Oslo, Norway

Askershus Fortress

Our first port of call was Oslo, the capital of Norway. After navigating the Oslofjord we arrived in the port and anchored right next to the Askershus Fortress. Since our excursion wasn't until after lunch, we went ashore and visited the castle.

The fortress was started in the 13th century, but this gate is from 1723	The cannons seemed aimed at the Costa Mediteraneo, not our Prinsendam behind it.	Great view of downtown Oslo
		An honor guard patrols by the Royal Mausoleum

Vigeland Park

After lunch on board, we boarded buses for a tour of Oslo. Our first stop was Vigeland Sculpture Park.

Gustav Vigeland created 212 bronze and granite sculptures for the people of Oslo, He is shown with mallet and chisel, but actually he worked in clay.		You proceed from the entrance, across the bridge, around the fountain, and up to the monolith,	Flowers and ornamental landscaping make the park a popular place for strolling and relaxing.
Along the bridge are a number of sculptures on a family life theme.		"The Little Angry Boy" is the most popular sculpture in the Children's Playground section.	A monolith of human bodies dominates the park from a raised central plateau.
Music contributed to the ambiance	A huge maze runs around the fountain
Below the monolith is the fountain with sculptures showing the stages of life.		The base of the fountain has a series of (sometimes odd) reliefs.	People of all ages surround the base of the monolith.
Wrought iron gates delimit the monolith plateau			The sundial suffered from the overcast sky.

The Viking Ship Museum

The next stop was the museum where 10th century Viking ships which had been preserved in burial mounds were exhibited along with other Viking era grave goods.

The museum was built to house three 10th century ships	The Gokstad ship was a large seagoing cargo vessel.	The Tune ship was not as well preserved as the other two
The Oseberg ship was a smaller coastal vessel.	The carving on the Oseberg ship was amazing.	But most impressive were the graceful lines of the ship.
The glass case surrounding this carved wagon made photography difficult	The carved wood items were well preserved	Carved tent boards

The Kon-Tiki Museum

Elsewhere in Oslo is a museum housing Thor Heyerdahl's raft the Kon-Tiki. Heyerdahl wanted to prove that it would have been possible for South American natives to reach and populate Polynesia. He built a balsa raft and sailed it from Peru to the Tuamotus. However, recent research in chicken genetics has shown no contact between these populations. I'm not making this up!

Kon-Tiki sail and front deck

Behind the sail was the cabin.

Old Thor had ideas about the Egyptians too, so he built Ra, a papyrus boat. It got waterlogged and sank.

The Oslo "Fjord"

To go between Oslo and the North Sea, you navigate the 100 km. long Oslofjord. I am told that geographically, it isn't really a fjord, just a really long bay. It starts out broad at the south end, but gets very narrow at Drøbak where Oscarborg fortress guards the approaches. Then it widens out again to form the port of Oslo.

The broad outer bay.	Fulehuk lighthouse	North Sea oil refinery
There were a lot of small tankers in the bay
Colorful small towns were serviced by ferries	The Oscarborg Fortress which played a crucial role at the beginning of World War Two.	The black hole on the left is the secret torpedo battery that sank the heavy cruiser Blücher
		Dyna Lighthouse and fish restaurant
	Drøbak harbor	A short boat ride from downtown