A RTW study tour, mostly on Star Alliance

[JohnM]

Oops - late aboard...

 

[drron]

Oops - late aboard...

Only wing seats left!:shock:

 

[JohnM]

Only wing seats left!:shock:

Never for this little black DYKWIA .

 

[RooFlyer]

If you don't take your assigned seats, I'll have my good friends from United 'take care of you' :shock: .

And - Gah! I've been invited out to dinner tonight (Sunday) here in Stavanger (traditional reinsdyrstek with gudbrandsdalsost (brown cheese)) and have just discovered that you can't buy booze in Norway from 3pm Saturday until shops open on Monday AND shopping malls and the like are also closed today. But I'm told I can buy some flowers from a petrol station.

Anyway, back to Oslo where there is an abundance of sculpture, unfortunately with not much English.

So who's the lady on the right?




On the left is 'Eyes'

 

[love_the_life]

They didn't actually look like eyes to me :shock:

 

[RooFlyer]

They didn't actually look like eyes to me :shock:

Which is why I felt the need to explain :shock:

 

[JessicaTam]

If you don't take your assigned seats, I'll have my good friends from United 'take care of you' :shock: .

And - Gah! I've been invited out to dinner tonight (Sunday) here in Stavanger (traditional reinsdyrstek with gudbrandsdalsost (brown cheese)) and have just discovered that you can't buy booze in Norway from 3pm Saturday until shops open on Monday AND shopping malls and the like are also closed today. But I'm told I can buy some flowers from a petrol station.

Anyway, back to Oslo where there is an abundance of sculpture, unfortunately with not much English.

So who's the lady on the right?

View attachment 96250

She looks a bit like Margaret Thatcher.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Thanks RF
I am also late to board but enjoying the trip
Surprised by the SQ J class.. I haven't flown with them for a while but last time I thought the J seats were huge and flat.. Have they changed or is it aircraft dependent (last time I flew it was an A380)?
On a lighter note.. love Oslo.. was much whiter when I was there though

 

[TomVexille]

On second glance it looks like you actually got SQ's new J seat on the 77WN

 

[OZDUCK]

96250[/ATTACH]

Challenge accepted!


The statue of Crown Princess Märtha was a gift to King Harald on his 70th birthday

[h=2]Crown Princess Märtha[/h]The statue of Crown Princess Märtha stands by the guardhouse and is made by Kirsten Kokkin (1951- ). It was a gift from the Storting in honour of King Harald’s 70th birthday, and was unveiled by him 21 February 2007. Another version of this statue is to be found on the lawn in front of the Norwegian embassy in Washington D.C. – erected as a tribute to The Crown Princess’s efforts on behalf of Norway in USA during World War II.
Kirsten Kokkin is known for her beautiful bronze statues, and is often described as a romantic naturalist. With reference to the statue of Crown Princess Märtha, Kokkin said she had “aimed to capture the brave, active, enthusiastic and decisive Crown Princess”

 

[RooFlyer]

OZDUCK is correct, but Jessica Tam gave the right answer

Of course no visit to Oslo is complete without a visit to the Viking Ships Museum. You can get there by vehicle, but the best way is a short ferry trip from the Oslo wharf in front of City Hall.

It hadn't changed a bit since I last visited about 17 years ago. There are 2 reasonably complete ships, and 2 others not so complete. They were found within burial mounds, as are of the grave for people of high rank, together with whatever grave goods hadn't been robbed over the years.

The most complete ship is the Oseberg, named after the location where it was discovered in 1904. The ship was built around 815 and used in a burial of a woman in 834AD. Lots of grave furniture, food, wagons etc, but no precious metals (robbed). A 'classic' Viking ship shape/size:




One of the wagons found with the burial, RH pic.







These weren't explained, but I gather were ceremonial mace-type things.




There as a pretty good film shown periodically which explained the Viking lifestyle and conquests.

 

[UpInTheAir:)]

Although I do like the Oslo Viking museum I liked the one in Roskilde, Denmark better.. complete with a sail on the fjords
I do love a viking museum though

 

[Buzzard]

Great TR RF, nice photos too.
I'm guessing you're using your new camera.

 

[RooFlyer]

Yes, remembered it this time.

 

[RooFlyer]

The area where the Viking and other museums are is a bit swish (some embassies, and 'summer houses' etc).




I think the one on the right is the Royal Family's summer 'castle'





Not far away are a couple of other museums - the Norway Maritime Museum and one other I can't recall, but I did drop into the Thor Heyadal museum. In the middle of the 20th Century he postulated that Easter Island was colonised from Sth America rather than Polynesia and intrepidly built and sailed on a balsa raft to help demonstrate the idea. he succeeded in the sail, but I think its still a minority position. Having recently visited Easter Island, it seems hard to discount the Polynesian heritage of the native peoples. The museum has the original raft, the Con Tiki:




A later expedition of Heyadal's was to show that Egyptian people could have sailed to the Americas - and his reed boat Ra II again sailed successfully. Its there too,

 

[JessicaTam]

Great TR RF, nice photos too.
I'm guessing you're using your new camera.

Yes, remembered it this time.

What camera are you using?

 

[VPS]

She looks a bit like Margaret Thatcher.

That's exactly what I thought

 

[RooFlyer]

Sony DSC HX90 V. Buzzard discovered a great deal on them earlier in the year ( was posted) and a couple of us bought them. I've been using the previous model for years.

Unfortunately AFF doesn't do the pics best justice. Twice de resolved the way I do it.

 

[bwhouse]

Late aboard, but BP scanned. Looks like an interesting trip

 

[RooFlyer]

Oslo has a fortress of course - Akershus Castle, begun in the 1200s and extended and re-built over time. A number of Norwegian royalty are buried there and there are a couple of museums.




The 'Norwegian Monument' on the left and something lighter on the right.




View from the fort:



Next morning I left Oslo, bound ultimately for Bergen and Stavanger on the west coast, but first it was the Bergen railway as far as Myrdal, and then down the famous Flam Railway to Flam. Oslo central station is modern and easily navigable. Less good was the early call to board, where no train appeared on the freezing and windy platform!




Train showed up OK and everyone boarded and took their seats. Except these guys on the left. Boarded at the last possible moment before we went, with gear that just didn't fit. So they blocked the corridors and toilet for about 15 mins. Why do those with the most awkward gear always board last? On the RH is where I spent most of the trip - the Café car which had great views, tables with plenty of room, even if you weren't using the café services (tables the other end).