Oslo, It's Cold Outside

By Rosemary

The tiger in front of the Central Station symbolizes Oslo's spirit

In mid November, we flew to Oslo. From our hotel window we could see a sign that reported the temperature, which always hovered around zero degrees Celsius. Although it was about 30 degrees warmer than Utah had been the previous winter, it felt colder, probably because it was so damp.

Despite the cold, we saw these planters everywhere.

We took a self guided tour known as “Norway in a Nutshell”. This started with a seven-hour train trip to Bergen, where we spend the night. From Bergen, we returned to Oslo by boat and train, traveling through the Aurlandsfjord. Although this was not the ideal time of year for the trip (not yet fully white winter and not green spring), the scenery was terrific.

Bergen

Steve waits for the ferry

Back in Oslo, we enjoyed walking around town, despite the weather. We visited the National Gallery, where we saw artwork by many outstanding European painters, invcding Van Gogh and Edvard Munch. At the Christmas market, I bought new gloves and Steve picked up a scarf.

Self portrait by Van Gogh

Edvard Munch

'The Scream" by Munch

Also by Munch

A highlight of the trip was our visit to a huge park devoted to the work of Gustav Vigeland, Norway’s favorite sculptor. These larger than life statues represent human beings at all stages of physical and psychological development. The art is presented without description or explanation, so it is up to the viewer - and the occasional tour guide - to interpret it.

We also enjoyed a visit to the Fram Museum, which documents the history of polar exploration, with an emphasis on Norwegian explorers, particularly the expedition led by Roald Amundsen, the first to reach the South Pole. The museum is centered around the ship Fram, which has been preserved intact, allowing visitors to walk inside.

The Fram, looking much as it did in the Arctic.

A recreation of an officer's cabin.

From Oslo, we returned to Stockholm.

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