Football With The Vikings

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It was our last day in Oslo and I think 10 days of non-stop travelling has finally worn us out. We all slept in until around noon today and we didn't even get out of the hotel until around 1:00pm. We woke up to sporadic drizzle so it was kind of a perfect day for a sleep in. We went back to Cafe Cathedral in order to have lunch hoping that some of the hookers were out for our entertainment. Unfortunately, no hookers yet this early in the day. After lunch, we chose to explore the Askherhus Castle. We wandered the grounds of the fortress which are still being used to this day for the military and enjoyed the views of the Oslo Harbor. There was an entrance fee into the castle which prompted us to debate whether or not to check it out. Since it was our last day, we decided to shell out the money for the self guided tour. Compared to other European castles, the Askerhus Castle was rather unimpressive. We wandered through various rooms including the chapel and a room with the sarcophagi of a Norwegian king and queen. We easily explored the castle grounds in about 45 minutes and made our way back to central Oslo. Last night, we told Alexander that we would attend the Oslo Vikings game which was to start at 3:00. By now, the weather had begun to really cool down as it looked like a storm was slowly rolling in. The game was at Frogner Stadium which was not within walking distance so we chose to take the subway despite our massive difficulties trying to figure out the automated ticket machine. Last night, Alexander was explaining to us that American Football was on the rise here in Norway and that his team, the Oslo Vikings, was one of the top teams in the Norwegain professional league. When he invited us to the game, I envisioned the stadium to be somewhat massive and something along the lines of a university stadium. When we got to Frogner Stadium, we were all rather surprised to see that it was nowhere near the scale that we were expecting. Smaller than an average American high school stadium, Frogner Stadium was probably capable of holding no more than a few hundred spectators. The Viking's opponent in this game was the Eidsvoll 1814's. We located our friend Alexander, who also saw us in the stands and by default we cheered for the Vikings. At half time, we walked over to the nearby Frogner Park, one of Oslo's top attractions. The most famous part of the park is the Sculpture Park which contains bronze and granite statues scupted by the artist Gustav Vigeland. We spent the next hour checking out the sculptures and having fun by emmulating the poses. Easily, my favorite part of the sculpture park was the Monolith. This was a totem pole-like structure consisisting of spiraling human bodies. Surrounding the Monolith, was a series of granite sculptures of nude men, women, and children both young and old in a myriad of twisting poses. The sculpture park was great fun to explore and would have been a great place to have a picnic on a sunny day. Afterwards, we returned to the stadium to watch the remainder of the game in which the Vikings won 55 to 23. With the game over, we returned to central Oslo via the subway. It was our last night in Norway so we decided to check out a few shops in order to buy some souvenirs. Dinner tonight was over in Aker Brygge. We settled at a restaurant called DS Louise. It seemed to be a little more posh and upscale with well dressed patrons. Like all the meals I've had in Oslo, it was definitely not cheap. I had a decent steak dinner which back home would probably cost around $20-25. Along with a diet coke, this meal converted to over $60. After dinner, we returned to the hotel to rest up for a bit. Vita's friend Alexander was going to call us so that we could all meet up with a few of his teamates for a few drinks. In anticipation of this, I started the evening off early by mixing my Grey Goose Vodka with some apple juice. We hung out in Vita and Shea's room for about an hour waiting for his call. During this time, I kept on drinking. I eventually got to a point where I was just out of control drunk. Alexander never did call and we never did go out. I eventually just went back to my room and passed out for the night.

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