Oslo: NY Times Top Tips, New Museums, etc.

[TLCOhio]

From the New York Times Travel Section for this coming weekend, they have this headline: “36 HOURS Oslo” with these highlights: “Has a city ever remade itself so quickly? The Norwegian capital had embarked on a plan to refashion itself as a major cultural destination.  Oslo has opened two major museums and a stunning public library. Striking neighborhoods have sprung up along the city’s iconic fjord, united by a harborside promenade and dotted with new restaurants and bars. Yet for all the transformation, Oslo retains its most distinguishing feature: its celebration of the outdoors. This is a city that incorporates the natural world into urban life.”

 

Many various options and changes are detailed in this profile for the Norway capital.  This includes: "A walk west along the harbor brings you to a massive gray box, one of those love/hate buildings whose June 2022 opening makes it Oslo’s newest major cultural institution. You’ll never get through the National Museum in one go — with some 6,500 objects.  The same fjord figures in “The Scream,” by Edvard Munch, and there’s no better place to see it (or, rather, one version of it; Munch made several) than the towering — and architecturally controversial — Munch Museum, which opened in its new location in the revitalized Bjorvika area in 2021."

 

Need a  Edvard Munch fix??

 

A large number of dining, drinking, shopping, cultural, etc., potentials are outlined, plus various visuals, especially for some of their new museums.  

 

Full story at:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/01/26/travel/things-to-do-oslo.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 245,865 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[kaisatsu]

They should definitely label that an opinion piece! 😂 I had a lot of thoughts.

 

Also, I think it must have been written partly in a different year, because global warming has sadly wiped some of those activities off the board this winter!

[TLCOhio]

19 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

They should definitely label that an opinion piece! 😂 I had a lot of thoughts.  Also, I think it must have been written partly in a different year, because global warming has sadly wiped some of those activities off the board this winter!

 

YES!!  Agree and appreciate these comments and follow-ups by experienced and savvy kaisatsu in Oslo.  The New York Times Travel Section has been catching up from nearly three years of Covid shut-downs and slow-ups.  Many of their profiles had been written earlier and they held up publishing a number of them till travel opened up more.  Now, fortunately, things are getting back to "normal". 

 

Please post more of your smart "thoughts".  As I recall from many previous posts, you are  a skilled observer and sharing expert for Oslo, etc.  Let's hear it!!  Don't be shy!

 

Clearly many things have changed in Oslo since we visited in July 2008.  Lots of new museums and buildings.  But, I assume many other "stars" in Oslo have not changed.  I might post a few visuals from what we loved and enjoyed from visiting back then.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 100,294 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[TLCOhio]

Over time, one key question often comes up:  how does Oslo compares to Stockholm and Copenhagen?  

 

Much of the difference is about the contrast of Oslo's more contemporary great art/design . . . versus . . . the more significant depth of history/design and royal backgrounds associated with both Copenhagen and Stockholm.     Both of these capitals of Sweden and Denmark have had much longer recent histories of power and wealth, while Oslo is "newer" in many ways.

 

More Norway History??:  Two centuries of Viking raids/advances/power went to the southern and western areas of Europe.  But that tapered off following the adoption of Christianity in AD 994. At one point, Norway expanded its control to parts of Britain, Ireland, Iceland and Greenland. Per Wikipedia, Norwegian power peaked in 1265, but competition from the Hanseatic League and the spread of the "Black Death" weakened the country.

 

In 1380, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden went to war with Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king.

 

Later Norway demanded independence, which it gained in a referendum in 1905.  That brought back a King for this country.  Norway remained neutral in World War I. Despite its declaration of neutrality in World War II, Norway was occupied for five years by forces of Germany. In 1949, it abandoned neutrality, becoming a founding member of NATO.

 

Discovery of oil in adjacent waters in the late 1960's boosted Norway's economic fortunes.  This "weave of history" gives a better perspective for why and how things evolved from the Viking days down to be controlled by its neighbors back to the recently-gained big oil wealth in the past few decades.

 

Before visiting Norway in both 2008 and 2010, I had the good fortune to hook up with gain briefing from an Ohio resident who was the U.S. Ambassador to Norway 2002-2005.  Given his personal interests in history and Europe, his insights were very, very beneficial, including background about the powers and involvement of the Kings in Norway.  A recent PBS TV series gave added information about the current King's father and his role during World War II to battle the invaders, etc.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 241,143 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

 

This picture shows the main, historic Akershus Fortress/Castle next to where some cruise ships dock in Oslo.  The fortress construction started around the late 1290’s.  It successfully survived all sieges, primarily by Swedish forces.  It surrendered without combat to Germans in 1940 when the Norwegian government evacuated the capital in the face of the German invasions of Denmark and Norway.  The very interesting and moving Norwegian Resistance museum can be visited there. Norwegian Royalty have been buried in the Royal Mausoleum in the castle. A portion of this fortress was replicated at the Norway pavilion at Disney’s Epcot Center.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

Here is a view of the Norway Parliament Building in Oslo or the “Storting” (meaning "the great assembly").  It is a unicameral parliament with 169 members, elected every four years. Parliament was established by their Constitution of Norway in 1814 and has since 1866 met in this building with its unique curved front section.  Once the bill has reached the King in Council, the bill must be signed by the monarch and countersigned by the prime minister. It then becomes Norwegian law.  The King has the right to withhold Royal Assent from any bill passed, but this has never been done since the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905 that restored Norway to full independence.:

 

Oslo’s new Opera House opened in 2008 right on the waterfront at the top or head of the Oslofjord.   Home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, it cost over $700 million to build. The main auditorium seats 1,364 seats and has two other performance spaces seating 200 and 400. The main stage is 52 feet wide and 130 feet deep.   The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with Italian marble and white granite to make it appear to be rising from the water. At the time, it was the largest cultural building constructed in Norway since Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim was completed around 1300.:

 

Norway’s Royal Palace and a main Oslo shopping area. This 173-room palace was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of the King of Sweden (when they ruled Norway) and is now the official residence of the present Norwegian monarch.  It was in 1905 when Norway became completely independent from Sweden.:

 

This is the museum for the Nobel Peace Prize that is located on the harbor near City Hall:

[TLCOhio]

Here is part two for some of what we loved and experienced fro Oslo in 2008.  I assume this key park and its amazing art is still a "super star" attraction in Oslo.  Right?

 

Frogner Park is the largest park in the city and covers over 110 acres and the sculpture installation is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist. Frogner Park is the most popular tourist attraction of Norway, with between one to two million visitors each year. Hours?  It is open to the public at all times.  24/7!!  Free!! Can't beat those hours and the price.  It is priceless!!

 

More on Vigeland/Oslo art: Gustav Vigeland's astonishing figures show the whole range of human life presented in stone and metal.  There are nearly 200 sculptures, comprising 600 granite or bronze figures, in the park's large landscapes. All were designed by the Norwegian artist, whose museum, with over 1600 more statues (and his ashes) is just five minutes' walk away. Vigeland also designed the park's layout and setting.   He was described as versatile, obsessive and abrasive. It took years of debate before Oslo Municipal Council, in 1922, approved plans for a sculpture park which would express the struggles and aspirations of humanity from birth to death as the artist desired.

 

The result is astonishing in concept, amazing in execution and setting.   Walk through the big iron gates and you're on a broad avenue leading to a bridge on whose parapets are mounted.  The children shown are more conventional and appealing.  Across the bridge rises a big fountain, in the middle of which a ring of giants supports a huge bronze bowl. Like everything else in the park, it's large in scale. From its center soars the monolith, a nearly 40'-high slab of Norwegian granite weighing 180 tons. The 121 writhing, creeping, struggling figures on its surface took three carvers 15 years to complete. There's no denying the drama here.

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.).  Now at 70,807 views:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

 

Vigeland Park has a wide variety of outdoor sculptures in a super, wonderful setting that is a highlight for Oslo.  There is a wide variety of art, water features, spectacular settings, etc.  Its admission is free and the views and art are "priceless".  My visuals below hopefully provide "evidence" as to why we enjoyed this popular Oslo setting.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

Below is round three of visuals from Oslo to offer ideas on the many options for this interesting, historic and evolving Capital of Norway. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 53,573 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

 

Here are longer and closer views of Oslo’s City Hall exterior.  Plus, below is one of its large interior spaces where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually on December 10 each year.  This structure houses the city council and city administration, plus art studios and galleries. The construction started in 1931 with the main structure completed in 1936. The German invasion of Norway in 1940 caused construction to stop, and it was not resumed until 1947. This City Hall was official opened in 1950. Its characteristic architecture, artworks and the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony makes it one of Oslo's most famous buildings.  The roof of the eastern tower has a 49-bell carillon which plays every hour.  This City Hall is situated in central downtown Oslo dramatically overlooking the scenic harbor area.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

 

 

Oslo's National Theater in the heart of its downtown.  Norway has had many famed authors and their statues are in front of this theater.:

 

Here is just one example of the many outdoor art works in Oslo's charming and interesting downtown.:

 

Here is a closer look at that unique and cute Oslo harbor island with its special structure.  Doesn't look exactly like a lighthouse, but it is very interesting!!  Second is a sail-away view with the main Oslo, City Hall, etc., showing the background.:

 

 

 

[janetcbl]

Fascinating article! Thank you. I was a student in Sweden in the late 1960s, Oslo and Norway were considered the poor relative in Scandinavia. Jump ahead a few years, thanks to oil discovery, innovation  and smart financial planning, Norway seems to be the leader and the new architecture, neighborhoods, etc., all reflect this. Love that city!

[kaisatsu]

A few things I still remember thinking when I first read that piece:

 

you certainly can see the entire National Museum in one day. I did it on Wednesday! 😂 Most people won’t be interested in every single item or even every single room (e.g. plaster casts of famous Roman sculptures aren’t so interesting if you’ve seen the originals). I spent about three hours and read several of the painting texts, but I did not read much about the objets d’arte on the ground floor. I also skimmed much of the 20th century Scandinavian design displays. I suspect most people could see nearly everything they wanted within a day. But I agree with the general sentiment that it’s large. I was pretty tired  and overloaded after three hours and am considering buying a membership to go back for shorter visits. Especially since my office is a few blocks away, so I could visit during afternoon breaks. I was thinking on Wed evening that I should write a post about the new museum, and I will l try to do so sometime soon.

 

Re: the new waterfront, a lot of us don’t like it that much. Some of the architecture is interesting, but I hate that it blocks the view of the Bar Code from the water, because that was much more eye catching for a skyline. The ships and restaurants are posh for posh sake and most are a bit disappointing. The Vandelay has disappointed me both chances I’ve given it, and I’ve watched it drop in its review stats since it opened. Some of the designers are worth the attention, but it’s a particular aesthetic that probably isn’t to everyone’s tastes.

 

ice skating at Spikersuppa has been off the table most days since last winter. This winter has barely seen more than a few days in a row stay below freezing. And although there’s snow up in the hills, all but the most hardcore have been heading out of the city to do their cross-country skiing.

 

I am happy to see that the future library has finally opened! Somehow I missed that! I’ve been popping up to the top of the library every so often since it opened, but the future library was always still under construction. I love the library in general though and am always happy to wander around.

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, kaisatsu said:

you certainly can see the entire National Museum in one day. I did it on Wednesday! 😂 Most people won’t be interested in every single item or even every single room (e.g. plaster casts of famous Roman sculptures aren’t so interesting if you’ve seen the originals).

Re: the new waterfront, a lot of us don’t like it that much. Some of the architecture is interesting, but I hate that it blocks the view of the Bar Code from the water, because that was much more eye catching for a skyline. Some of the designers are worth the attention, but it’s a particular aesthetic that probably isn’t to everyone’s tastes.

 

Appreciate these great comments and helpful follow-ups from janetcbl in Iowa and kaisatsu in Oslo.  Keep up the great sharing. 

 

From doing art museums in all parts of the world, clearly such institutions vary much in size and depth/quality of collections, etc.  I doubt that this new Oslo museum, however is so large with its offerings that it cannot be reasonably sampled in just an hour or two or three.  Having done a few major art museums such as the Met in NYC, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Louvre in Paris, etc., those "biggies" cannot be done FULLY and totally in just one day.  But, most of these large and other museums can easily offering a very good sample of their "Best of the Best" in a fairly manageable period of time.  

 

Below are a few of the art items that we sampled in 2008 at the two major Oslo museums.  To see more on the new Munch Museum, here is their website: 

https://www.munchmuseet.no/en/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Inside what was their National Gallery in 2008, here is one of Munch's famed "Scream" pictures and other art.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was probably the most famous Norwegian painter.  Known best is his work, The Scream (1893).  There are four different versions, two of them in Oslo that we saw.  It has become one of Western art's most iconic images.:

 

As we toured at the then Munich Museum, here was a small sampling of this gallery dedicated to this artist.  The middle picture below is somewhat controversial as to whether it is his view of the Virgin Mary/Madonna . . . or, more simply titled as only "Loving Woman".:

 

 

[TLCOhio]

Below is some additional Oslo "eye-candy".  As illustrated, we were fortunate to have a wonderfully sunny day during our one-day cruise visit to the Norway Capital City. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Athens & Greece: Visuals, details from two visits in a city and nearby with great history, culture and architecture.  Now at 50,034 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1101008

 

At the City Hall, here is a close-up look at the details of the Astronomical Clock on the North side of this civic building.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

Called the Munch Room with his painting of ‘Life’ featured on this wall provides another reason to visit this popular Oslo attraction/site.:

 

Interesting Oslo park, water feature in the heart of the shopping area you will see.  Lots of outdoor art around in Oslo.:

 

Here is a view for some of the downtown Oslo architecture, plus second is another visual of the historic Akershus Fortress/Castle.:

 

[TLCOhio]

In re-checking through my photo files from 2008, I found a few more visuals that might be of interest for the Oslo City Hall (Rådhuset), its design and art, etc.  Do these bring back any memories for those who have visited Oslo?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From a different direction, here is another view of the Oslo City Hall featuring some of its exterior art and design touches.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

There are 16 wooden friezes in the City Hall’s courtyard made by Dagfin Werenskiold (1892-1977), painter and sculptor. Showing motifs from Norse mythology, including the life of gods and the stories of wisdom and love, war and hate and visions of the future.:

 

Here is a wider sampling of Oslo City Hall interior murals, including decorations by artist Henrik Sørensen who studied with Henri Matisse in Paris.  Second is a mural depicting the three pillars of Norwegian industry.:

 

 

[ontheweb]

18 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Appreciate these great comments and helpful follow-ups from janetcbl in Iowa and kaisatsu in Oslo.  Keep up the great sharing. 

 

From doing art museums in all parts of the world, clearly such institutions vary much in size and depth/quality of collections, etc.  I doubt that this new Oslo museum, however is so large with its offerings that it cannot be reasonably sampled in just an hour or two or three.  Having done a few major art museums such as the Met in NYC, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Louvre in Paris, etc., those "biggies" cannot be done FULLY and totally in just one day.  But, most of these large and other museums can easily offering a very good sample of their "Best of the Best" in a fairly manageable period of time.  

 

Below are a few of the art items that we sampled in 2008 at the two major Oslo museums.  To see more on the new Munch Museum, here is their website: 

https://www.munchmuseet.no/en/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Inside what was their National Gallery in 2008, here is one of Munch's famed "Scream" pictures and other art.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was probably the most famous Norwegian painter.  Known best is his work, The Scream (1893).  There are four different versions, two of them in Oslo that we saw.  It has become one of Western art's most iconic images.:

 

As we toured at the then Munich Museum, here was a small sampling of this gallery dedicated to this artist.  The middle picture below is somewhat controversial as to whether it is his view of the Virgin Mary/Madonna . . . or, more simply titled as only "Loving Woman".:

 

 

Thanks for all the pictures. 

 

As for touring art museums, my DW retired this past year after a long career as an elementary school art teacher. It takes her a lot longer to tour a museum than it takes me as she tends to linger a long time over most works. I eventually take a seat and wait for her. 😉

 

We were in Oslo on a cruise in 2007 for our 30th anniversary and the Munch Museum, which was not on any ship's tour, was the first place she wanted to see and the first we visited.

Edited January 28, 2023 by ontheweb
accidentally hit save to soon

[kaisatsu]

22 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

I doubt that this new Oslo museum, however is so large with its offerings that it cannot be reasonably sampled in just an hour or two or three.

The new museum is much larger than the National Gallery that you visited. It combines the original gallery contents with those of the architecture museum, the arts & crafts museum, and some modern art exhibits. We were told that if you spent just 6 minutes in each gallery, it would take six hours to see them all. If someone was to spend just an hour, she would need to have a very clear plan about what she wanted to visit.

 

Besides the exhibits that came from the other museums, a big difference from the previous National Gallery is that there is a lot of supplemental reading material. The rooms are designed to showcase different themes and periods in the local history of art and design, and several of the items have even more background about the piece or artist. Having visited the National Gallery several times before it closed, this felt like a wholly different museum! It’s honestly one of the most well-curated I’ve visited in years.

Edited January 28, 2023 by kaisatsu

[TLCOhio]

20 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Thanks for all the pictures.   As for touring art museums, my DW retired this past year after a long career as an elementary school art teacher. It takes her a lot longer to tour a museum than it takes me as she tends to linger a long time over most works. I eventually take a seat and wait for her. We were in Oslo on a cruise in 2007 for our 30th anniversary and the Munch Museum, which was not on any ship's tour, was the first place she wanted to see and the first we visited.

 

Appreciate this nice follow-up from ontheweb.  YES, with your wife being an art teacher, I can understand that it would be much more challenging to just do the "quick" highlights in a museum.  Some of us husbands understand that "waiting for your wife" challenges.  But, my wife gets frustrated with me when I am slow in taking pictures, doing my thing, etc.  

 

That makes the point for doing the advanced research and planning to figure out your top, priorities to see, prepare by getting the maps to figure out your best "logistics" inside these large buildings, etc.  For us when doing the Hermitage in St. Petersburg in 2008, we had a very good private guide, had advance, early admission, etc., to allow us to get in, see the "best of the best", not get lost, etc.

 

The challenge with cruises doing limited, one-day stops in key cities is that your time windows are very narrow and the options in each port are so very many, many.  Choices??  Trade-offs?? 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

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[TLCOhio]

17 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

The new museum is much larger than the National Gallery that you visited. It combines the original gallery contents with those of the architecture museum, the arts & crafts museum, and some modern art exhibits. We were told that if you spent just 6 minutes in each gallery, it would take six hours to see them all. If someone was to spend just an hour, she would need to have a very clear plan about what she wanted to visit.   Besides the exhibits that came from the other museums, a big difference from the previous National Gallery is that there is a lot of supplemental reading material. The rooms are designed to showcase different themes and periods in the local history of art and design, and several of the items have even more background about the piece or artist. Having visited the National Gallery several times before it closed, this felt like a wholly different museum! It’s honestly one of the most well-curated I’ve visited in years.

 

Super great added details and background from Oslo/Norway expert kaisatsu.  Very enlightening and helpful.  "Larger" can be better, maybe, if and if.  Do you want to get get a quick "sample" and/or dig in deeper to the Ph.D level?   Much depends on your personal interests and travel style.  Personally, I am most interested in the "Impressionist" period and artist "stars" that are most famous from that country or region.  Research ahead and plan accordingly to navigate more efficiently.  

 

Time is limited during a cruise stop day.  Also, weather can change!!!  Have a back-up plan if the weather is rainy, cold, etc.  That can be nice as a reason for visiting museums if you get bad weather, things being too hot outside, etc.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Appreciate this nice follow-up from ontheweb.  YES, with your wife being an art teacher, I can understand that it would be much more challenging to just do the "quick" highlights in a museum.  Some of us husbands understand that "waiting for your wife" challenges.  But, my wife gets frustrated with me when I am slow in taking pictures, doing my thing, etc.  

 

That makes the point for doing the advanced research and planning to figure out your top, priorities to see, prepare by getting the maps to figure out your best "logistics" inside these large buildings, etc.  For us when doing the Hermitage in St. Petersburg in 2008, we had a very good private guide, had advance, early admission, etc., to allow us to get in, see the "best of the best", not get lost, etc.

 

The challenge with cruises doing limited, one-day stops in key cities is that your time windows are very narrow and the options in each port are so very many, many.  Choices??  Trade-offs?? 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

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The one city we really found that out to be true was on the same cruise as Oslo, Stockholm. We went to the Vasa Museum, and then to an outdoor park. I thought we were spending too much time there, and finally we left and went to an art museum, but realized we did not have much time left. DW rushed through much quicker than usual and missed a couple of floors entirely that would have been of great interest to her.

[kaisatsu]

5 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

“Larger" can be better, maybe, if and if.  Do you want to get get a quick "sample" and/or dig in deeper to the Ph.D level?   Much depends on your personal interests and travel style.  Personally, I am most interested in the "Impressionist" period and artist "stars" that are most famous from that country or region.

The thing I found interesting about the new museum isn’t that it’s larger for the sake of just having “more.” By combining the previously-separate museums, they’re able to put different mediums into context with one another. For example, while you’re in a room viewing mid-century paintings, the adjoining room showcases highlights of mid-century architecture. Similarly, a painting or article of clothing can be exhibited alongside a display of furnishings that would have been found together.

 

Among the art exhibits, only a few are given their own dedicated rooms, since many of the pieces are organized by theme for comparison. However, if you’re just popping in, there are plenty of signs pointing the way to Munch, and Vinternatt i Rondane has an easily accessed central location.

[TLCOhio]

22 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

The thing I found interesting about the new museum isn’t that it’s larger for the sake of just having “more.” By combining the previously-separate museums, they’re able to put different mediums into context with one another. For example, while you’re in a room viewing mid-century paintings, the adjoining room showcases highlights of mid-century architecture. Similarly, a painting or article of clothing can be exhibited alongside a display of furnishings that would have been found together.   Among the art exhibits, only a few are given their own dedicated rooms, since many of the pieces are organized by theme for comparison. However, if you’re just popping in, there are plenty of signs pointing the way to Munch, and Vinternatt i Rondane has an easily accessed central location.

 

Great additional background from kaisatsu as to how this new, main museum in Oslo is set-up and organized.  Might work well, depending on your interests and needs.  For me, in doing port stops, our time is generally fairly limited and we need to figure out how best to "sample", see what is of most interest and then "move on" to the next attraction in the city, etc.  

 

For ontheweb, agree that Stockholm and the Vasa Museum can both be wonderful and challenging.  We really enjoyed the Vasa and that recovered ship found there.  In Stockholm, we were luck to have two days for that historic city as it was the end of our cruise and we stayed on there in this charming city an extra day before flying back home at the end of our Baltics/Russia adventure in 2008.  

 

More Oslo visuals to come later.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 21,553 views.  Connect at:

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[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Great additional background from kaisatsu as to how this new, main museum in Oslo is set-up and organized.  Might work well, depending on your interests and needs.  For me, in doing port stops, our time is generally fairly limited and we need to figure out how best to "sample", see what is of most interest and then "move on" to the next attraction in the city, etc.  

 

For ontheweb, agree that Stockholm and the Vasa Museum can both be wonderful and challenging.  We really enjoyed the Vasa and that recovered ship found there.  In Stockholm, we were luck to have two days for that historic city as it was the end of our cruise and we stayed on there in this charming city an extra day before flying back home at the end of our Baltics/Russia adventure in 2008.  

 

More Oslo visuals to come later.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 21,553 views.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

Even with 2 days in Stockholm, I am not sure we could have done everything that we found that looked interesting. But it sure would have been better than 1 day!

[TLCOhio]

On 1/30/2023 at 5:30 PM, ontheweb said:

Even with 2 days in Stockholm, I am not sure we could have done everything that we found that looked interesting. But it sure would have been better than 1 day!

 

Appreciate this follow-up.  Yes, Stockholm has lots to offer and it is almost impossible to sample it reasonably in just one port-day stop.  

 

From Travel+Leisure magazine earlier this month, they had this headline: “Oslo Is One of Europe’s Coolest Cities" with this sub-headline:  "Where to stay, what to eat, and where to shop in Norway's capital.”

 

Here are some of their reporting highlights: “Within hours of landing in Oslo, the Norwegian capital presented me with a prismatic fantasy version of itself. Did I come here to order warm cheese buns and a pilsner on the patio of the cultural center and café Litteraturhuset?  Over the course of a week in early September, Oslo insisted on presenting an idealized montage of blazing sunsets, arresting art, bracing fjord swims, and a populace that’s exactly as cool as I’d imagined.  Is there a city right now that feels as culturally inclined, well funded, and environmentally minded as Oslo (crowned “Green Capital” by the European Commission in 2019)? Since the discovery of oil in the North Sea in the late 1960s, Norway has gone from being one of the most underdeveloped countries in the region to one of the richest on the planet.”

 

Many different options for Oslo are outlined and detailed in the profile.  

 

Full story at:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/oslo-where-to-stay-what-to-eat-7509454

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc.  Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas!  Now at 19,463 views. Live/blog: 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/

[kaisatsu]

Insider tip: We’re not that cool! 😂 Don’t tell anyone! 🤫

[TLCOhio]

On 7/10/2023 at 1:40 PM, kaisatsu said:

Insider tip: We’re not that cool! 😂 Don’t tell anyone! 🤫

 

Cute comment and follow-up from our super expert in Oslo and Norway.  Sorry, the word is out that you folks are cool there.  Hard to keep it a secret!!  Can't blame you for trying.  But, understand why you would try.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 247,933 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/