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Ante from S&L Guesthouse kindly picked me up at the bus station and I have a bright and airy room with a shared kitchen and courtyard in Gruz, overlooking the port.

A veggie struggles a little in Croatia, so I cooked up some beans to take to Chris who was walking much more steadily.  I just made it back before a huge thunderstorm which then raged on and off all the next day. 

It stopped just in time for me to go visiting, so I walked to the hospital, this time with frittata! 

Having caught up during downtime yesterday, on Friday I set off to the beach early, and walked down to the port …

… and across to Lapad, just 30 minutes away. I explored the walking trail from the bay …

… and took a pic of my beach where I settled down on a comfy sunbed. 

Later I saw Chris then got brave and went out for dinner on my own near the port. 

All the time, I was liaising with the hospital and GP to ensure the insurance company have the info they need, but as we went into the weekend, we still hadn’t had confirmation that they would accept the claim, and we knew nothing would happen until Monday.  To pass the time, I enjoyed more beach time and chatting with new visitors to the apartments and even went out in the evening to eat with one lady who was here alone for three days.  It must be said, that every time I went out, there were 250 steps to descend to the port … and more importantly, 250 to climb on the way back and my stamina was improving as the week progressed. 

Sunset was also a highlight since there was such a good view from the courtyard and it looked different every day …

… as was the view from Chris’s hospital window!

Chris continued to rest, have physio to strengthen his walking, receive food packages and coffee when I saw him, and on Sunday there was the treat of extended visiting hours!

By Monday we were eagerly awaiting updates from all concerned and finally it was confirmed that we had a valid insurance claim and the doctor said Chris would be released soon. 

One guest came back excited by her zip wire experience, and I was sorely tempted, but I wasn’t sure having fun with Chris laid up was fair. He persuaded me to go in the spirit of research for a future trip … and it was great … similar to the experience we’d had in Krk a couple of years ago with a nice bunch of people and a wonderful panoramic view of Dubrovnik. 

I even managed to get a photo with Chris … the hospital is the white building by my left shoulder!

It still took the rest of the week for a travel plan to be put in place and finally Chris was discharged on Friday morning.

It was lovely to have him back and he came to the apartment for the weekend, with the luxury of a comfy bed, being able to sit outside and to eat well so we made the most of our last couple of days.

So our extended stay in Dubrovnik was for 12 days – much longer than our initial 8 day holiday!  As for Chris, while sitting out in the courtyard, he says his time in hospital feels a bit like a dream.  Overall we are just pleased he got off so lightly – it could have been so different.

A final breakfast …

… and then we flew back on the Monday morning flight to LGW, accompanied door to door by a flight nurse and wheelchair assistance which certainly gave us peace of mind and reminds us why travel insurance is so important.

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Having checked in at Miranda’s guesthouse in Lapad, we decided to take Chris to A&E as we were worried he would be getting dehydrated.  After several hours, I was taken to see the doctor and he told us Chris’s symptoms had been caused by a mini stroke and that he would be staying in hospital for several days.  Having ensured he had all he needed, Joanna and I returned to Miranda’s to scrambled eggs for supper and made a plan.

With hospital visiting limited to just 3-4pm each day, Joanna and I decided to make the most of the last few days of our trip together.  Next day, we bought our Dubrovnik Pass and set off first thing to the old town by bus.  We entered through the Pile Gate …

… which gave us our first glimpse of the Stradun or long limestone pavement that runs between the two gates of the city.  

Here is the Great Onofrio Fountain, built in the C15. I wondered about the dog sitting on top and apparently the original toppled off a couple of centuries ago and this replica was added during a recent restoration, a faithful guardian once more.

We walked all the way round the walls taking loads of pictures as every angle looked better than the last! 

Here is Minceta Tower which is the tallest …

… a view of Lovrjenac Fort …

… and the small island of Lokrum beyond the sea of tile roofs.

Next we ducked into the side streets in search of a cold drink then sat on the Jesuit Steps to drink it, one of the few GofT locations I remember, with Cercei doing her walk of shame …

… and the church above.

Our ticket gave us free entry to the Rectors Palace, with another lovely staircase …

… then we walked past the Sponza Palace …

… to Luca Square with the clock tower and St Blaise’s Church.

Returning to Pile Gate we went out and were astonished by the number of people getting on and off tour buses.

From one panorama to another, here is the view from Lovrjenac Fort …

… and on that note it is time for lunch! We shared an amazing fish platter in the heart of the old town …

… before heading back on the bus for visiting time. Being the weekend, the hospital was really quiet and Chris was still very tired, not quite himself but no doubt in the best place.

Later, we squeezed in a little beach time Croatian style, sitting on a concrete platform and having a paddle …

… then took the bus back in the evening to see the old town at night …

… and had Caesar salads and Prosecco and icecream.

It was the night of a lunar eclipse which should have shown a red moon, but all we saw was the moon increase in size as the eclipse passed. 

As much as we loved looking round and walking the walls, it was just so busy, with tour groups everywhere.  We had a great view from the fort so didn’t fancy the cable car and Lokrum island is full of Australian plants so we chose not to return the next day. Instead, we took the car north out of the city early and visited Trsteno Villa and arboretum which Joanna had found, wandered the gardens …

… and snapped the fountain with Neptune …

… then spent several hours at Veliki žal beach …

… but were still back in time to visit Chris who was looking much rested and with an appetite once more. The doctor had gone home, but it was confirmed he would be staying several more days.  Joanna and I ate over the road at Bellevue restaurant, where the menu came as a message in a bottle, watching the twinkly lights of the port and eating fish. 

Our stay at Miranda’s was over and we had one night in Cavtat before our flights home. We decided to continue our trip as planned, return the car and Joanna to the airport so she could fly home and luckily found a nice guesthouse close to the hospital at short notice for me.  We went early to see the doctor who confirmed Chris was making a good recovery, but needed to stay and rest.

Having checked out beaches, we spent the day relaxing in Plat.  Amazing that I think this was the place we stayed for a family holiday in 1975, but I didn’t recognise anything!  

In Cavtat, we walked round the harbour, then sat for cocktails and watched the sun go down before our final meal together. Later we sat watching the harbour drinking a very nice local wine called Posip, putting the world to rights.

Somehow, despite everything, Joanna and I have really made the most of our last few days together and we have great memories of all of us in Krka.  Everything went smoothly in the morning and having waved her off, I got the airport shuttle back to Dubrovnik.

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We arrived at Split in plenty of time for our ferry to the island of Korcula which we are crossing on our drive to Dubrovnik. 

We took snacks for the 2.5 hour crossing and sat on a bench outside to enjoy the view. 

The port of Vela Luka was built in times past to export wine and oil and is now a car ferry port, but still offers a handsome face to the sea.

We soon found our apartment, above a family run restaurant where we were welcomed with more Rakija and homemade biscuits and after sitting down all morning, walked to the town beach for a bit of sun, a read and a dip and took the water taxi back to beers on our very own sit out terrace.

In the evening as we checked out restaurants, we noticed the attractive sea themed mosaics running round the harbour pavement which celebrate an artists expo in the 1960’s.

We spotted the local makaruni pasta on the menu, handmade scraps of pasta rolled round a needle to make tubes, so I had mine with ragu and J with monkfish while C had ravioli with spinach and truffle.

Although we didn’t realise at the time, this was the point that our trip started moving in an unplanned direction.  While getting up in the morning, Chris had a dizzy spell so we delayed our departure so he could take things slowly, and we thought he’d maybe had too much sun the day before.  Joanna was our second driver, and having already driven yesterday, was delighted for the opportunity to drive again and we made our way across Korcula island, enjoying the scenery.  We made a brief stop at a beach with a cafe and continued to Korcula town where tourist cars have to use the park and ride.  We got a great photo from the shuttle which took us to the town gates. 

As we walked into the walled town …

… it was apparent that Chris wasn’t feeling great and was also nauseous, but he was sure that an early night would do the trick so we checked in and left him to rest.

Joanna and I went exploring.  We wandered round the town …

… through charming squares …

… and along narrow stone alleys which are laid out fishbone-style, with the angled side streets allowing the breeze to pass through and cool the buildings.

St Mark’s Cathedral dominates the main square …

… and we climbed the clock tower to get views over the rooftops and out to sea …

… and took a peek inside.

We took a last few photos then relaxed with wine and pizza.

In the morning, Korcula was deserted …

Joanna and I snatched a view with our breakfast pastry …

… but with Chris not really any better, we took the ferry to the mainland and Joanna drove us directly to Dubrovnik …

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Having flown into Split and picked up the car, a short drive north brought us to the pretty riverside town of Skradin.  From the highway rest stop we took photos of the bridge over the Krka river …

… and also caught our first view of Skradin …

… but were alarmed to feel the odd drop of rain … surely not!

At our apartment, we were welcomed with a glass of homemade Rakija, a fruit brandy made throughout Croatia.  After toasting Živjeli! we were advised the best way to tackle Krka next day then went to explore.

We tried to ignore the rain drops as we wandered down the main street lined with pastel coloured buildings …

… but as we started climbing to the small medieval fortress above the town, it became downpour …

… and we had to shelter from the worst of it in a bar with a beer!

Next day dawned sunny and we were up and waiting for the 8.00 boat into Krka National Park so we could beat the crowds.

The tufa landscape is one of the most unique features of Krka National Park.  Eroded limestone is deposited in the river and trapped by the plants to form tufa or travertine barriers. These are constantly reshaped by water flow to create spectacular waterfalls, cascades, and natural pools.

The main event is Skradinski Buk, the most impressive waterfall in the park.  It is made of 17 waterfalls cascading into one another and then creating a beautiful lake and is viewed from a network of wooden trails and bridges.  It certainly didn’t disappoint, and we all took lots of pictures.

Fortified, we followed the walking route at Roški slap, where the waterfall fans out in a series of shallow cascades, known locally as The Necklaces, before falling into Visovac lake below. 

There were also ruins of old watermills which once lined the river and were used to grind corn …

… and viewpoints.

By the time we had walked the circuit and were returning to the start, we saw that the crowds had certainly increased and were pleased we’d made an early start.  Behind the bridge you can see part of the first hydro electric plant in Europe, opened just after Tesla opened the world’s first one in Niagara Falls in 1895.

We returned to Skradin by boat then picked up the car and drove first to a couple of viewpoints, firstly to see the tiny island of Visovac which was settled by Franciscan monks in 1445 and then on to the Panorama restaurant where Chris spotted omelette on the menu and Joanna and I shared crispy polenta coated trout and salad.

The viewpoint is reached by climbing a huge staircase which zig zags up the cliff and can just be seen above.

We were all up for it, but I abandoned when I saw a shady bench while and Chris and Joanna continued.  They made the top but admitted the photo of the falls was no better!

Some of the photos we had seen were more impressive than ours, but then conditions have to be perfect for perfect shots and we enjoyed walking round, watching the antics of the ducks.

On a high after conquering the steps, Joanna drove us back from Roški slap, the first time she had driven on the wrong side of the road. The first part was very twisty and narrow, but she learnt how to make full use of the mirrors and did a grand job, delivering us safely back to Skradin.

After all that exercise we were were done for the day, and enjoyed relaxing later with caipirinha cocktails watching the sun do down, followed by a dinner of Gorgonzola gnocchi for C, Skradin sprats for J and John Dory and capers for me.  We finished with Skradin Torte, a cake made with eggs, honey and ground walnuts then glazed with chocolate … yum!

Krka has certainly been a success and I’m so pleased we chose to stay in Skradin so we could get into the park early – it made all the difference to enjoy it while it was quiet.  

Next up … a ferry crossing …

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Joanna is home from Sydney for three weeks so we are looking forward to making more memories, this time during a trip to Croatia.

Starting in Split, we are spending a day exploring the waterfalls at Krka National Park then driving across the island of Korcula for a bit of beach R&R before continuing to the splendid walled city of Dubrovnik.

So here we go, three off travelling together again!

Itinerary

Chasing Waterfalls in Krka National Park

Korcula … An Island Stepping Stone

Dubrovnik … Pearl of the Adriatic

Dubrovnik … an Extended Stay

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It was a 350km drive back to Oslo, but we broke up the journey with a cruise along the Telemark Canal which was built in the C19th to join several waterways and link Dalen to Skien for the transport of goods.  Today it just carries pleasure boats, and we just travelled on the final stretch from Ulefoss to Skien.  

Once through the locks at the beginning …

… most of the trip was along a fjord …

… with a final lock at the end.

We were checking in to our hotel in Oslo early evening and it was time to say farewell to our guide Paula and the interesting bunch we had spent the week with, all with varied departure times next day.  

It has been surprising to see how most restaurants serve world food from one country or another, rather than traditional Norwegian fare.  So, when Graham and Lisa who we’d chatted to a fair bit during the trip, suggested eating at the Oslo Food Market, we thought it was a great idea to spend the evening with the locals, munching various curries and stir fries!

Our flight was not till late, so we visited the Norsk Folkemuseum.  Travelling like locals in a country where a boat is often the quickest transport, we took the ferry across the bay to the open air museum.

We were eager to find out more about the Stave Churches of Norway which were built when the country became Christian from C9th-C12th.  Our tour had stopped at two but only very briefly.  We did pay and go into the first one at Torpo and the first thing we noticed was the smell which comes from the black preservative made from pine resin.

The heavy wooden door is decorated with dragons, vines and animal heads…

… and inside, the nave is dominated by a great decorated vault depicting Christ with the apostles and the legend of St. Margaret. It was probably put up and painted at the end of the C13th, making some of the oldest decorative paintwork in Norway.

A couple of final snaps of the woodwork and we had to leave.

From one of the smallest, to the largest. According to legend, Heddal was built in only three days with the help of a troll named Finn and shows how elaborate the structures became with its multi-tiered roof and three towers. 

It has an exterior gallery where there are fantastic woodcarvings around the four entrance doors …

… and I got the briefest glimpse inside.  

When it came to building churches, the Vikings built in wood and used ship building techniques which resulted in the stavkyrkje or stave church.  The name comes from its corner post or stave which is prepared like a ship mast.  First the tree was selected, the branches removed and the tree left for several years. It would then swell with sap, seeking to repair the wounds and this resin would act like a preservative. The seasoned staves were cut, and erected on a stone foundation to keep away rot. The rest of the church was built around this frame, and then regularly painted with pitch, which the Vikings used to seal their ships and make them watertight.

In the C19th the stave churches were deemed too small and dark so many were demolished or sold in favour of new buildings and today only 28 remain. The Gol stave church, built around 1212, was rescued and moved to Oslo and is now the highlight of the museum. Swooping dragon heads are attached to the roof, just like the prow of a viking longship …

… and inside, the wooden ceiling is constructed like the upside-down hull of a ship.

The murals in the choir and apse date to 1652 and were financed by members of the congregation, offering a glimpse into the church’s history after the Reformation.

There was also metalwork and carvings of dragons and plant motifs.

The rest of the museum had displays of costume, textiles and decorative arts as well as a collection of buildings from various regions and we wandered round in the sunshine and even spotted some country dancing.

It was soon time to go and we took the ferry back and a train to the airport and reflected on our trip.  We’ve enjoyed visiting Norway, but have decided we won’t be booking another organised trip for the time being as we prefer making our own way, taking our time and just going off travelling together.

Finally, with the fabulous weather, we’ve seen lots of Norwegian blue in both the sky and water …

… but the Norwegian Blue eluded us!

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We travelled along Norway’s southwest coast by land and sea, including two ferry crossings and a submarine tunnel.

We stopped to see the Sverd I fjell monument commemorating the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872, when King Harold Fairhair gathered all of Norway under one crown …

… and soon afterwards, we were checking into our hotel in Stavanger where we had a great view of the central lake or Breiavatnet.

We had a brief guided walk through colourful backstreets dotted with restaurants and decorated by vibrant street art driven by an annual festival.

Reaching the harbour … 

… there were wharves originally built to support the herring trade in the C19th, but now containing vibrant bars and restaurants.

With an evening at leisure ahead, we enjoyed wandering through the lovely wooden houses of the old town where there was a photo round every corner.

Peckish, we stopped for dinner where we found great veggie options.

In fact, this was the first leisurely dinner of the trip, and we celebrated with drinks, mine an aquavit mule and for Chris a local beer. 

In Norway, the state endeavours to save the population from themselves by imposing huge tax levies on alcohol, having a state-owned alcohol monopoly called Vinmonopolet and banning advertising. In fact, even eating out is quite expensive, but having virtually ducked dinner the night before, we threw caution to the wind!  We shared humous  to start …

… and followed with roasted cauliflower with romanesco sauce for Chris and deconstructed fish & chips for me, with a glass of wine each, and while the bill might not be unusual in London, we thought it a tad steep.

On the way back we stopped at the Valberg tower built to keep watch for fires …

… and enjoyed the sunset …

… before walking back round the lake to our hotel.

Next day, we awoke to a grey morning.  

It certainly meant that we saw the other side of Norway as we cruised through Lysefjord …

… past salmon farms …

… and into Lysefjord with sheer rock faces …

… a cave where vagabonds once sought refuge …

… and the 400m Hengjanefossen waterfall.

There was also Preikestolen or Pulpit Rock, a locally famed hiking destination which juts out dramatically over the fjord which we viewed from below.

Tiny people moving on the top could just be seen through a zoom lens and Chris had fun playing with the sliders on an image later!

Once back we had a break for lunch and spotted a couple of chaps keeping watch as we walked back from the harbour. 

These are just two of the 23 figures installed throughout the town by Anthony Gormley as part of his art work called the Broken Column.

While we ate our sandwich, we reflected on how little we had heard about the most significant event in Norway’s history in the last 60 years.  Oil was discovered in the Ekofisk field in 1969 and has completely changed the Norwegian economy, leading to the establishment of the Oil Fund which manages the revenue from petroleum activities and holds over US$1.9 trillion in assets.  It is the world’s largest single sovereign wealth fund which translates to US$340,000 per Norwegian citizen and provides economic stability for Norway now and for future generations.  

Today almost all this oil and gas is exported, and counter to this, and maybe as some form of compensation, Norway itself strides forward with green measures and targets.  Electric vehicles abound – scooters, bikes, cars, trams and boats, with hydro responsible for almost all domestic energy supply.  With longer in town, we could have visited the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, but it was not to be, but at least we spotted one oil rig!

Another afternoon drive brought us to the charming Revsnes Hotel, hugging the shore of Byglandsfjord. 

It was already nearly time for dinner, but we were keen to walk out on the jetty and admire the view.

Spotting a handy little sandy beach, several of us had a quick dip …

… and the water was lovely!

Dinner was another buffet, but pretty good, and later we sat on the deck chatting and enjoying the view.

Back to Oslo tomorrow …

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After a 3 hour drive we arrived in Bergen, but with so much packed into the day, it was almost 10pm before we arrived and checked into our sea view room! 

Despite the bright sunshine, it felt too late for dinner, so we just got take away pizza slices from the 7-eleven and sat in the park to eat them before heading to bed.

We had a guided tour round the town in the morning starting on the far side of the bay …

… and then had a couple of hours free time to explore further, which was a lot to pack into a morning.  Luckily it was a beautiful day, which is rare in Bergen where it rains on average 260 days a year.  

From the C11th, Bergen was the largest and most important town in medieval Norway and is known for its maritime history. It became a hub for the Hanseatic League which enabled dried stockfish from the north of Norway to be traded, mainly for grain.  In time, the League which was controlled by German merchants, came to dominate the economy, becoming increasingly wealthy and disliked by local Norwegians.

The heart of the town is the harbour …

… and Torget, the open air fish market …

… where they still sell stockfish …

… amongst other fishy things …

… but I just had tasters of reindeer and whale sausage. There were also jams, and while cloudberry is the most famous, it is very sweet so we chose a small jar of lingonberry jam to bring home.

The harbour side area called Bryggen is lined with merchants’ trading houses, built after the great city fire of 1702. The very oldest are wooden and now protected …

… but others were demolished in favour of brick buildings, although their style is sympathetic.

Everything about the League was regulated from the design and size of the buildings to the behaviour of the employees, but sleeping above all that smelly fish can’t have been pleasant.  This model shows how the area would have looked.

We wandered down the alleys and between the buildings, most now giftshops selling jumpers and trolls.

The Hanseatic Museum was closed for renovation, but we did visit the Schotstuene or assembly rooms, where merchants gathered to eat, hold council and relax. 

To safeguard against fire, this building had a stone built kitchen and was the only place in the trading post which allowed cooking and heating.  The kitchen was laid out with each trading company having its own workstation and cooking pot …

… and the stone hearth at the end would heat the assembly room on the other side.

Later intricate metal stoves were installed.

We passed the old meat market …

… and took a wander through the back streets …

… where even the Macdonalds was cute.

We also popped in to the Fresco Hall, part of the old stock exchange building, which was decorated with frescoes linked to Bergen’s business life in the 1920s, but now a restaurant.

Finally, Bergen has installed a pneumatic waste collection system to do away with bins and trucks.  Instead, rubbish is deposited into special chutes and it gets sucked away through pipes to a terminal. We were eager to try it and saved our lunch wrappers specially …

… only to find you need to have a residents code to use it! As Chris spotted, check out the shirt, at least one slot machine worked this season!

Time is up … got to go … we’ve got a ferry to catch!

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A long afternoon drive took us westwards, alongside stretches of water and through lush valleys …

… until we started climbing to the Storefjell Resort Hotel, which has views across the mountains.

We stood on the deck in the sunshine after dinner and counted the number of small farm buildings with grass growing on the roof!

These grass or sod roofs were commonplace in the countryside and despite more modern materials, are making a bit of a comeback.  The turf is laid over layers of birch bark and provides excellent insulation, helps to absorb rainwater and reduce runoff, with the weight of the sod compressing the logs to make the house more airtight. 

Everyone in the hotel had an early start so breakfast was like an Olympic event, collecting food and cutlery in relays, then speedy consumption so we were on the coach by 8am!

Our day was action packed, beginning with a drive through the Lærdal tunnel which at 24.5kms is the world’s longest road tunnel – plunging us in the dark for 20 minutes!

We continued to Flåm, situated on a branch of the vast Sognefjord, Norways longest and deepest fjord. Here we boarded the Lady Elizabeth …

… for a 2hr cruise down the Aurlandsfjord and then into the Nӕrøyfjord to Gudvangen.

It was breathtaking … the snow capped mountains were high, the waterfalls gushing, the fjord clear and blue and the sun shining.

The coach returned us to Flåm, were we had free time to get some lunch.  We also had time to paddle …

… and to look round the museum which told the story of the building of the Flåmsbana, a 20km stretch of railway linking Flåm with the Oslo-Bergen line.  Built in the 1920s with 20 mainly hand-dug tunnels, it took 4 years to complete.  It is also the steepest standard-gauge railway in Europe so fortunately the trains have several sets of brakes … just in case!

Once we boarded …

… photos were a little tricky but we were treated to more incredible Norwegian landscapes …

The highlight was the stunning Kjosfossen waterfall, which has its own station just to allow tourists to get off the train and take photos.  We were also entertained by a woman in red, resembling the mythical Huldra, dancing to strains of mystical music!

Back on the coach, we had a final waterfall stop …

… then headed westwards to Bergen.

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The Flytoget train whisked us into the city centre from the airport effortlessly …

… and we were soon checked in to our central hotel and off to explore.

We were enticed into a bakery by the array of sweet treats and chose twisted cinnamon buns called Kanelsnurrer which were delicious …

… before walking to the harbour. Knowing we would have a city tour next day, we went to the Norwegian National Museum for the afternoon. We started with the applied art and design floor and an extensive collection of furniture and interiors from medieval times to the present day. We then went up to the roof to get a view across the harbour to the Akerhaus fort, built in the C14th by King Hakon V …

… before wandering through the collection of Norwegian art.  

Just a brief history lesson to put things into perspective.  During the Viking Age, Norwegians expanded their influence through exploration, trade, and raids across Europe with Norway becoming a single kingdom in 900. Christianity slowly became the dominant religion, replacing Norse paganism, but a decline began when the bubonic plague wiped out half the population in 1397.

Subsequently, Norway became a dependency of Denmark, which lasted for 400 years during which the Reformation led to the establishment of Lutheranism.  After the Napoleonic Wars, Norway was forced into a union with Sweden but it wasn’t until 1905 that this union was dissolved. Norway became a fully independent country with a referendum choosing Prince Carl of Denmark as their king, Haakon VII and the capital was returned to its Norse name Oslo.

It was at this point that a growing sense of nationhood inspired artists to depict the sublime Norwegian landscapes and gave us a taste of our trip to come!  Here are a few, Stalheim by Johan Christian Dahl …

… the Grindelwald Glacier by his pupil Thomas Fearnley …

… this romantic view of The Bridal Voyage on the Hardanger Fjord by Hans Frederik Gude …

… and finally this view of a stave church, but more about them later.

Of course the most famous painting in the gallery has to get a mention, The Scream by Edvard Munch, which had a constant stream of visitors taking selfies!

Our walk back took us past City Hall which we will visit tomorrow …

… The Nobel Peace Centre which celebrates Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Peace Prize which is awarded in each year in Oslo …

… and the Domkirke or cathedral.

SInce the weather was so lovely, later we found a restaurant with seats outside that served both traditional and veggie dishes and I had Norwegian cod, served with the national staples of potatoes, carrots and mushrooms!  Vegetarian choices all seem to be foreign and Chris chose the fajitas!

We returned to the hotel for a brief meet and greet with Paula our tour guide and a number of the group who had already arrived, then went for wander …

… which eventually took us to the Opera House where people were enjoying the warm evening sunshine. 

Oslo isn’t far enough north to be in the land of the midnight sun, but sunset wasn’t till 22.30 and it doesn’t get darker than nautical twilight, so good job we packed eye masks so we got a good sleep!

Next day we had a bit of a drive round the city in the coach, then a tour on foot beginning with the Vigelandsparken, a sculpture garden which was the life’s work of one man, beginning in 1924.  Gustav Vigeland started as a woodcarver, but was influenced by Rodin in Paris and switched to stone and bronze. 

The sculptures all portray the cycle of life, with the 20m Obelisk surrounded by groups of figures …

… with all ages represented.

The fountain and bridge are adorned with bronzes …

… including this cheeky chap …

… and a joker …

… and the park ends with an impressive gate.

During a quick photo stop for the Opera House …

… we also noticed these floating saunas, where you can cool off afterwards by swimming in the Oslofjord.

The Radhus or City Hall was next.  Opened in 1950, this modernist building was meant to be a mark of civic pride, but locals were slow to love what they saw as pretty ugly.  Now 75 years on, it has become one of the city’s most popular buildings.  

The entrance is decorated with wooden carvings from Norse myths including this one of Swan Maidens.

Inside, the main hall is huge and painted on all sides with stylised and secular murals.

This is From the Fishing Nets in the West to the Forests of the East with a polar explorer on the left and a dramatist on the right symbolising the spirit of adventure and intellectual development of the nation. 

On the opposite wall is Work, Administration and Celebration which illustrates social reforms, education, social struggles, the war years and Norwegian Royal history featuring many prominent Norwegians, but also regular people carrying out their everyday life.

Saint Hallvard, the patron saint of Oslo appears several times …

… and upstairs there are more patriotic images of town and country …

… and even the beach!

The Munch Room with his painting ‘Life’ adorning the back wall is used for weddings …

… but no snacking here today!

With a couple of hours free to wander, we snapped the Stortinget or parliament building.  Since Viking times, local social justice was resolved at a ‘thing’, a sacred place where all freemen from the surrounding areas would assemble, so unsurprisingly their parliament translates as the ‘big thing’!

The Royal Palace is set in a park completely open the the public …

… and we were in time to see the changing of the guard, unfortunately rather uninspiring, especially with the digger centre stage!

Our brief time in Oslo at an end, we headed for the coach and a drive westwards …

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