Oslo day 2 and 3 inc Vigeland Sculpture park and the Opera House

My final day before heading back to Switzerland. Oslo, such a wonderful city, busy but not bustling.

Without doubt, my favorite place is Vigeland Sculpture Park, the largest park in Oslo, with 200 sculptures depicting the various ages of man. He has captured facial expressions perfectly, and as 
I slowly walked around, several times, I enjoyed making my own decision as to what he wished to portray in some sculptures. 

The angry child is undoubtedly the most photographed and most touched of all the sculptures.

Not only are the sculptures magnificent, but the gardens are meticulously maintained and beautiful.

The Fountain is a mesmerizing piece of art and was the first piece to be built in the park.
Six giants of different ages hold up the massive saucer-shaped tray, from which the water cascades delicately down into the pool below. It's stunning. I think I circled it three or four times.
All ages and relationships are portrayed- father and son
Siblings - how I loved their expressions 
And the fantastic wrought iron gates, also showing various age groups and genders

Around the amazing fountain are 23 sculptures, my favorite being this young lady seemingly diving into the pool

Young men enjoying their freedom
And an area of the park much less visited, but equally gorgeous
After such a fabulous start to the day, extending well into the afternoon, I used my transport pass to do some island hopping! I desperately needed to get back on the water!
I so enjoyed seeing the lovely fortress area from the boat as I made my way to Hovedoya, The Main Island



I was pleased to see that I am not the only person who has problems with left or right!
W
With such dark, heavy clouds looming, I decided to head back to town 
I really wanted to visit the Food Scene thinking I might eat there, but it was a very poorly lit, noisy place, I guess their equivalent to our Riverside market, but nowhere near as pleasant, so I opted for an excellent Malaysian restaurant. Great curry!
 I passed the sauna area. You can hire them for a few hours and take a nice refreshing dip in the harbour! Or, you can drive your sauna away to a more peaceful and private location! 
This artwork below is called 'She Lies' and represents an iceberg. It's 12 meters high floating on the fjord on a platform which allows it to turn in line with the wind and tide, giving changing experiences of light and shape.
 
Had I had an extra day, I think I would have visited this huge, 13-storey Munch museum. Next time!
I looked across at the Opera House and could see hundreds of people on the roof of the Opera House. It looked a challenge for someone scared of heights, but I decided to wait to see what the final day would be.
The city seems so spacious and as a pedestrian, cyclist, scooter fan, whatever, is a very user-friendly place. Often the areas designated for trams, walkers, etc, are completely empty! Incredible considering it's Norway's largest city.
With four hours left to explore this gorgeous city before heading to the airport , I plucked up courage to go to the rooftop of the most remarkable building I have ever seen. At 4.3 billion kronor, it certainly delivered lasting impressions.
After an easy walk up the gentle slope of the roof, you arrive at a relatively flat area where you can fully appreciate the rooftop. Families, kids in pushchairs, grannies, all ages were represented!
The view was truly sensational. I really took time to stop and reflect. As I watched people running down with kids in pushchairs, I wondered how many accidents they had. I can't imagine such a place would be open to the public in Britain or NZ. I asked the receptionist if there were ever accidents. 'Yes, lots, every day' was her response. You really had to take care because there were frequent changes of levels, very subtle and hard to see, especially when walking down and distracted by the fabulous views.
I have to say that this was another massive highlight for me on this trip. I was spellbound by the beauty and brilliance of the building.
Inside was equally impressive, with lovely oak paneling and 
walls allowing maximum light and yet dividing off the cloakroom area from the entrance hall. Sadly, the backstage tour was fully booked, but I want to go back to a concert or opera.
I spent the last hours enjoying the harbour promenade 
And the fantastic street art along the way.
Big brother was definitely watching
So, farewell to this beautiful, peaceful and people friendly city
And a very fond farewell to Norway, where I have had three weeks of unforgettable experiences.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tairua and the Coromandel

Image
What a lovely start to the day! Sunrise over Tairua .  Although the journey through to Coromandel was not too many kilometres, the extremely winding roads and passes made it a long, though magnificent journey. The forested mountains here are just marvelous and everything seemed so lush. Our first stop was in Coromandel at the Driving Creek Railway, set up originally by a potter wishing to transport his clay to his pottery. As he needed to pay his debts and people became interested in his tiny little railway, he opened it to the public, and it is certainly worth a visit. Not only is it a feat of engineering and construction, but the views and the forest are sensational.    They have planted thousands of Kauri trees and we learnt some interesting facts about them. When young, they have little leaves sticking out of their trunks, acting as protection but also there to ensure that there is more chance of photosynthesis.  Clever tree! No wonder they get so old....
Read more

Family and beautiful places in Hemel Hempstead and Llantwit Major

Image
  Time is such a strange concept when you are traveling. 10 hours on a train can seem an eternity, or, with good company or spectacular scenery, is over far too quickly. So it was with the Polyglot Gathering. One moment you are surrounded by like-minded people (842 from 59 countries, speaking 196 languages), you are in your element swapping from language to language, and then in a flash, you are in another wonderful yet totally different world of family and everyday life. The PG seems so long ago already, but thankfully the motivation it gave me to learn, remains! I have checked up about The Moravian Sparrow dish Sergio was eating, and am pleased to find out that it has nothing to do with sparrows! Moravian sparrow" (moravský vrabec in Czech) is  a classic dish from the Czech Republic, particularly Moravia, that is not made with actual sparrows .  It typically involves braising pork with onions, garlic, and spices, often served with dumplings and cabbage. Hemel Hemp...
Read more

Kaikoura - Seals galore!

Back on the road again with my dear old Mazda, Ken. I needed to have a trip to settle me down and to appreciate even more how marvelous this country is! What more special place to visit than Kaikoura, and even more amazing, Ohau Point, just north of the town.  From the moment you descend to the coastal road, you can see seals all along the coast, in the sea among the waves, on the rocks and on the stoney beach. Yet Ohau is the main breeding colony, this year far too successful for its own good. There will never be enough food for all those hungry mouths. All the little black dots on the beach are seals, basking in the sun, waiting for their parents to return from fishing. The beaches of Kaikoura are certainly not used by sunbathing visitors. Hey are covered in most areas by very jagged but stunningly beautiful rocks, forced up by the power of the huge earthquake in 2016. Who could have thought that such a scary and costly event would produce such beauty. The late sun catching the r...
Read more