After a relaxing (but bumpy) day at sea, we arrived in Oslo to heavy rain. Since we had a tour planned for later in the morning we donned our raincoats and umbrellas and wandered out of the port area into the town in search of WiFi.
Oslo covers 175 square miles within its city limits and ranks as one of the world's largest capitals. However, with a population of 600,000, it is the least densely populated capital city in Europe. Norway was once part of Denmark and later part of Sweden, and many of Oslo's buildings -- including the Royal Palace and House of Parliament -- stem from Swedish rule. The country became independent in 1905. Later, Norway was occupied by German forces for five years during World War II (the Nazi history is something Norwegians are now willing to talk about, which may be of particular interest to World War II buffs). Traveling there, you'll notice the high standard of living (and that things aren't exactly cheap). It's so expensive, in fact, that many Norwegians go to Sweden to shop. Still, Norway is one of the richest countries in the world, thanks in no small part to its North Sea offshore oil.
Oslo residents are big on nature and proud of their pristine forests and fjord. Our tour was to Vigeland, Holmenkollen and the Open Air Museum. Our first stop was at the Open Air Museum. Very interesting 13th Cenury Gol Stave Church and other buildings show the culture and history of Norway's many regions anc cities. We were glad that the rain had stopped and the sun started to peek through the clouds.
Next on our tour was the Holmenkollen Ski Jumb, the site of the 1952 Olympic ski-jumping competition an the 2011 World Championship.
Our last stop, and my favorite was the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Once considered contriversial, the 80 acre park is now one of Oslo's favorite attractions. The stone, iron and bronze sculptures of Gustav Vigeland depict a complete human life cycle from birth to death. He began is work in 1921, and worked until his death in 1943 at the age of 75. . There are more than 200 granite, bronze and iron sculptures, representing 600 figures exhibiting an array of human emotions.
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