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Norway

August 2022 I flew from San Diego, California to Oslo, Norway to begin an adventure with 3 nights in Oslo and then flew to Longyearbyen, Svalbard in the Arctic and boarded an ice breaker ship for 10 days. .

Map of Spitsbergen, located in the Arctic, has traditionally been known as Spitsbergen. Norway renamed the archipelago Svalbard and the main island became Spitsbergen. Spitsbergen is the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago.

Lobby lighting of the Oslo Public Library officially called Deichman Library is the municipal public library serving Oslo, Norway and is the country's first and largest library.

A very unique interior on several floors within the library.

Built very modern next to the Opera House overlooking the harbor.

General Lobby area library

Check out station in the lobby.

The Oslo Opera House is the home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theater in Norway. The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with marble from Carrara, Italy and white granite and make it appear to rise from the water.

View of the exterior of the library across the street from the Opera House at the Harbor.

View of the Harbor across from the Opera House

One of the entrances to the Opera House

From the street level you are able to walk up to the top of the roof.

Party Boat located in the Harbor

Interior lobby area of the Opera House

Looking out from the inside of the Opera House to the Harbor

Our tour guide showing up the diagram of this huge opera house.

The structure contains 1,100 rooms in a total area of 530,000 sq ft. Notice the red car in the distance to the lefet on the lower stage area.

The main auditorium seats 1,364 and two other performance spaces can seat 200 and 400. The main stage is 52 ft wide and 130 ft deep.

Walking through the back stage areas a practice is taking place with the ballet dancers.

Remember the red car on the stage in a previous photo. Now you are looking up to where that photo was taken.

Looking from the Stage back up into the audience area seating.

Looking out from the lobby area at a glass art work in the harbor

Lobby area of the Opera House

You are able to walk from the ground level to the top of the roof level of the Opera House.. Clever design.

Another view of the Opera House.

Driving around the downtown area of Oslo

While today's skyline is constantly change with the contemporary flourishes that make it a thriving urban center.

New housing developments in the Harbor area.

Home developments with Moss roofs.

Another view area of the Harbor. With mountains on one side of the city and the North Sea on the other, the parks, ski slopes and the islands of the fiords are not far away.

Oslo is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of 702,543 in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022,

Oslo was founded as a city at the end of the Viking Age in 1040 under the name Ánslo.

Oslo is the economic and governmental centre of Norway. The city is also a hub of Norwegian trade, banking, industry and shipping. It is an important center for maritime industries and maritime trade in Europe. The city is home to many companies within the maritime sector, some of which are among the world's largest shipping companies, ship brokers and maritime insurance brokers.

Oslo is surrounded by nature.

The sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland's life work, comprising over 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron.

It was installed mainly in the period 1924-1943, but is nevertheless a result of over 40 years of work

It displays 121 figures and might be understood as an interpretation of man’s longing and yearning for the spiritual and divine.

Close up of the monolith plateau carved from one cylinder of rock 54 feet high. The carving of this monolith took over 14 years, and involved work by the artist himself as well as 3 other stone carvers.

The park can be divided into 5 main units that are located along the 2,550 foot long main axis: The main gate, the bridge with the children’s playground, the fountain, the monolith plateau and the wheel of life.

36 sculptural groups reside on the monolith plateau around the main section of the park: an impressive monolith at almost 54 feet high, carved from one single granite block.

The Wheel of Life, positioned at the very end of the 2,550 foot axis, continues thematically the journey-of-life motif prevalent in the rest of the park. It represents eternity, with four human figures and a baby locked in a circle, floating in harmony.

Wheel of life close up

Beautiful roses in bloom in the park

Walking down the main walkway with statues on both sides

Norway’s most famous boy, the angry boy, is located in the middle of the bridge together with more than 50 bronze sculptures where the artist wanted to display mainly young people and show the relationship between men and women.

The tree lined walkway is beautiful when a moment in time no one was walking through the trees.

A statue of Vigeland to the right at the street entrance.

Looking the distance of Vigeland Park from the street entrance to the monolith.

Walking across Oslo there are so many great bakeries that temp you to stop and buy some of the fresh pastry items.

Oslo in the summer season has many out door venues to enjoy dining.

Lots of people out walking in the warm summer afternoon in the city.

View of the harbor on the way to visit the FRAM just across from the city center.

Arriving dockside to visit the ancient sailing ship the FRAM across the harbor from the city.

FRAM - THE POLAR EXPLORATION MUSEUM

Nansen took his ship Fram to the New Siberian Islands in the eastern Arctic Ocean, froze her into the pack ice, and waited for the drift to carry her towards the pole. Impatient with the slow speed and erratic character of the drift, after 18 months Nansen and a chosen companion, Hjalmar Johansen, left the ship with a team of Samoyed dogs and sledges and made for the pole. They did not reach it, but they achieved a record Farthest North latitude of 86°13.6′N before a long retreat over ice and water to reach safety in Franz Josef Land. Meanwhile, Fram continued to drift westward, finally emerging in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The Fram was the first ship specially built in Norway for polar research. She was used on three important expeditions: with Fridtjof Nansen on a drift over the Arctic Ocean 1893-96.

Forcing ships through the arctic ice to reach the North Pole had been tried and had failed many times already. Nansen conceived the plan of building a ship “so small and so strong as possible ... that it was improbable that it could be destroyed by the ice".

With such a ship he could drift with and thereby prove the theory of the current, and at the same time hopefully drift over or very near to the North Pole. A windmill was included on board, which ran a generator to provide electric power for lighting by electric arc lamps. A triple expansion steam engine of 220 hp gave a speed of 6-7 nm/hour in calm seas.

The plan called for the construction of such a ship as had never been seen before – one that could withstand the crushing pressures of the pack ice in the Arctic Ocean, for several years.

Archer made three models and four drawings before the construction started, and adjustments and changes were made constantly during the construction. The materials were hand-picked: oak and iron in the main, with pitch pine, Norwegian pine and greenheart in addition.

Bunk beds for the crew for the several years long voyage.

Moreover, it had to provide a comfortable home for the crew, who would have to be prepared to spend several years on board.

The proportion of wide beam compared with the length gave better strength in the ice, but also made the Fram roll most uncomfortably in the open sea.

The separate pieces were either laid double or were strengthened in various ways. The ribs were of naturally-formed oak bolted two together for double strength and laid only 5 cm apart. The space between was filled with a mixture of pitch, tar and sawdust.

The ice sheathing on the outside of the hull was of greenheart and was fastened so that it could be torn off by the ice without seriously damaging the hull. Greenheart is hard and durable and is the densest wood that is traded.

Model view of the ship stuck in the ice as it flowed with the frozen ocean currents across the North Pole trip.

The keel had been designed originally to stick very little below the bottom planks in order to protect it and give a shallower draft and better manuverability in the ice. This did, however, make the ship difficult to steer in open sea. A false keel, stem to stern, was added so that it could be torn off by the ice without seriously damaging the main keel.

Inside the museum the sides of the building show massive storms in video as you walk the ship. So real with the claps of lightning and thunder.

In addition to the choice of materials and the extra strengthening of the hull, there were other adaptations that would make the Fram resistant to damage from the ice. The rudder was strengthened with three heavy U-shaped iron frames and both the rudder and the propeller could be lifted up. The stern had a special construction that gave a double end with a well in between.

This was divided into two parts where the rudder and the propeller could be hoisted away from the ice. The rudder was sited low so as to avoid most of the inevitable collisions with ice.

Actual photograph of the ship stuck in place riding the frozen ice currents.

The Fram was designed as a three-masted schooner, with the standing rigging of steel wire and the running rigging of hemp. On 26 October 1892 the Fram was christened by Nansen’s wife Eva and launched at Colin Archer’s shipyard in Larvik.

A view of the harbor with the new Opera House and to its left the new ultra modern Library.

Modern buildings in the harbor area next to the Opera House

New residential builidings with magnificant views of the city and harbor areas.

View from the roof looking down at the tourists walking up to the roof area of the Opera House.

Floating sauna in the Harbor area.

Views of the city from the roof of the Opera House

More views of the city from the roof of the Opera House

Small man made beach in the harbor area next to the Oslo Opera house.

Close up of the work of art of glass next to the Opera House

Another view of the beach area

Red Bull diving platforms for a diving championship taking place in a few days from the roof of the Opera House.

Inside of the central downtown Subway underground station next to our hotel in the Harbor area

View of schedules for the Central Subway station with trains leaving for all over the city.

Riding inside a street tram

Riding inside a street tram

Street tram approaching one of the housing neighborhoods in Oslo

Turn of the century 1900 typical home found in Oslo near the downtown areas..

Numbers of streams run through the Oslo city area from the rains and snow areas near town.

Statue recognizes the hard working Oslo women that work hard and make very little money many years ago.

Walking along one of the meandering streams within the city.

Old bridge over one of the neighborhood streams

Local art from local trees pulled down.

Mathallen Oslo is situated in the vibrant Vulkan neighborhood – right between east and west in Oslo's city center. The hall is a foodie's paradise with more than 30 specialty shops, cafés and eateries that offer high-quality products and dishes. It's a great place to enjoy anything from a quick lunch to a complete evening out with food and drinks.

A food lover's dream filled with specialty stores, cafes and restaurants

Exterior seating and one of several entrances. Several of the stores and eateries in Mathallen have their own seating areas, but it's also possible to buy food from different places and eat it in a food court area right in the middle of the hall. Perfect if you'd like to eat different things!

Oslo City Hall is a municipal building in Oslo, the capital of Norway. It houses the city council, the city's administration and various other municipal organizations.

The City Hall tower is home to the largest carillon in the Nordics, and one may get married in the Munch Room.

On December 10 (anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death) each year, Oslo City Hall hosts the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in which the annual laureate gives his or her lecture and is awarded the medal and diploma. A podium for the laureate and the Nobel Committee is erected in the far end of the hall for each ceremony. The ceremony is held in this room.

Walkway between meeting rooms.

Meeting room looking out at the Harbor in Oslo.

Various events and ceremonies take place in the building, This particular room in the late 1980's I was inivited to participate in a dinner meeting in this very room with Norwegian friends and business friends in the Hotel Business in Norway.

Same room looking the opposite direction from overlooking the harbor.

Oslo City Hall features epic murals by renowned Norwegian artists whose works depict the country's history.

The art work presented at Oslo City Hall encompasses a wide range of mediums, including vibrant and compelling frescoes, tapestries, sculptures and paintings, all depicting Norwegian history, values and traditions.

The room in which the City Council meets is semi-circular. It is clad in oak and tapestries, the most noticeable of which was designed by the niece of the architect. It depicts St. Hallvard and the seven virtues. The artist hoped the design would remind the city's politicians of ethics and good decision making.

The public art collection of Oslo City Hall is an inspiring reminder to travelers that cultural heritage sites are not just ancient relics but include those of the 21st century

Once you step inside Oslo City Hall, the enormous paintings in brilliant hues on display will enthrall you.

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine and Literature. Since March 1901, it has been awarded annually to those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

Art over the entrance wall in the Main Hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each year.

The building's main hall was decorated by Henrik Sørensen and Alf Rolfsen. The Hall is 93 feet wide, 117 feet long and around 63 feet high. The floor and parts of the walls are clad in marble. The room has a series of wall paintings depicting Norway and Oslo between the wars and also during occupation. They also depict the growth of commercial activity in the city, including the rise of the labor movement. Various monarchs and the city's patron saint, St. Hallvard are also depicted.

Looking out from the front door of the Oslo City Hall

The harbor area in front of the Oslo City Hall where shuttle boats take you around the harbor, to outer islands and to the Fram Museum across the harbor.

Cruise ships dock literally in the front door of Oslo Harbor.

Vibrant Plaza in the downtown area where you can catch trolleys and trains to all parts of Oslo.

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