpture park from the plateau.

The monolith was sculpted in plaster by Vigeland in three different pieces. As the artists worked on this one it was all covered by a tarp and some sort of tent as they worked year round, with Vigeland's carving next to them as a pattern. It was finally completed and unveiled in 1947.

One last look, the scowl of the little girl and the confusion of the little boy, he's got to be thinking, "What did I do?"

Vigeland also designed the wrought iron gates in the park.

Another mother and child, she's got to be enjoying the new baby smell.

It seems rather ironic that the only clothed figure in the entire park is Vigeland's self portrait. Overall, this park was one of the most incredible works of art I've ever seen. Vigeland was definitely something of a genius. On another note, they have some of the most delicious cinnamon buns I've ever eaten here at the cafe in the park. We were lucky enough to enjoy some before heading back to Serenade after another full day.

But the day wasn't over yet, well it was, but it's wasn't time to sleep quite yet as that night was supposed to be one of our best chances to see the elusive Northern Lights. These were some of the shots I got between 11:00 and 12:30 on the night of August 12.