"Oslo...relaxing and calm" Oslo by gordonilla

Norway 100 - the anniversary of the dissolution of the Union of Sweden and Norway!

The history of Norway is diverse and interesting - as it was passed between Sweden and Denmark through the centuries.

St Olaf achieved a united kingdom in the 11th century, however his successor, Cnut, brough Norway under Danish rule and then it was united with Sweden and Denmark in 1389.

It was annexed by Sweden in 1814, as a reward for the assistance given against Napoleon. As the years moved forward, the Norwegian population became more focussed on it's own nationalism and eventually it declared independence in 1905. It installed the current ruling house and thus far they have had 3 Kings, with a Crown prince currently in waiting.

During both World Wars, Norway declared itself neutral, however during the 1939-1944 war, it was occupied by Nzi Germany, and was notionally governed by Vidkun Quisling, who has given his surname to anyone who aids the enemy.

In recent years Norway and Norwegian diplomats have been pivotal in regard to peace treaties and engagement many groups around the world achieve conflict resolution. A perfect place for the home of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Oslo City Hall:

The city hall is an impressive building, and hosts the Noble peace prize ceremony. The other prizes are awarded by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm.

The old harbour area and the moored ships are home to shops and restaurants.

Oslo's Patron saint is St Hallvard; who, according to ledgend was highborn who in 1043 intervened when a woman was being assaulted. He took her onboard his ship to take her to safety on the other side of the fjird, however they were pursued and killed.

Hallvard was shot with three arrows and his body weighted down by a millstone. The body and stone rose to the surface of the fjord.

When Oslo cathedral was consecrated in 1130, his bones were moved from Lier to the Cathedral.

St Hallvard is depicted on the Oslo City Arms; it is made up of the saint sitting on two lions holding a millstone and the three arrows with a woman liying at his feet.

St Hallvard is commemorated on 15 May, which is also Oslo Day.

suddenly in the street

The city boasts many interesting sculptures and monumental pieces.

The sculptures often appear unexpectedly from around a corner. This is a partciular interesting one as you do come across it by chance as you turn into a side street going nowhere in particular. This is no doubt the same for many cities, but some how, the Norwegians manage to do it in a much better style.

One of the most famous places to visit in Oslo is in fact Vigelandsparken (The Vigeland Park) - this is a fairly unique sculpture park which has some 1,000,000 visitors each year. The park is the work of the sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869 - 1943) and it has in excess of 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and cast iron. Vigeland was also responsible for the design and architectural outline of the park.

Located nearby is the Vigeland Museum, which was originally built as a studio and a home for the sculptor. The collection contains original plaster models; early works in plaster, marble & bronze; woodcuts; and drawings. The museum outlines his working process where it can.

enjoying the sunshine

Thor Heyerdahl and his travels have always appealled to my sense of adventure and exploration. A group from work took the opportunity to visit Oslo and the museum.

The museum is home to two wonderful exhibits - the original balsa wood raft, Kon-Tiki, which was used to cross the Pacific from Peru to Polynesia in 1947; and Ra II the papyrus boat which crossed the Atlantic, in 1970, from Morocco to Barbados. As an aside there are also a number of other notable pieces on view which come from Thor Heyerdahl's many voyages of research. The most impressive and unique is a cast of a 30 foot tall statute from Easter Island.

The museum is a self financing educational trust, and profits are used to support Norwegian and International students which a priority given to those undertaking research in maritime history, archaeology and ethnology.

Exhibits relate to:

The Kon-Tiki Expedition, 1947

The Galapagos Expedition, 1953

The Easter Island Expedition, 1955 -1956

The Ra Expeditions, I = 1969 and II=1970

The Tigris Expedition, 1977 - 1978

These tend to be the more stimulating, however there is much to see about the more recent archaelogical expeditions which have been undertaken in more recent years.

• Pros:Very relaxing, clean and sophisticated
• Cons:A little expensive, even if you come from Greater London
• In a nutshell:Wonderful!