Oslo

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It was a rainy day here in Oslo today. I was out in it a number of times, but never got TOO wet. The hotel provides umbrellas and I gave mine a good workout! First thing after breakfast I took the ferry to Bygdoy, a peninsula near downtown Oslo where there are a number of museums. I most wanted to see the Viking Ships Museum and it didn’t disappoint. It was a visceral thrill to see them in person, especially the well-preserved Oseberg Ship. The three main vessels on display were all recovered from Norwegian Viking burials in which prominent persons were sent to the next world in a ship loaded with a variety of goods, animals, and even vehicles (small sleighs and carts). My next stop was the outdoor Folk Museum which is a sort of Greenfield Village for Norway. There are sod-roofed buildings and, most impressive, a tall stave church. The outdoor museum was quite interesting and there were docents in period costume to answer questions, but I was happy to move on to a drier indoor sight. Thor Heyerdahl’s famous raft the Kon-Tiki has its own museum and I stopped in just because I remember being intrigued by it when I was a kid. Tomorrow’s weather forecast calls for a dry day, so I will have to see what other sights I can fit in.

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