Category: Sampling Scandinavia

Post by Grubb. Yesterday, in the morning, it was umbrellas in the rain.  Nothing lashing, just a steady patter.  We googled our way through busy inner city streets in search of the Intercultural Museum.  At one point, as we were cutting through a plaza next to a tiny amusement park (carousel and kiddy rides), I noticed this woman…

Post by Ella. We did ramble well off the tourist-beaten path as we made our way to the Intercultural Museum yesterday, a rainy day. But a soft, mellow rain. Rain jackets would suffice but I borrowed the apartment’s umbrella and Grubb, of course, had brought his own.  We’re walking along, the streets start getting narrower,…

Post by Ella. Yesterday we decided to have our dinner at home. At the end of the day, we stopped at a large Co-op market for supplies. I haven’t been drinking much this trip and Grubb gave it up a few years ago but I was in the mood for some wine. Norway isn’t known…

Post by Ella Is the name of a furniture store. Who doesn’t love retro modern utopian furniture? A small shop, two floors packed with furniture stuff. In a building undergoing construction, we had to navigate scaffolding to enter. We paused in front of this beauty (below) thinking it would be the most uncomfortable ever. The…

From Home to the Intercultural Museum on foot     to Utopia Retro Modern by bus     to Kon-Tiki Museum by bus     to City Hall by Ferry     to the Co-op (grocery store) by foot To home by foot

Post by Grubb. The Akershus Fortress Castle is a few blocks up from where we’re staying on a promontory overlooking Oslo Viken (bay).  It dates back to the late thirteenth century.  Used as a royal residence, it was designed to protect the city from uninvited Swedes and has successfully survived all sieges since then.  Since the July 22,…

Post by Grubb. Alert to Karl Ové knockoffs, yesterday morning Knut kept an eye out for signs of Norwegian toil.  No luck.  Knut Sēoot cannot see it.  Instead, there were people relaxing outside a sauna across the bay from the Munch Museum. However, on further inspection of the sauna guidelines, there was a nice  Norwegian touch promising medieval masochistic…

Post by Grubb. What’s a statue in Oslo without struggle?  This overburdened fellow is on the path to the Akershus Fortress.  Whether those bags are filled with grain or a multitude of sins, he’s grinding his way up the slope with what I imagine is a Protestant sense of purpose. Commemorating my first overpacked trip to Rome.

Post by Grubb. Waiting for the next version of “The Scream” to appear, I re-examined some of my favorite Munch’s.  There was “The Dance of Life”. And the “Vampire”. And finally, as the seconds ticked away, the idlers in “The Scream” room slowly moved in towards two closed panels. Then, as time was up, panels shut…

Post by Ella Sunday, 5/14 Foot, bus, ferry Home on foot to Froganer Park (3.8 km) Froganer Park to Fram museum by bus (4.7 km of which 1.4 km was a walk to the other side of the park to the bus stop). Maybe because it was Sunday and everyone was headed to Bygdøskogen Nasjonale…

Post by Ella. Ruter is the name of the company operating the majority of the  public transportation system for Oslo and it’s immediate surroundings. A senior, 7 day pass for unlimited rides on busses, trams, subway and some ferries was $16.00. Ruters has an app, naturally. We bought our passes on the app. Now we have…

Post by Grubb.  Ella wasn’t as excited to see the Munch Museum as I was, but she knew if I spent another day in Norway without cruising this large, exhaustive collection of his artwork, I might end up on one the many Oslo bridges howling with anguish.  The architecture of the museum thrusts itself above the…

Post by Grubb. Before coming to Norway I read my Knut (Kah-noot) Hamsun and my Karl Ové Knausgård.  Hamsun in “Hunger” was struggling with just that.  Karl Ové, Norway’s most acclaimed living author, has written six lengthy volumes about his life.  The title of his opus is called “Min Kamp”.  Yes, that’s right, “My Struggle”.  Same as Adolf’s autobiographical screed.  Karl…

Post by Ella Grubb will say his piece about the Munch museum. How could I not give it a mention? The architecture was fascinating. I would have loved to sit in on those design meetings. My favorite place was the room where one could play artist. Engraved into a large table were a dozen of…

Post by Ella But first, let me set the scene.  Dinner at Louise. Despite good reviews and being way overpriced (okay, yes, we knew that from the menu pricing), dinner was a major disappointment. To start with, we chose Toast Skagen (a Swedish dish) which tasted like macaroni salad with too much mayo except it…