After that we walked to the main downtown and found the bicycle shop. We had about an hour to kill so we grabbed a hamburger while we waited. Afterwards, in search of coffee we stopped at the pretentious sounding coffee shop called Coffee and People. We were met by an intense looking guy who took our orders. Upon hearing our accents he insisted that I immediately go around the corner and read a letter that he had framed up on the wall.
It was a letter written and signed by a young senator Barack Obama addressed to his friend. It seemed that his childhood friend Mary had been in the Atlanta airport back in the 90’s and trying to fly back home to Oslo. She had run out of money and was trying to explain her predicament to the airline clerk at the desk. A man behind her in line overheard her situation and bought her the ticket. That’s right, Obama! Years later, Obama’s first year in office, Obama was to be rewarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He flew to Oslo and was to be literally right across the street at the Grand Hotel to receive the prize. Somehow Mary’s parents had arranged to repay the money that Obama had spent on the airline ticket. Obama wrote this very gracious letter thanking them and reminiscing about the incident. The owner was given the letter and proudly displays it. He said that when Obama was getting his Nobel Prize, a lot of the press had holed up in his shop and when they heard about the story, both the NY Times and Washington Post called for comment.
Downtown Oslo
After the coffee and stories, we went to the bike shop and saddled up. There were 13 people in our group. We were led by a young, sharp 20-something young woman. We headed out single file, winding our way through the streets.
Our first stop was nearby in a square with a fountain in the middle and a very old house across from it. She explained that in the 1400’s the bubonic plague had ravaged Oslo and killed 60% of the population. Since so many city people had died, the majority that remained were country people. They tended to be crazy and loners by nature. They then repopulated the country and that’s why Norwegians are they way they are today.
Next we went to the city hall which is a very interesting and historic building. The inside walls are painted with murals depicting people and the World War II resistance efforts, the outside that faces the waterfront has a series of sculptures of the working man in numerous roles that are important to Norwegian heritage. There are also elaborate carvings depicting Norse mythology. It is very cool.
Next we biked up one of the main streets to the royal palace and through the gardens. Our leader / guide took us through a series of neighborhoods and onto Frogner Park.
Frogner Park is home to the mind-blowing Vigeland Sculpture Garden, an epic sculpture installation 30 years in the making. Vigeland was famous for making stylized nude human figures in various interlocked contortions. He received a commission from the government to make and install a fountain sculpture in front of the new government building. When it was proposed, it was rejected as being too big and it was proposed that it be installed in a new park opened just for that purpose. Vigeland then was given the commission of building up the installation. He demanded a home on the property and a staff to help him. Over the course of his career the installation grew to include hundreds of figures, all carved out of granite. Using the space at his disposal, he starts at one end with a uterus shaped garden and several sculptures of infants in various poses. The sculptures then ascend upward and across a bridge and river reflecting various women and men in combination with small children. There is then a large rose garden which gives way to another fountain surrounded by sculptures depicting different aspects of the “tree of life” and then culminating in a raised platform of figures topped by a 30 foot monolith of dozens of interlocking figures. It’s staggering to contemplate the amount of work that went into the whole thing.
To complete our tour, we ended up down by the water where the most expensive real estate in town lives. Oslo residents spend hot summer days there beating the heat. The story goes that when these ultra expensive units were built, the owners became annoyed when outsiders would come to swim and hang out. According to the residents, the interlopers were making too much noise. They complained to the city, which in their wisdom sided with the public, saying in essence, “This water and shore belong to everyone and they have just as much right to enjoy it as you do.” You gotta love a country like that! After stopping at the water, we headed back to the bike store.
My biggest takeaway from our tour was the incredible Norwegian zeitgeist and culture that is taught at a very young age. For example, our tour guide mentioned that kindergarteners are required to spend 60% of their time outdoors. At one kindergarten on the edge of the forest in the metro area, there are no fences. Children are taught at that age to learn the boundaries by trial and error. There are also laws that Norwegians are allowed to camp anywhere within 150 feet of any private residence. In their view, the land belongs to everybody and should be actively used. What a concept. Can you imagine living that ideal in the U.S.? I want to be Norwegian!
After the tour, tired and hungry, we asked our tour guide for a restaurant recommendation. She suggested an excellent seafood place. Once again we had a fabulous dinner. I had bacalao, cod in a spicy tomato sauce with sliced carrots and potatoes along with yet more incredible brown bread. The bread here is amazing. No matter how humble the restaurant, you always get fresh whole wheat bread. We had a couple of drinks and then made the half hour walk back to the apartment.
After showering and stretching and posting our pictures, we turned in for the night. As I sit here about to go to bed, I hear a large party of people singing at the top of their lungs and a lot of chatter going on around us. We are staying in an apartment block right next to a lot of other apartment buildings. We can sit on our back balcony and almost touch our neighbor’s balcony. It was still very hot, 80 degrees + during the day. Nobody has air conditioning or even fans so sharing your neighbors party is unavoidable.