Ellerbe Road Adventures - 2006 Travels (Russia, Sweden, France)

Russia 2006 Journey Day Twenty-Four
Oslo, Norway
[06 August, 2006] Travel from Stockholm to Oslo was smooth and quick. Both airports have express
trains from their central train stations. So, a quick 20 minute ride to Stockholm Arlanda airport and then
a 55 minute flight to Oslo. We used the early start excuse for "power naps" on the flight.

The Oslo airport is new and very well layout - Their new express train is just 15 minutes to the city center.
During the train ride, the car displays the latest BBC World news - both in English and Norwegian languages.
In fact, very rarely is language a challenge in Scandinavian countries - especially within the cities.

The nice part is the 2 minute walk from the train station to the hotel. Once settled, purchased Oslo Pass
tickets (24 hours to all museums and transport) and we were off to see the city in a day.

Started with the City Hall - known to many for it's Nobel Peace Prize award. The City Hall started in the
early 1900s; however, wasn't completed until after World War II. Several Norwegian artists were used
to paint murals on the main interior walls - denoting Oslo's history and attributes. It also included an
Edward Munch painting. (They're still looking for the stolen "The Scream" painting from three years ago).
The guide provided history of each large scale mural.

Next transport was the public ferry to Bygdoy peninsula containing many Olso/Norway museums. First
stop was the Viking Ship Museum. Includes the World's best preserved wooden Viking ships from the
9th century. Their ships could handle international trips; however, most were coastal based on known
sites. They would hunt and camp on the shores compared to stock on the ship. This would help them
with their basic needs; prior to "pillage and plunder". (What else are you going to do in the 9th century?).

Down the street was the Folk Museum - an outdoor history museum with buildings from Norway. It was
the first in the World (Sweden's Skansen said they were first) dating back to the late 1800s. Total number
of buildings is much less than Skansen. Most of the buildings were farm homes with the infamous grass
roof - including flowers. One of the highlights was the Stave Church with all it's carved details.

Time for a break - Went to the Huk Beach area and actually enjoyed the water. Oslo fjord waters were
cool, clear, and refreshing. As for the "beach" - crushed slate would be a better description. However,
everyone was enjoying the remaining days, or hours, of summer. It was a wonderful walk through the
woods path to return to the transport bus. As a good friend in Sweden said - just need a towel and
a rock next to the water.

Final stop for the day was the Vigeland park - the most visited attraction in Norway. Gustav Vigeland
designed the park and created 212 granite and bronze sculptures. One of the well known sculptures
is the 50 ft high monolith containing 121 figures made from one piece of granite. The park grounds
are over 80 acres and well landscaped with several rose gardens.

Dinner was at an outdoor restaurant Deja Vu located next the park and the tram stop. Italian was
the specialty and included their own Cajun pasta (not on the same spice scale as Louisiana). A quick
tram ride back to the hotel and it was officially time to retire. Tomorrow is "Norway in a Nutshell".



: Oslo City Hall - Exterior and Interior Scenes