Last stop – Oslo

We left Flåm and the fjords behind us as we began our trip to our last destination, Oslo, the capital of Norway. As we moved further south, the mountains eased into hills. By the time we were on the outskirts, we were driving through a completely different landscape than the one we had left behind. Now it was rolling hills and farmland. We arrived in the city after 5:00 and checked into the Hotel Bristol, a grand old hotel. We had the evening to ourselves, so after a quick freshening up, I headed out to explore Oslo a bit before heading out for dinner.

 Downtown Oslo is quite a modern city with not too many vestiges of its past. It only became the capital of Norway in 1905, so there wasn’t a long history of a ruling class to build things. I got a bit turned around as I tried to find the dinner spot I had chosen, a gastropub, the Happy Pig, that specializes in craft beers and all things pork. Eventually I found it and had a terrific meal. Because the main courses were so meat-centric, I thought I should eat something green. So, I ordered the grilled asparagus to start; and they were very well prepared. I didn't think I could eat a whole pig's knuckle, which is their specialty, so I order the pork neck instead. When my neighbors' dinner -the knuckle - arrived, I knew that my instinct had been correct. It was enormous.   

Pork neck at the Happy Pig

I was  pleasantly surprised, though, when my main course arrived on a bed of local vegetables - potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets and green beans - it was more like a pork steak. Very tender and not fatty at all. The cider sauce was delicious and well balanced. I had no room for dessert, so I had my waiter pick an aquavit for me. That drink is growing on me!  Leaving, I realized that I was much closer to my hotel than I had imagined – I had really gone way out of my way. With the royal palace now right in front of me, I finally had my bearings.

The next morning we did a city tour of Oslo by bus. We saw and learned a great deal about Oslo and Norway from our excellent 80-year old guide, Margret. As we drove through some residential parts of the city, I could see that there were parts that had some charm. They say about Oslo that it is 1/3 blue (for water); 1/3 green (for open space); and, 1/3 grey (for infrastructure). During our tour, we certainly got that impression.

Frogner Park

Our first stop was Frogner Park, the site of the Gustav Vigeland sculpture garden. I was anxious to see these sculptures. In my early enthusiasm for Norway as a child, I remember being both scandalized and mildly titillated by all these images of people without their clothes on. I was innocent back then . . . The statues are displayed in the manner of a baroque garden. They line the pathways and bridges, adorn fountains, and lead the eye upwards to where there would normally be a palace but here, it is the monolith, the 55 ft. tall granite column composed of intertwined human figures. 

The monolith

Vigeland’s sculptures are a paean to the cycle of life, a celebration of human life and relationships. As Fr. Beatus would assert, these figures were sculpted nude, not naked. When asked why he sculpted all these statues in the nude the artist replied, “If I sculpted them with clothes on, they would have been tied to the period of the clothes they were wearing. I wanted them to be timeless.” And indeed they are.

From there, we made our way to the Viking Museum to see the best preserved of all the Viking ships discovered to date. The place was an absolute madhouse! There were hordes of tourists pushing and tour guides shouting. Fortunately for our group, we had little devices with earpieces so we could hear our guide speaking over the din. It was not, however, the ideal way to see these magnificent ships and learn about Viking culture – of which we did a lot during two weeks in Scandinavia! I was happy to get out of there for the relative tranquility of our tour bus.

We had the afternoon off. My first priority – as always – was food. We were having a big send-off dinner, so I just wanted a sandwich or something light. As luck would have it, we had passed a café in the morning that looked promising. It turned out to be just perfect – quaint and with good food. My plan for after lunch was to go the National Gallery and see their collection, including “the Scream”. But when I saw the time, I realized I might be able to catch a glimpse of the King and  Queen of Norway. Our guide had told us that they were celebrating their 50^th anniversary and they would be driving from the royal palace to the cathedral at about 2:45. By the time I reached the street they would be passing on, there were already police barriers in place and people were starting to line the streets.

Not a great shot, but hey .. .

 Almost on the dot, at 2:45 you could see a police motorcycle with blue flashing lights leaving from the palace. A first motorcade came by with, as I learned, members of the royal family. Then, two police motorcycles approached leading a smaller contingent. There in the middle, in an open vintage convertible, were the King and Queen waving to the crowd. There was no wild cheering, just respectful waves and shouted good wishes. Then, it was all over.

My visit to the gallery was relatively short. Ever since seeing the collection in Bergen, I was more interested in the local romantic movement of the early to mid-19^th century. Many aspiring Scandinavian painters went to Germany to study, where they encountered the work of Caspar David Friedrich. His influence can often be seen in their paintings. One surprise were two paintings by Monet done in Norway! I never had heard that he came to Norway, but apparently, he did for two months during the winter of 1885. What a surprise. I did finally see ”The Scream” by Edvard Munch, but, to be honest, it did not do anything for me. I understand why it’s an important work, but I think many of Munch’s other paintings are better art. Time to go back to the hotel and get ready for tonight’s activity.

We gathered as a group for the last time at a farewell reception and dinner. Everyone had there nicest clothes on and it was a bittersweet evening. In the course of the two weeks together, we had shared so many experiences together and gotten to know each other. In some cases, I suspect, new friendships have been formed. After dinner had ended, there was a rather long, uncomfortable stretch of time, when no one wanted to get up from the table. That would mean that it was time to say, good-bye. Our tour director, Mary, finally broke the ice. Then the long series of good-byes and thank yous began. Everyone moved around the room, kissing, hugging, shaking hands and making promises to stay in touch. I don’t know if this will happen, but I do know that this has been a wonderful experience and I will treasure the memories forever.