Oslo, Norway w/ the Knights

Friday morning I got the kids off to school and Carissa went to work and then I finished packing and tidying up the house. At around 11 I had everything done, picked everyone up and we were off to Frankfurt at around 11:45 where we were meeting Chris and Zack (who were now back from Rome) to catch a flight to Oslo. The plane ride went fine and once in Oslo we caught a train downtown and then took a bus to the apartment we rented.

The apartment was very interesting - the kids said that they felt like we were staying in a castle. I think the owner actually lives there (he was on vacation in Malta while we were there) and he has very interesting taste.  I don't know if Victorian is the correct style, but everything was real ornate, but also very odd. Sculptures of heads and masks all over, everything from landscapes to nudes to cartoons hanging on the wall, oriental rugs, random tin advertisement signs and a giant model of the Titanic. Eveything seemed old and dusty and the kitchen wasn't the cleanest but there was dish soap so we were able to fix that.

Saturday morning we got up and walked into town, which was about 20 minutes away. Once in town we walked toward the main boulevard, Karl Johans Gate, where on the way we got our first taste of how expensive Norway is ($30 for 1 bagel sandwhich, 2 bagels w/ cream cheese and a cinnamon roll). We strolled Karl Johans Gate toward the train station. On the way we tried to stop in the Oslo Cathedral but it was closed. At the train station we got some coffee and then dropped by the nearby TI to decide what to do next. We decided to go to the Akershus Fortress that was a short tram ride away.

Karl Johans Gate

Akershus Fortress

The Akershus Fortress was built around 1300 by King Haakon V. Unlike many of the fortresses we've seen on our travels, this one actually has seen quite a bit of action and successfully survived a number of sieges, mainly by the Swedes. It was also used as a prison and is still a military facility as the headquarters of the Norwegian Ministry of Defense.

We got a real good look at the outer wall of the fortress as a result of walking the wrong direction after getting off the tram. After walking around almost the entire thing, we finally found the entrance and picked up a self guided tour pamphlet at the information center. We managed to get through the whole tour, which was entirely outside, and ended at the gift shop. They do have a tour of the interior, but we had read it's just a bunch of empty rooms so we opted out.

On the battlements

The Knut Tower

After the Fortress, we walked toward the City Hall, which was just a a short walk along the harbor. The City Hall is a relatively new building - construction started in 1931, stalled because of the war, and was finished in 1950.  Most of the rooms are open to the public for free, including the beautiful main hall, which hosts the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony every year on December 10th. We probably spent an hour wandering around looking at all the rooms. In one hallway they display gifts given to the country by various leaders. Amongst the gifts from major world leaders were a couple from the mayor of Madison, WI which seemed a bit out of place.

City Hall

After the City Hall we stopped at a 7 Eleven (they are all over Oslo) for a snack and then hopped on the tram to Frogner Park, a large park on the east side of the city. Within Frogner Park is the Vigeland Sculpture Park, designed by Norway's greatest sculptor Gustav Vigeland. It was a cold, grey, cloudy day which probably took away from the park a little bit, but seeing Vigeland's take on the human condition was pretty cool anyway.

Vigeland Park

Following the park we decided to head back into town and find some dinner. I had a little tram mix up due realizing the tram I thought we could take only runs every 40 minutes on the weekends but eventually we got there. We ate at a Pepe's Pizza across from the train station and experienced major sticker shock ($40 for a medium cheese pizza and $10 Cokes).

The next morning I got up and walked around the neighborhood to try and find a bakery. The only thing open was a convenience store, but they did have some pretty good cinnamon rolls that I brought back to the apartment. After breakfast we took the tram back down to the harbor try and catch the ferry to the Bygdoy peninsula. Unfortunately due to the ice in the harbor and the thick fog it wasn't running so we had to take the bus instead. We began on Bygdoy with the Norsk Folkemuseum which is an open-air cultural museum. As you walk around the grounds buildings and displays show Norway through the ages. The main attraction is the Gol Stave Church, which dates back to the 1200s and is made entirely of wood.

Morning view of the harbor

Gol Stave Church

Ancient Farm Houses

After the stave church we walked through a 1950s farmhouse that looked a lot like a 1950s farmhouse in the States, and then over to a tiny little cabin that was making lefse. The lefse they were making was a lot thicker and sweeter than what we make at home - very similar to cream bread. The women explained that there are a lot of different recipes for lefse and weren't surprised that ours was quite different.

Lefse on the griddle

We ate a picnic lunch in the lobby after we were through with the grounds and then hopped back on the bus to the Viking Ship museum. There the remains of 3 ships dating back to the 9th century are displayed. The Vikings apparently buried the wealthy and royalty in their ships, along with other valuable items, most of which were looted from the burial mounds over the years. Some of it wasn't taken, including a wagon and a couple sleighs. The craftsmanship of all of these items was incredible.

Oseberg Ship

We took the bus back to the train station and then walked over to the nearby opera house. It's a very modern structure right on the harbor and the roof slants all the way to the ground. As a result, we were able to walk to the very top of the building which probably would've provided some great view if it wasn't for the fog. Since we hadn't eaten any traditional Norwegian food we decided to eat at a restaurant that served some that Rick's Steves 'frugal' grandparents used to take him to. Basically it was a cafeteria that served fish, meatballs, potatoes and cooked vegetables. Once again we were astonished at the cost - the kids portions (2 meatballs and 2 silver dollar sized potato cakes) were $20 each - no drink included. The meatballs tasted pretty much identical to what Mom makes for Christmas.

Opera House

Monday was pretty much a travel day back home Graf.

Tuesday - Thursday the kids went to school and Carissa worked while I did laundry. Chris and Zack did some too along with two day trips to Dachau and Rothenburg. Friday the kids didn't have school (Carissa had to work), so the 4 of us took Chris and Zack to Nurnberg in the morning and then they left for Frankfurt that night. Meanwhile we were invited to dinner at the house of one of Carissa's colleagues, Tatyana. We had a very nice dinner there and then looked at some pictures of Tatyana's deployment to Iraq. She was stationed at a post they nicknamed 'Cupcake' because the condition are so 'nice'. It looked horrible. Somehow we didn't end up leaving there until midnight and then collapsed into bed.

Dinner in Weiden