9/8 & 9/9 Oslo

 While on the ship, someone told us about a park in Oslo which was filled with Erotic Statues.  Well since visiting the Penis museum in Reykjavik we were ALL FOR a visit to Vigeland Sculpture Park.  It was very near Val’s hospital, so we visited him first.  He looks better, but not OK.

The park was lovely and very green.  After about the 100th comment about the greenness and the grass, I realized that I was with 3 Californians. For them the lush greenness was a miracle!  The statues were NOT erotic.  Yes, they were all nude, but they were people and family groups being ordinary and loving (not in a sexual way).

Turns out that you are not allowed on grass in Norway.  I thought that this was just a French thing.

The Angry Boy is a famous statue.  Notice that so many people have held his hand that it is polished to a shiny gold.

Oslo is a curious mixture of old and new.  There were quite a few people dressed in traditional costumes.  This group was going to church for the confirmation of the boys’ older brother.  The buildings in the background are the older style.

This building is the Opera House. It is possible to walk up the slanting sides to the very top (about 8 stories) and then back down again on the other side.  Adrienne and Larry did this!  Maggi and I passed.  By this time you all know my aversion to hills.

This is the Munch museum. There are many versions of The Scream.  There was a room with the black and white print version that we are all familiar with and also a pastel and and oil.  They are in closed cabinets and shown one at a time for 1/2 hour each to preserve them.  The rest of his work is pretty strange.

Went to Den Glad Gris for dinner one of the only restaurants open on Sunday.  Another traditional Norwegian restaurant.  It means The Happy Pig.

Maggi had baked cod.

I had fish and chips.

Adrienne had a Child’s portion of pulled port.

And Larry had the piéce de resitance - pig’s knuckle.  It was enormous and he ate it all while saying “This is soooooo good.”

The Happy Pig greeted us at the door.
 

We went back to the hotel to pack and Adrienne went to visit Val.  That was when she received the call from the insurance company that the medivac was rejected.

The hospital told her to leave him overnight and pick him up to go to the airport so they could continue giving him fluids and get him ready for the flight. We aren't on the same flight.  Our plane leaves at 6:30 and transfers in Paris, hers leaves at 7:30 and goes through London.