The famous oneThis is possibly the most well-known statue from the Vigeland sculpture garden. It's on the bridge actually. All his sculptures capture emotion. They say he got this by giving a little boy chocolate t
... [more] No time to blog last night, so now I sit in my "new" hostel in Bergen, Norway. The day in Oslo was a fun, relaxing adventure. Even though we really got started at noon (after I finished my last blog), we got in a whole day's worth of activities. (It helps when the sun is up until 10 and it really never gets dark). We started off with a walk down Karl Johans Gate, a main street in the heart of Oslo. It runs from the main train station to the Royal Palace. (I have some great pics but unfortunately can't upload on this computer. :( The weather was BEAUTIFUL! Probably the best in Scandanavia so far! It was warm and sunny, but not too hot, and perfect in the shade. Our walk took us to the National Gallery where we saw Edvard Munch (Norwegian), Picasso, Renoir, and a bunch of Norwegian painters. It was a nice museum with some great art (including the Scream). From there we hopped on a bus then tram to the Vigeland sculpture garden/museum. Gustav Vigeland was an artist in the late 1800s to mid 1900s who worked for the town by creating these amazing
Random tigerOutside the Oslo central train station (the sign's in the background). I should have ridden it but I wasn't feeling that adventurous...
sculptures in exchange for a free studio (and maybe board?). It's a pretty famous sculpture garden, and definitely worth checking out. Today, it's a giant park filled with grass, trees, nude sculptures (they're all nude for some reason), and a sea of skin as
everyone was out in the grass sunbathing and picnicking. We stopped for a $10 sandwich (about going rate for food everywhere in Norway) and ate it while walking through the park.
By the time we were done seeing all the naked statues and lounging in the sun, it was about 6:30 (but still bright sun) so we hopped back on the tram and headed for Grünerløkka, Oslo's Greenwich Village. We did the walking tour from the bible (Rick Steve's book), but in reverse. It was a nice walk through the park along a river (looked like Rock Creek Park in DC), through the village (which really did look like Greenwich village), and had some great ice cream. There is a huge obsession with licorice here. I've had more variations of licorice than ever before. I had licorice ice cream for the first time. It was awesome! I have some licorice fudge in my bag to
Trolls trolls everywhereThese freaky little guys are the unofficial mascot of the area. They're in every tourist shop (and no I didn't buy one...) I did buy an AWESOME sweater from here though
sample with the parents when I get back. (just for you dad!) By the way, the salty licorice can be pretty nasty, so beware if you ever go into a
real licorice store.
After our walk (which I think totalled around 2 miles), we ended up back on Karl Johans Gate and back near the train station. We sat in a pub and had a local beer (the biggest brewery in Norway is here in Oslo and we passed it on our walk). We then had just enough time to grab a kebob (they're EVERYWHERE here! Almost as prolific as the hot dogs) and run to our train. We hopped on the night train out to Bergen and off we went! I'm generally a big fan of traveling at night since it saves on the lodging and saves on time, however.... The cabins for the train were fully booked so we just booked regular seats (which recline like airline seats). Not the most comfortable, I figured, but ok. When we got to our assigned seats, they were facing backwards, against a bulkhead (so no recline) and in a group of 4 (2 facing 2), so no streching out my
Karl Johans GateDowntown Oslo (check out the bum behind me... not many of them but there are some)
aching legs. That was miserable!!! Fortunately, just as I was about to give up and spend a sleepless night watching the dusky mountains and fjords slip by, the guy across from us went to his cabin (he had both?!?!) and we had a decent seat in front of us. I tried to curl up on the seats that didn't recline (still couldn't stretch out my legs!) while Justin reclined in the other seat. He had a completely sleepless night (but got some good photos!) and I tossed and turned for most of the night catching a little sleep each time before I woke up with a cramp somewhere. But, we arrived. On the way back I'll take a day train so I can see the countryside (another famous part of Norway).
Now, in Bergen, the sun is shining (in one of the rainest parts of Norway), and with several fun sights already under our belts, we're about to head off to enjoy Bergen for the rest of the day. We have a great hostel booked for the night (where I am right now) so I should be able to write later about the Adventures of Bergen.
The Royal PalaceAt the end of Karl Johans Gate. The flag is flying so the King is home. Norway has a government just like England, with a parliament and all.
The Grand HotelThis is where the Nobel Prize winners stay. There are cool pics on the walls in the (expensive) cafe downstairs.
Vigelands mockupsA small plaster version of what was planned for the fountain. This is in Vigeland's museum.
Vigelands mockupsNotice how they get younger as they spiral to the top. That's the theme. Interpret how you wish...
Cool statueIn the museum... there's no naked people in it but I love this one...
The famous oneThat thing's so funny I couldn't keep a straight face...
The fountainThe famous Vigeland fountain. One of 3 sites to see at the Vigeland sculpture park: the fountain, the bridge, the monolith. The fountain is surrounded by a cluster of scultpures in each corner. On
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The mazeIn front of the fountain is a maze on the sidewalk. Apparently it will keep kids entertained for hours. We didn't try it...
The monolithThat's Justin standing at the base. It's surrounded by sculptures going up the sides like spokes of a wheel.
Aker RiverA nice waterfall on our walk through the park.
My sistasThe statue is for the women who worked in the textile factory that sits on the river. It celebrates women in the workplace. The river provided power to a lot of factories there.
MunchEdvard Munch's grave. It was a nice walk through this cemetary on our walking tour of Grunerlokka. There are several famous Norwegians buried here.
MunchThe bird pooh is a nice touch
Vigeland in the cemetaryI know what you're thinking: But it has clothes on, how can it be a Vigeland sculpture? But it is. One of my favorites, this one was actually on a headstone.
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Send Private MessageThis blog is fantastic. Even without the pictures I can see that you're having a grand time. Is Justin going on to Germany, etc with you and flying home? Sounds like you're compatible traveling companions.
Justin is staying in Norway then back to Sweden and Estonia, Finland, and Latvia.
haha i love that last pic of u imitating that statue...reminds me of *pooting* =X
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