DAY 2&3 -- OSLO

OSLO 1 -- DAY 2 & 3

Today we did not get up until 8:30 – I don’t know why. Breakfast was a typical European affair with all sorts of tasty things that are bad for you.  But it was quick, and we were off to the Olympic Ski Jump.

First, we got a 24-hour travel pass -- $16 each for seniors.  Finding the correct train was an adventure, and then getting on it going the right direction only required one correction.  However, for the rest of the day, you’d think we were native Norweegers.  Speaking of native Norweegers – there are a lot of blond young ladies (exuding an “I-can-take-care-of-myself” attitude).  The percentage of blond young ladies in the population is quite noticeably higher than blond young gentlemen.  It’s a quandary.

So, we did get to the Olympic Jump train stop without drama, and soon found the direction to go.  That way!

Getting there was a climb, a sweaty climb for a couple of somewhat out-of-shape geriatrics.  They had a nice museum of Norwegian Olympic Glory Past. Well actually, Marti Bjørgen won the most Winter Olympic medals ever (14) getting her last just this year. (FYI, she just beat out another Norwegian, Ole Bjoerndalen , by 1, and another Norwegian, Bjorn Daehlie, by 2).  But the attraction was the jump, from the top of which, the view was great.

I found a church with interesting architecture,

and some houses that were not shoddy, but definitely soddy.

This was the view out the back window of the diagonal elevator that brought us elite athletic competitors to the top of the jump.

There are two ways to get down. The more timid like myself de-elevatored and walked, but several hearty souls took the zippy way down. 

Francie could not be talked out of it.  No matter what argument I gave her, it was always, “Doesn’t matter.  I’m old.  I’m do’in it.”  I did convince her to wait until I got to the bottom in order to properly document this final brave expression of raging feminism.

The above was at my maximum zoom, but due to excellent resolution, I could blow up and crop the image for the money shot, proving Francie’s cojones ownership.

We then went to the Norwegian Resistance Museum.  Francie just read The Saboteur, about the Norwegian Resistance during WWII.  Francie considered this a must see, and since I didn’t want to mess with a raging zip-liner, I acquiesced.  It was pretty neat (for a museum), but not neat enough to take a picture of.

Next it was on the trolley to and off to Vigeland Park, a sculpture garden dedicated to the lifetime work of Gustav Vigeland's.  It contained more than 200 naked people sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron.

I could not get Francie to look up and point.  She just does not take artistic direction.

This one is called, “When Dad Baby Sits”

There were a million statues

Well maybe 200 statues, but a million (naked) people represented.

Serving the Punch Bowl, his most famous works in granite is a fountain, currently in it’s “off” state.

On our way out, I think I identified one of the most popular of Vigeland’s pieces.  It’s called, Mom They Keep Touching My Hand.  You can tell it’s true due to the shininess of his, you know, hand.  What a country.

The trolley ride home had zero drama.  Francie was pleased because, despite the late start, we saw everything planned – and she collected 14,400 steps.

Back at the ranch we cleaned up, Francie took her leisure, and I worked on this thing.

For dinner we found a classy bar/restaurant in the train station.  Well, I say the train station, but out side of the track area, it is a sprawling warren of shops restaurants and services all under one roof – well probably several different roofs.  So, “found” is the proper word here.  I ordered from the bar, paid and gave them our table number – no movesys.  I had Spare Ribs and a draft local beer.  Francie had bake Salmon and a “Glass of Your Cheapest White, Miss” wine.  The meal came very quickly and was pretty far above average.  It cost $100, which I just mention to point out the things are pricey here.  Mr. Google mentioned that the average house price is about $310K.  This seems pretty steep for a country the has towns ranging in size from Boston, MA to Punxsutawney, PA to Funkley, MI.

Tomorrow we start the "Nutshell".  "Norway in a Nutshell" is multimedia travel adventure across the country.  There are very many flavors of the experience, ours fortunately starts in Oslo.  We hop on the Bergen Railway at 8:30 headed for Myrdal, where we catch a bus to Flam.  In Flam, we get on a boat and head out of Nærøyfjord and back into Aurlandsfjord – both of which, if you were not reading too closely, are fiord or fjord if you are of the Norweeger persuasion.  In Gudvangen, we get on a bus to Voss where we again pick up the Bergen Railway to, well, Bergen.