On our previous cruise it rained in Bergen and alas it rained in Oslo. Until then we had had beautiful weather, but of course it had to rain on our wedding anniversary. The ship was berthed next to the DFDS Ferry Terminal and Christine decided to stay on board. I took the free shuttle bus.
The shuttle-bus didn't actually take me far as it stopped at the Cruise Terminal which was still a ten minute walk from the city centre. However, it had a souvenir shop and money-exchange. I changed my left-over Danish and Swedish kroner into Norwegian kroner.
Across the road was this charming sculpture. I've searched the internet to try and find some information about it but to no avail. I'm hoping some of my Norwegian readers will be able to tell us more.
[Late edit: The sculpture is a memorial to all the people who died in a fire on M/S Scandinavian Star.]
I walked around to Rådhusbrygge and took a mini-cruise. There weren't very many people aboard and so one could move sides to look at the things we passed by. I waved to Christine as we went past Aurora but I don't think she was looking.
This which looks like a small church or schoolroom is in fact the Heggholmen Lighthouse. The guide on the boat was a very knowledgeable young lady who answered all our questions. It was very blowy but didn't rain too heavily.
Afterwards I wandered into the City Centre and, as I've posted here before, the Nobel Peace Center.
Eventually I wandered into the grounds of Akerhus Slot where I discovered this unusual sculpture. Again I've been unable to discover anything about it.
[Late edit: I am informed that it is the National Monument at Akershus on National day May 17 :Kl. 0800 Akershus Festning: Bekransning av Nasjonalmonumentet ved stortingspresidenten. Forsvarets Stabsmusikk spiller.]
I crossed a fortified bridge into a courtyard just in time to witness the ceremony of the changing of the guard. It was very low-key affair compared to the ceremonies in Copenhagen or London.
It was starting to rain quite heavily. I searched for a road to lead me out of the castle grounds. It came out nearer to the ferry terminal than the cruise terminal but I wanted to spend my short-change (coins) so made my way back there. I bought a nice tee-shirt for one of our sons and spent the rest of my Norwegian coinage on a few postcards. I then took the shuttle-bus back to the ship.
This parting shot was taken through our cabin porthole. The lantern Kavringen Fyr dates from 1892.
My other ABC Wednesday O posts this week are ~~ Onward at Hyde Daily Photo ~~ Onward Christian Soldiers at Old Hyde ~~ Over the Rainbow at Sithenah
To visit more ABC-Wednesday O posts go to Mrs. Nesbitt's Place.
Thanks for the tour of Oslo. You seem to have had a fine time in spite of the weather
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome back! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post about Oslo. I hope you find your information regarding the statues. I'm quite taken with the first one of the children. I don't know about you, but I'm always very impressed with the Norwegian members of the group - the posting in English, specifically.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful trip you had. I've never been there and I appreciate seeing a little of it through your photos!
ReplyDeleteReally nice long post.
ReplyDeleteGreat information.
Terrific photos.
Thanks for sharing. It was fun.
My "O" is up
Come Visit
Have to say the same as Ida: You are welcome back!:)
ReplyDeleteNice to see your Oslo-photos in the Abc-Wednesday. And they are just wonderful all of them:)
Have fun:)
I realy like your Abc- post! And as you already have been told, you are welcome back...
ReplyDeleteMy ABC is here
Beautiful and informative post... throughly enjoyed the sights!! Very nice.
ReplyDeleteThe Rocky Mountain Retreat
Oslo is one place I'd love to go some day. Thanks for the tour!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful tour of Norway. Love it! And I expect to see more of it from our Norwegian friends in ABC Wed.
ReplyDeleteI´ve never been in Oslo, but I´d like to go some time.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite picture is the one of the lighthouse. It looks like an old church, for sure! :D
ReplyDeleteWhat great views! Glad you shared!
ReplyDeleteMine are up ..
Neva 1
neva2
Nice post about Oslo, Gerald. The lighthouse is my favorite shot.
ReplyDeleteNow I want to go to Oslo! I love that first statue as well! Very intriguing!
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Thanks for sharing your cruise vacation. Sounds like you had a great time despite the rain. Happy belated wedding anniversary.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link, it's really nice to see you've visited Oslo! Glad you liked it in spite of the rain.
ReplyDeleteNice photos! I'm sorry I don't have any information about the statues you're wondering about, but I'll see if I can find something. I can't remember having seen any of them.
Hope you had a safe trip home - and as the other Norwegians have already said: Welcome back! (hopefully on a sunny spring day, they're the best!)
Lothiane
Oslo Daily Photo
Sorry about the bad weather in Oslo, but it happens more often than the inhabitants want you to believe!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post.
ReplyDeleteTY for sharing as I'd love to visit Oslo my-self.
I have never visited Norway but looking at the ferry route we just may do so. We will be celebrating our wedding anniversary soon! Hope the weather is good.
ReplyDeleteA pity about the rain, but you certainly made the most of you visit. Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteThat's a montage and a half. Lovely virtual tour of Oslo. Finding information about statues I take can be hard work. You want to get it right, but so often the info is sketchy at best or conflicting. Vry enjoyable ABC.
ReplyDeleteVery Interesting visit to Oslo Gerald.
ReplyDeletePlease fly over to visit my O.Post.
Can't tell you anything about the statue of the woman and child - but it did bring to mind a similar one in Blackburn:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mistereff/1444255642/
wow...you have great O post. I never go with Cruise before...maybe someday :D
ReplyDeleteWill you visit mine Thanks
Thank you for this pleasant tour!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures .
miss Yves
The third picture is A-mazing. The water looks like a tarpaulin!!
ReplyDeleteI love how you captured the ripples in the water with the church or building in the background.
ReplyDeleteI loved the tour. Great O post.
ReplyDeleteFirst I will say: It doesn't always rain in Bergen:)and you are welcome back to Norway anytime!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely city!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting our Oslo Daily Photo-blog!
ReplyDeleteLike Lothiane I can not remember having seen any of them before...But if I find any information, you will be the first to know! :o)
Great pictures, Gerald. Now you've made me homesick ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm touched, the world is so tiny. First Oslo, then I surfed through your Baltic tour, my home town Tallinn. All so personal...
ReplyDeleteIn Oslo there are living John's brother and sister with families. He himself has lived there too, but as a boy from the North, does not like the town very much. Always rainy...(but in Vesterålen is worser!).
The top places in Oslo for me are the Fram Museum and the Vigeland's Sculpture Park...
Oslo looks lovely - somewhere else in the world to add to the list of "places I must visit". Mind you, if I visited all the places on my list I'd have to give up work to find the time!
ReplyDeleteI was born and grew up in Oslo but I don't know about the statues you're wondering about.
ReplyDeleteMy tip ask ArneA maybe he knows.
Really nice "O" post for Oslo!
Oslo is one place I would love to visit, great post and photos.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this tour - the statues are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos as usual and I now would like to go to Oslo!
ReplyDeleteLiving in Oslo I should know but......
ReplyDeleteThe first I have never seen so give me more and I will go and give you more.
The second is our National Monument at Akershus
on National day May 17 :Kl. 0800
Akershus Festning: Bekransning av Nasjonalmonumentet ved stortingspresidenten. Forsvarets Stabsmusikk spiller.
First sculpture.
ReplyDeleteIt must be the same as this
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/zento/eandl2006/1189858260/vigeland-sculpture.jpg/tpod.html
and it says it is Vigeland ????
looks like it is very close to the cruice harbor and below Akershus and as a memory of something. May be the Jude deportation from N during the war II
Will look up the site later and inform
Thank you Arne for the information. That link to the photo of the sculpture below the slot opposite the cruise centre is the same one and very nice photograph - it is of course mislabeled as Vigeland which I've heard much about but never got anywhere near.
ReplyDelete