Last day in Oslo

 Friday 

20 September 

Day 82

14 to go

Wildcats 106 v SEM 98

Our last full day in Oslo and there were a couple of things to get out and see. We were up by 8am, checking the net, eating breakfast and prepping for the day. The windows looked out on a dreary day, unlike the last week of beautiful blue sky days. Nevertheless, it was not going to prevent us from enjoying ourselves. 

Our first mission was to run the intended route for the train station, in preparation for our move tomorrow. This proved fortuitous, as we were able to work out a quicker way. With that sorted, we left the station via the main square, straight into the smoke of those desperate for their fag. We passed a tiger sculpture that had been polished in parts by the hands of passersby, leaving some sections more golden than others. 

We then hit our next destination, the shopping street of Karl Johans Gate. This is a very long avenue that leads to the Royal Palace, it is lined with decorative architecture, hotels and shops. We had walked part of it yesterday, but today we completed the whole street.

Before reaching the palace, we went by the Parliamentary buildings and a park with a fountain and a few statues. There was also the National theatre and University buildings. This end of Karl Johans Gate was being cordoned off with barricades, as the Oslo marathon is happening tomorrow. Thankfully, it should not impact our travels. 

We continued on to the Palace. It is a pretty boring looking building from the front. We could see beyond the facade, so assumed there would have been more to it. The young guards were out in their fancy hats with their guns. The changing occurs at 1.30pm, too late for us to hang around. 

Our walk continued along the outskirts of the palace grounds, taking in many a fine building. I guess if your neighbours are royals there is a certain level of expectation. We walked through the suburb of fine, old, wooden homes. We passed a group of kindy kids in a park, ready to jump back into their trolleys and be wheeled back to their concrete institution. These trolleys are quite common in Scandinavia, as is visiting parks for a play. 

We finally made our intended destination, Vigeland Park for 10.30am. We had time for morning tea and a $3 pee! Then we entered the park through ornate gates and began to walk the middle corridor lined with sculptures of naked people of all ages and genders in various poses. Some were more interesting than others. There are over 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron, created by the sculptor Gustav Vigeland. The initial bridge we crossed over has 58 bronze statues. The most notable is the angry boy, another sculpture well polished, grabbing his left hand is said to be lucky. These statues were the first to be installed in the 1940’s.

We continued through the rose garden and onto the magnificent fountain, that was initially going to be installed outside parliament. It is surrounded by 23 trees, representing humans connection with nature and their lifecycle.

We climbed the stairs to the highest point of the park, here The Monolith stands 17m above the ground. 120 figures have been carved into the single slab of granite that was transported to the park in the 1920’s. The monolith is surrounded by 36 blocks of other figures. Out of all of his work, there is only one other animal that appears, a boy holding a snake. 

We then moved through the wrought iron gates forged by blacksmiths to Vigeland’s drawings and overseeing in the 1920’s.

The final piece of art was The Wheel of Life, sculpted of bronze and erected in 1949. The whole park and the sculptures enclosed were really incredible. Vigeland was obviously very talented. 

Happy with our morning, we opted to get public transport back to the apartment. We stopped for lunch things along the way and then were back in the warm for 1pm. We ate lunch while watching the Wildcats take on The Phoenix. We were pretty happy with what we saw, but would have liked a better winning margin, as we were well in control for most of the game. 

Paul began the bag pack, ready for tomorrow and I went through the photos. We then decided to head out, after 4, in search of a local brewery and dinner. We had Amundsen Brewery as our destination, which was up near the National Theatre. We had to Walk up Karl Johans Gate once more, but this time it was far more difficult, as the paths were loaded with people heading home. The Norwegians, don’t seem to have long work days. 

The brewery was quite busy when we arrived, but we were able to get a table, order dinner and have a drink. I wasn’t too hungry, so was happy with entree mussels. They were perfect. Paul enjoyed his burger and then we elected to move on to another spot, Crow Bar. 

We cut across town, passing Oslo Street Food and ending up in a square that had a large market up and running. We had a walk around the various tents, checking out the cheese, salami, mushrooms and other goodies. We then walked on, eventually finding the brewery.

Crow Bar was far more inviting than Amundsen, with a grittier feel. We found a table in a nook and sat for a bit people watching. Paul had one drink and then we were happy to continue our walk back home. 

Once in, we watched TV and I started planning our day tomorrow. The coming week will be the busiest of the whole trip, with a number of long, day tours already booked in. It will be amazing, but full on. 

Paul was keen for an early night, so by 8pm it was lights out.