A Few Days In Oslo.

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Have we seen much of Norway? This is a question that many people ask us, as they are aware that we have been back here most years since our son Chris came here. The answer is No! We spend all our time in Bergen as thats were family is.

We have now been coming to Bergen, Norway, for 16 years, where we have enjoyed watching Hege and Chris develop their relationship, then get married, and finally enjoying the arrival of their 2 delightful children, Lilly and Stella. This has always been our main purpose in coming to Norway, to enjoy our sons newly adopted country, enjoy his relationship with Hege and to watch them grow as a young family. We have had the privilege of seeing Chris develop in so many ways and also enjoyed spending time with his extended family, who I believe have made it so much easier for him to become a part of, and enjoy, feeling at home in Norway.

In all these years we have not really explored Norway very much. We have been to Stavanger which we enjoyed. We have been to Geilo for a winter experience, and we continue to go to Voss quite regularly and I get to go into some beautiful areas with Chris, in the search for my elusive first salmon. So. We decided that we needed to spread our wings a little so that we can tell people, yes, we have seen some parts of Norway. So this week we flew to Oslo early morning, thus giving us an early start for a day of exploring. We had the bonus of Hege flying with us to attend business meetings in Oslo, and then late in the afternoon when these were over, Hege met up with us to take us to some of her favourite places until she flew home. For the next 3 days we walked and walked, got the odd tram and took in as much as we could in the time we had. Fantastic! We were very blessed with great weather. Every thing always looks so much nicer when the sun is shining and there is no wind. We enjoyed our time so much and were very very impressed with Oslo as a city that has some great attractions. I know that everyone that comes to Oslo, either by cruise ship or bus tours will definently go to see the Vigeland Sculpture Park. This is a beautiful park which holds a collection of 212 Granite and Bronze sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, a famous sculpture. Di and I just loved it all and agreed that it joins our list of "favorites" that we have seen. The sculptures are absolutely amazing with each of them telling a different story. We spent nearly 4 hours just wandering, looking, loving the surroundings, and had lunch in a delightful cafe. Took about a million photos and then caught the tram back into the water front. Once again, very impressed by the water front and walked for ages. Also had a number of rest stops, in cafe/bars for a beer/wine and a snack. A wonderful time. Of course we also had the fortune of being in town for the celebrations of the King and Queen of Norways 50th wedding anniversary, so we were able to see them leaving the cathedral and driving past much to the delight of a big crowd. We left Oslo, late afternoon by train and after a 5 hour journey arrived in Voss where Chris was waiting to pick us up so we could spend the weekend doing some walks. Pip/Rod

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Photos

On The Water Front in Oslo.
This is at the Oslo Opera House.

Oslo Opera House.
Nicely placed on the water front. Very impressive and well worth going inside to look around.

Crown Princess of Norway.
Leaving the cathedral after celebrating the King and Queens Golden wedding Anniversary.

The King and Queen of Norway.
Leaving the cathedral after the celebrations for their Golden Wedding Anniversary. They were greeted by a very large, very enthusiastic crowd. Really nice to be there and see this celebration.

The Royal Palace.
A lovely setting in a beautiful park like garden.

Who You Looking At??
One of the amazing sculptures in the park. Hard to pick a favorite

Hey! Can I Have An Ice Cream.
The expressiive nature of these sculptures is fantastic.

Brothers???
I can see big brother telling small brother to" hurry up or I'll leave you behind" and small brother saying "but wait for me, I want to come"

Thats Me.
Sitting in a tree. Sucking my thumb and enjoying the peace. I think this was my favorite one. I went back to it a number of times and it just got to me.

All Together Now.
On the count of three, all together now, and Lift.
looking at this from all sides you can see the strain and concentration.

Famous. Small Angry Boy.
This is the one that appears in brouchers and has a queue to take photos. You can actually see some one you know in it. Yes??

A Gathering Of People.
Amazing to take time to look at all the different people and what is going on. I think it would take a long time to see all. Can you see the small baby half way up?

There She Is.
Safe and sound with Mum.

Extraordinary Detail.
So much to look at and to try to look for a story interwoven into the whole sculpture.

Whats Happening?
You can almost see the question on her face. Why are they all here.

Lets Have A Rest.
A quite bar, a nice wine and beer and a lovely view. What more can you ask for when resting after walking all day.

Di.
Making new friends were ever she goes.