Aug 13 & 14 - The Magical Land of Norway
Oslo
is the capital of Norway ; Founded around 1000 AD, Oslo has been
listed as the most expensive city in the world as well as being the
fastest growing city. This growth stems from immigration
and high birth rates among immigrants.
Irena was such a great guide/host while we were in Oslo. We had a wonderful day touring, laughing, and enjoying all that our first Norwegian city had to offer.
"Oslo is like tigers...When people move here, the weather is harsh so it's called the "Tiger City."
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| Note the big sign in back..."Life is fantastic" |
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| The houses are so colorful |
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| Tour through a popular Protestant Church |
In the Scandinavian countries, there is a push to really excel, so children start school at around 3 years old. They all wear a florescent vest so you can see them easily.
Trolls are believed to bring
Good Luck to those who shall possess them.
They are made in Norway and a little bit of magic troll dust is put in
each one when they are hand made in the mountains of the old country.
All trolls are believed to have supernatural powers.
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| Which one is the troll? |
In July 2011, there was a massacre in Oslo which killed nearly 80 at a youth camp. This is the memorial that was created afterwards.
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| Memorial after 2011 shooting in Oslo |
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| Chicken Monument |
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| Just a neat building - not sure what it is. |
The Nobel Peace Center is a showcase for the Nobel Peace Prize and the ideals it represents. It was opened in 2005.
It is located close to the Oslo City Hall
and overlooking the harbor, where the Nobel Peace Prize
Award Ceremony takes place every 10th of December, to commemorate Alfred Nobel’s death.
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| The Nobel Peace Center |
Over the years, fire destroyed major parts of the city many times, as
many of the city's buildings were built entirely of wood. After the last
fire in 1624, which lasted for three days,King Christian IV
decided that the old city should not be rebuilt again. He demanded that
all citizens should move their shops and workplaces to the newly built
city of Christiania.
Irena told us so many interesting facts about Oslo. She said that
Tacos are the national dish of Norway, but when they go out, they go for
Kebabs.
Every Saturday night at 5 p.m., many people eat chocolate and sweets
until it's time to go to bed. The rest of the week, they don't eat any
sweets.
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| The National Theater - 1st performance was in 1899. |
Irena told us so many interesting facts about Oslo. She said that
Tacos are the national dish of Norway, but when they go out, they go for
Kebabs. Every Saturday night at 5 p.m., many people eat chocolate and sweets until it's time to go to bed. The rest of the week, they don't eat any sweets.
Isn't this statue fun? Two birds just popped on her head and the photo opp was there.
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| Beautiful flowers in the garden |
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| A peacock water fountain |
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| Isn't our host just so cute? |
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| We find the most romantic places for pictures. |
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| A guy walking on stilts in the water |
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| I loved this building. |
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| Inside were some really unique flowers |
Hipsters in Scandinavia - back to the Viking Days, I guess. There are so many guys that are growing their beards out, all full and bushy. Irena says it's all part of the new Hipster movement.
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| WOW - cool pink shades, too. |
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| A hipster loves to wear a big bag over their shoulder. |
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| On the pier close to where Irena works. |
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| Rows and rows of Norwegian cuisine - meat spreads |
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| A favorite Norwegian candy bar |
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| These statues were sitting right next to this couple. |
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| "I'm just keeping guard in case Pirates take over the ships." |
My dad always talked about his favorite actor/figure skater from Norway. I was so excited to see the statue of her.
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| Sonja Henie - 1912-1968 |
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| I look just like her except I need to get my leg up higher. |
Frogner Park is the largest park in the city and covers 45 hectares
and the Sculpture Arrangement is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist. Frogner Park is the most popular tourist attraction
of Norway, with between 1 and 2 million visitors each year,
and is open to the public at all times. Some of the statues are quite disturbing - like this one - which shows an adult male, fighting off a horde of babies.
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| I caught the baby and saved it. |
Gustav Vigeland's sculptures since 1932 - over 200 bronze and granite sculptures
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| This statue really has an impish look on this child's face. |
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| The Japanese people sure liked this. |
Most of the statues depict people engaging in various typically human
pursuits, such as running, wrestling, dancing, hugging, holding hands
and so on.
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| Some more statues. |
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| I loved this little girl's dress and her cute face. She really posed well for my picture. |
The most popular attraction sits at
the highest point in the park. The 46ft high Monolith is made up of 121
human figures rising towards the sky and is carved from a single piece
of granite.
It is
designed to represent man's desire to become close with the spiritual
world and the humans embracing each other are carved as if they are
being carried towards salvation.
Irena told us so many interesting facts about Oslo. She said that Tacos are the national dish of Norway, but when they go out, they go for Kebabs.
Every Saturday night at 5 p.m., many people eat chocolate and sweets
until it's time to go to bed. The rest of the week, they don't eat any
sweets.
My dad always talked about his favorite actor/figure skater from Norway. I was so excited to see the statue of her.
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