Tom and Caralee's happy arrival. Their visit to Norway is blogged by Caralee, our daughter in law.
Norway in a nutshell; I was going to give it a try but it is very much impossible! Even for the sake of blogging there were just too many great pics and experiences to leave out. So, I've subdivided it into the best moments to keep for our blog and blog book to follow. Let's begin with....
PART 1
The Oslo Pass – So You Can See it…all? 24 hours of museums, forts, parks, castles, gondolas and tricks. If you don’t eat, sleep, and definitely don’t sit down, you might just see 1/10th of what Oslo has to offer. Good thing it doesn't get dark.
Frogner Park - 80 acres of splendid park adorned with 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland (1869 - 1943), and thereby also known as Vigeland Sculpture Park. The artists messages are simple and beautiful, as he demonstrates the human condition from birth to death in its many forms. STUNNING.
This famous statue, The Angry Boy (Sinnataggen), has become a representation of the city of Oslo. Look familiar to any of you mamas out there?
There are hundreds of statues lining the walkways of the park, but this one was a particular favorite of mine, it's just so close to home. In the background you can see the mama holding her child in the air. Breathtaking, happy reminders of our purpose here all over the park.
In my mind this statue represents the people of Oslo always looking upwards to the sky for some sunshine! It's few and far between, but the rays are well received when they finally get through to these folks!
Feeling the love! Sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder, abstract and often gloomy. Gustav Vigeland created his statues so there was no room for misinterpretation. His messages were clear, beautiful, and often playful as he depicted many overlooked human conditions from new life, to the end of our journey and all that time in between.
We enjoyed a lovely picnic lunch while the sun peaked through. Ahead of us is 'The Fountain', which took Vigeland from 1906 to 1947 to complete. It depicts giant trees cradling infants and skeletons symbolizing from "death comes new life."
The center statue rising is the Monolith. It is 46ft tall and is made from one single granite slab that took 14 years and 3 artists to carve from the original clay model made by Vigeland himself. It is a figure of 121 human figures embracing and reaching together towards the divine. The message of unity and love is clear and beautiful, " together we achieve salvation."
Surrounding the Monolith is a circle of 36 sculpture groups embodying Vigeland's ever present message, " the circle of life."
Holmenkollen - World's most modern ski jump and museum celebrating Norway's long enthusiasm for the sport. Quite the view from up there, and we didn't even make it all the way to the top!
The Viking Museum - An unexpected treat. A culture where women were practically worshiped? Now who's not lovin' that!
A real life Viking ship unearthed! Norway's museum boasts the three best preserved ships of all time (the Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune.) Didn't look very comfy inside, but it worked for them I guess. I gathered they were a crew of pretty tough people. They also used the ships as coffins, mostly for royalty, placing there revered loved one within the ship as well as all the riches, belongings, food, and animals they would need for their '"journey into the next life." THAT'S WHY we need a two year supply of food storage, it takes a long time to get to heaven by boat!
A few examples of their housing situations. Comfortable enough, but definitely no Hilton.
Lovin' the grassy roofs, Norway still has that going on today.
The Kon-Tiki Museum - In order for Bob's bragging rights of his photo with Thor Heyerdahl in the Ensign to be truly solidified, we just couldn't miss this stop. Tom was sick and we were all tired, but it was worth it! Thor Heyerdahl (1914 - 2002) to prove that early travel on balsa rafts was possible using only the currents. He finally succeeded crossing the Pacific Ocean in his reed boat, the Kon-Tiki in 1947, departing from Peru and landing 4,300 miles and 101 days later in Polynesia. "He proved that early man had mastered sailing before the saddle and wheel were invented."
One could truly spend a day in the museum admiring Thor's work represented there. It inspires me to think of how much humanity is capable if we set our minds to it!
Break time -
Taking a moment to rest our very tired feet in the bookstore after 24 hours of walking and sightseeing! Take note of Debbie's scarf, it is one of many she has acquired during her time in Norway. At the time her count was up to 5 or so, I wonder how many she's got now? Still 5 if Bob has anything to do with it!
In order to recover from the seriously delish choclate, buttery, doughy goodness, we HAD to get back to walking. yum, yum!
And....back to walking!Gondolas and Hiking - We went straight up a mountain side to gather some breathtaking views and some really wonderful hiking. The fog rolled in and out while we were at the top, but we managed to hike around without getting lost and took in the sights of the wonderfully isolated cabins on the mountain lakes and streams above the city.
If you look closely you can see the little mountain home besides the pond. Only accessible by a long difficult hike, or gondola, these little cottages dot the mountain side. Talk about a retreat.
Castles, Forts, & Music, oh my! - I don't think I was the only one who was a little delirious at this stage of our sightseeing tour. The last few hour of the Oslo pass is a bit of a blur for me, consisting of the Viking night who was buried in the gondola, with a museum, under City Hall....Here are some shots of some magical moments that I can't quite place.
A welcomed opportunity to sit and listen to the orchestra rehearse. It was such a wonderful setting, highlighted by some classical music.
Beautiful Tole Art displayed on antique furniture. This museum depicted the progression of art and furniture in the home. Decorative paint started appearing on walls and furniture historically in homes once the wood burning stove allowed for better ventilation and less soot.
This is the museum's courtyard where the tole art was on display. We also enjoyed the random, but interesting, history of the knife and fork.
We stopped by city hall to see the inside, adorned with murals of Norweigan cultural history, but found the outside just as interesting. This darling family, dressed in their traditional dresses called Bunads, were there to bless their child. Many other families were there for the same purpose, and they were all dressed up in their Bunad best!
Norway's Resistance Museum - We all entered a little tired as this was one of our last stops. After a lot of reading and even a few tears on my part, we left feeling overwhelmed and grateful for the effort the small country of Norway put into the resistance. They were small in size and numbers, but great in perserverance and determination. Now I know where Bob gets it.
You can't see it that well, but this sign is over the door when you leave. It states, "Five years of occupation at end." The intensity of these words is lost in a single photo, but after feeling their struggle, if only for a short while, it brought tears to my eyes.
Forsvaret">They did not give up, and they would not give in. They stood for what was right, even through the bitterness of work camps, unemployment, and separation from their loved ones. My favorite example of their pride in truthfulness; 500 teachers refused to teach the Nazi curriculum. "We cannot in good conscious teach what we know to be unconscionable before God." Every last teacher was shipped to a work camp, they would not back down. Impressive to say the least. Truly one of my personal favorite moments of the whole trip.
Next Up - Tunnels, chocolate, Bergen, and more....
