Oslo — This is Fjord Country

Oslo– This is Fjord Country

Our blogging has been delayed again. Though we were busy the last four days in Prague, the main reason for the delay was our poor internet connection. But now we are in Salzburg, and again have a good Internet connection.

Before I get into Prague, I must backtrack to the final three days in Norway, which we spent in Oslo. There were a number of highlights there, with the Nobel Peace Museum, the Folk Museum, the Fram Museum, and the Viking Ship Museum ranking at the top.

The Peace Museum would have ranked as the top attraction if it had been done better. I think the Peace Prize is the greatest honor a person can earn, and seeing the site of where it is given (next door to the Peace Museum in City Hall) and seeing the museum with it’s exhibits was inspiring, but I was a bit disappointed in the museum. There was little attention given to why a person had won the prize, and instead more attention was given to their life. Interesting perhaps, but not as important as what they did.

The Folk Museum was done very well. It is a huge open area where old farm buildings from different time periods and different regions throughout Norway have been moved, as well as having people dressed in period costumes. It gives one a sense of what life would have been like on the farm, with the different styles that each region had. For all of them, though, it was a tough life. Most of the buildings were original, though there were a few reproductions.

The Fram Museum is where the ship Fram is now kept. It was used by the polar explorers, Fridtjof Nannsen and Roald Amundson, to go the the north and south pole regions respectively. It was an incredible ship, able to withstand being frozen into the polar ice pack, and yet able to sail the open seas, storms and all.

The Viking Ship Museum included a few old Viking ships that were excavated from grave sites. The wealthy and powerful were buried with a ship and their treasures, something akin to the Egyptians. I tend to think of the Viking ships as something not much bigger than a voyageur canoe, but their ships, though they rode low in the water, were otherwise huge vessels capable of long ocean-going trips.

Next up, Prague, but that will have to be tomorrow’s story. Today’s blog post is already long enough.

Mitch