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Published: July 19th 2014
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Sunrise today was around 4:00 a.m. We just found out today that our room had room darkening shades on them, which we didn’t use so I was up for what was promising to be another outstanding weather day. We were all packed and had our bags out at 6:30 and then went down to our breakfast buffet which was delicious. They had a variety of meats, cheeses, fruits, breads, ingredients for muesli, eggs, sausages. Juices. I cannot believe the value of a Gate 1 vacation. We are traveling in a very roomy tourist coach. There are only 29 people, so we can spread out as we like. The tour director really wants us to be in our assigned seats, but some of the group balked a little bit, so we will see what happens tomorrow.
Today we checked out of our hotel and met our group at 8:00 to go on an Oslo City tour. We passed by the Palace Gardens and the Royal Palace. We learned that Oslo is the largest city of approximately 630,000, one of the most rapidly growing cities in Europe. There is 3% unemployment here. A 1000 foot apartment might sell for $800,000.
We asked about rental properties and were told that there really are none. A young person just starting their employment might make $20 to $30 an hour.
First stop was at the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Vigeland Park covers an area of 80 acres. It functions both as a sculpture park and a public park, open to visitors day and night the whole year round. The park contains 214 sculptures with more than 758 figures all modeled in full size by Gustav Vigeland without the assistance of pupils or other artists. He also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds with their expansive lawns and long, straight avenues bordered by maple trees. These sculptures represent the cycle of life and our local guide was very knowledgeable and informative about what the sculptures portrayed. Many representations of children are noticeable. Dominant themes among the groups are the relationships between adults and children. The representation of mother and child has a long popular tradition in art. A more unusual theme is the father and child relationship which is the subject of several sculptures. We spent only a brief amount of time here and one could spend the
day.
Our next stop was City Hall which was where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded. There were murals on every wall and they all told a story. It was very impressive and humbling to be standing in the hall where many renowned people have received this prestigious award.
We next stopped at the Oslo Opera House which there was controversy about because they weren’t sure that Oslo’s people were opera sort of people. Well, they built this beautiful building and if you want to go to the opera, you might be able to get a ticket a year in advance of the performance because it sells out.
Sharyn and I decided to forego the optional tour of the Viking ships and have the next several hours as leisure time. We decided to walk down to the pier again thinking we would get some lunch but couldn’t find anything so headed back towards our hotel and found a deli. We sat outside for awhile and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city. For a Saturday, it was very quiet. We think a lot of people
left the city for holiday as everybody gets 5 weeks vacation and if you are over 60 you get 6 weeks.
At 2:00 the bus returned from its optional tour and we all boarded again for our trip to Lillehammer, the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. On the way we saw a beautiful lake which is the longest lake in Norway, about 60 miles. We made a few stops along the way and then on the outskirts of Norway we saw the Olympic sign and stopped for a photo op. In the distance was the ski jump. We then drove up to the base of the ski jump to get a closer look. Having the Olympics in Lillehammer was good for the city as it is still used for competitions and the main hotel where we are staying at the Radisson Blu is where the dignitaries stay.
We checked into our hotel and freshened up for a buffet dinner which was excellent and then went for a walk through the neighborhoods of Lillehammer with a couple of women we met who were also traveling together. It was such a quiet peaceful evening and
City Hall Mural
Many murals tell the history of Oslo we admired all the gardens although it almost seemed too quiet as a lot of the residents had left town. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the company.
I really can’t believe that our tour started yesterday. It seems like we have been here for days. I better get some sleep because tomorrow promises to be another busy day.
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Lisa
non-member comment
Sounds like you are having a great time!
Sounds like your trip started out great! It is awesome everyone gets 5 weeks of vacation.