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Published: June 24th 2008
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I awoke this morning to two realisations. The first? That today we were going to visit our last port of call. The trip has sped by so quickly. The second? It is HOT! The weather throughout our Scandinavia sojourn has been unbelievable for this time of year, but today was something else entirely. It reached nearly 30C/86F which is hot in anyone's books -- especially for the beginning of June. Our tour didn't leave until the afternoon, so I spent the morning reading by the pool in the shade. I am a sun lover and I couldn't take it, which should give you a clue.
We left the ship at midday and headed off first to the Vikingskipshuset, the Viking Ship Museum. Yet another of the "Top 1,000 Places", I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I saw was fascinating. I had a bit of a sense of humour failure when I walked in, however. Our coach was one of nine (yes, I counted) from three separate cruise ships in town for the day. To say the museum was rammed with tourists is putting it mildly. We quickly figured out, however, that the tours were all following the same
Norway
This was the scene as we were pulling into port in the early morning. path, so we could dodge the crowds -- and we did. The museum consists of three Viking long boats that were found at ancient tombs. They are over 1,000 years old and amazingly well preserved. A lot of their treasures have long since been taken by tomb raiders, but what remained was jaw dropping.
There were the ships themselves that were much bigger than I had pictured in my mind. What was really fascinating, however, were the textiles. It is hard to believe that before the advent of the modern loom, the weavers could create something so beautiful and intricate. I was quite taken aback by them. I ran around, taking loads of photos and gaping. The other good thing about this museum? To preserve the wood, they have to keep the temperature down, so it was lovely and cool. A bit of a shock to step outside, back into the 21st Century and the heat.
As we were driving to the next museum, I was telling my mom that it is always a good day when I can tick off one of the "1,000 Places". She rolled her eyes and warned me that I was becoming one
of those people who travel just to, as she so beautifully put it, "fill in gaps". I laughed, but it did make me think. That evening, I was sitting on the deck and wondering if I have become one of those people. I decided I have not. I LOVE "1,000 Places" and I use it whenever I travel, but it does not determine where I go or what I see. Glad that I could still garner my mother's respect, I treated myself to another cocktail -- it was our last port of call, after all.
But, back to Oslo. From the Viking Museum, we went over to see the Kon Tiki Museum. This is one based around Tor Heyerdahl, the man who proved that it would have been possible for early man to cross the Pacific in boats they were able to construct at the time. All I knew about this man and his mission came from my brother who had studied this adventure in his youth. He watched a film about it and, for years, would quote Tor in a perfect Norwegian accent. My mother and I amused ourselves by trying to remember all the quotes and giggling.
Viking Museum
They also found sleds with the boats. I love a people that both sail and sled. The museum itself was very interesting. Again, rammed with people, but big enough that we were able to get away from the worst of the crowds. I realised that I did not want to follow our guide when he described Heyerdahl as an "adventurous explorer". Is there any other kind? I broke my rule and bought something from the gift shop -- a tee shirt for my brother. I couldn't resist.
Our last stop was Frogner Park. This is Oslo's most famous park as it is decorated with bronze statues by Gustav Vigeland. There are 225 of them spread throughout the park, each of them different and each of them representing another comment on the human condition. It's actually a great story. Vigeland gave each of these to the city in exchange for studio space. I think the city got the better end of this bargain. The statues are incredible and terribly moving. It was also the perfect day to walk through a park. As it was Sunday, there were people everywhere. Some were walking; some were sunbathing; some were sitting under trees and reading. The only thing missing was an ice cream vendor. Poor Lynn had her heart
Viking Museum
These were boots that were found in the burial plots. Teeny tiny feet! set on a treat, but we never saw one.
Back to the ship for one final day at sea and then an early morning return into Southampton. After a bit of drama getting off the ship, we got into the waiting car and drove back to London. I had decided that we had to end the holiday on an up note, so I had booked the Table Lumiere at the Dorchester for us. This is the newest chef's table, run by Alain Ducasse who has a galaxy of Michelin stars both in London and in France. After very expensive cocktails in the bar, we went in to eat. What a treat! The table is surrounded by a white gauze material that has fairy lights sewn into it, so it does feel as though you are sitting among the stars. The food began to come out, and ten courses later, we were all so stuffed we couldn't move. At the end of the meal, we were able to go into the kitchen and talk to the chef. I always just look around to see what everyone is doing. He and Mom, however, had quite a discussion. It was really a
Kon Tiki
The boat itself. special way to end a fantastic two weeks.
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