Almost Live Viking Venus - Iceland’s Majestic Landscapes - August 7-19, 2024

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 15 - “Tunnel Vision” 

 

Today we leave the Viking Venus and begin our Viking Oslo extension. After an early breakfast we vacated our room at 8:00 AM and headed to our designated meeting spot in the atrium. We are on the 11:49 AM train to Oslo and our disembarking time is 10:30, so we camped out in a comfortable chair and read a book for the next couple of hours. Other people we met were on an earlier train to Oslo and they disembarked at 5:30 AM. I think I would have preferred the early train because we will not arrive at our hotel until almost 8 PM. This means we will have no time to do anything in Oslo today. We arrived at the train station around 11:00. It was well organized and they handed out seat assignments. We waited about 30 minutes before boarding so I took some photos of the station and train.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once onboard we settled in for our 7 hour journey, following fjords and streams, climbing about the tree line to the Finse plateau, and then slowly descending towards Oslo. Along the way we entered 182 tunnels, which made picture taking a challenge. You’d set up a shot, then…. tunnel!

 

About an hour in we were served a box lunch that included a tasty chicken wrap. Not sure I would eat this on the Ides of March. 

 

By the luck of the draw we sat on the right side heading towards Oslo. They say there is great scenery on both sides, which is true with a caveat. In my opinion, the most breathtaking scenery is around the fjords near Bergen and that is almost exclusively on the left side for the first hour of the ride. After that it’s a mixture of both sides, with the best view of the glaciers at Finse on the right. Also, on the late train the right side will get the setting sun shining in so as you approach Oslo, you are on the wrong side for any photography.

 

 

 

Finse is a treeless plateau where many of the famous Arctic and Antarctic expeditions came to train in the winter. It’s also where The Empire Strikes Back filmed the scenes of the snow planet. Many locals were used as extras in the film and they throw a reunion party every few years. They said the costumes were not designed for the cold so they could only shoot outdoors for 20 minutes at a time. Here you can see two parts of the glacier, emerging from the eroding mountain. 

 

 

 

The scenery on this trip was fantastic, I just wish the conditions were better for photography. 

 

 

 

Upon arrival in Oslo we were guided through the train station, across a pedestrian bridge, and into the Radisson Blu hotel.  We were told it’s the tallest building in Norway. The guide also said if you grab a cab or Uber don’t refer to it as the Raddison as there is another one in town. Due to its location on the Sonja Henies Plaza, this one is referred to as The Plaza Hotel or Raddison Plaza.

 

It was now 8 PM so we wandered over to the local mall that is connected to the train station. Here we found a place serving some of the best pastries we’ve ever had. A shout out to Bit. Delicious!

 

Tomorrow we explore Oslo.

 

 

Edited September 1 by OneSixtyToOne

[deec]

We also stayed in the Radisson by the train station.  Great location but it had NO air-conditioning an it was unseasonably HOT in May.  Can't wait to see what you discovered in Oslo.  We had a great time an spent 2 additional nights.  We were there for Norway Day...so many folks dressed in traditional clothes.  The young women at the Radisson were beautifully dressed and were happy to share stories of their bunad!  Just like the displays on Viking!

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 16 - “Much Munch” 

 

Today we have a half day included tour of Oslo followed by free time to explore the city. We boarded our Royal Coach and did a drive by of points of interest near the seat of government, my one decent picture from the bus was of the parliament building.

 

 

Our first stop was at the world renowned Vigeland Sculpture Park. The park contains 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland in bronze, granite, and cast iron. The statues are all nudes because Vigeland wanted them to be timeless, capturing the cycle of life from infancy to old age. The most famous of which is called Angry Baby, his hand looking polish from the public rubbing it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, the only clothed statue in the park is of Vigeland, which was added at a later date.

 

 

The park is a wonderful experience but one guest was upset about the content.

 

Supposedly the woman who posed for this statue fainted when it was revealed.

 

From the sculpture park we now traveled to a peninsula across the harbor where various museums as well as the Royal summer palace is located. We passed the Royal Farm where the cows are let out to pasture after a long winter indoors. The locals come to watch the cows frolic as it is considered the unofficial end of winter.

 

We stopped at the Maritime Museum and sat for a short presentation of how the staff is building a replica of a Viking boat that was buried about 900 AD and found almost a millennia later. The boat was built using the same techniques that were used to build the old boat we saw in Iceland on Vigur Island and shared a lot of similarities. The docent gave an excellent presentation and displayed how the boards of the hull are overlapped, fastened together, and gaps filled with pitch covered cord and baleen.

 

 

 

 

 

The museum also displayed other artifacts, paintings, and ship models.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the bus tour we headed out to do some sightseeing on our own. The hotel is in a great location. Walking through the train station brings you out on a large plaza that is across the street from the Oslo Opera House. The Opera House is designed to look like an iceberg rising out of the water. We were told the effect is very dramatic when it is covered in winter snow.

 

 

 

 

Walking to the top offers fabulous views of the city. 

 

 

 

 

 

You might even make a new friend.

 

Next door is the Munch Museum. We headed there to spend the rest of the afternoon viewing Edvard Munch’s prolific collection. He donated all his art to the city and a museum was constructed to house all the works.

 

 

Munch’s best known work is The Scream and there are several versions of the piece. The museum presents three of these: a painting, a drawing, and a print. They each appear for 30 minutes at a time on a rotating basis in a specially designed room limiting light exposure.

 

 

 

 

People wait, camera ready, for one of three doors to open on the hour and half hour, hoping for the definitive shot.

 

I was really surprised by how extensive the collection is. The entire building is filled with only Munch’s work. It is very impressive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The top floor offers an observation area with a magnificent view.

 

 

 

 

After a tiring day as well 16 days of go go go, we headed back to the hotel to pack. Tomorrow we have an 8:30 AM departure to the airport and a very long day flying home to California. As always, it’s been a very enjoyable 2+ weeks traveling with Viking, seeing sights we may never see again but giving us memories that will last a lifetime.

 

Edited September 1 by OneSixtyToOne

[deec]

thank you so much for taking the time to post and share your insights and photos

[millybess]

On 9/1/2024 at 1:45 PM, OneSixtyToOne said:

Our first stop was at the world renowned Vigeland Sculpture Park. The park contains 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland in bronze, granite, and cast iron. The statues are all nudes because Vigeland wanted them to be timeless, capturing the cycle of life from infancy to old age. The most famous of which is called Angry Baby, his hand looking polish from the public rubbing it.

We really loved walking through this park.  Thanks for the memories.  

[janetcbl]

Re: The Opera House. It is stunning in the snow, and the roof is very (!) slippery…. Found out the hard way…no damage done.

[OneSixtyToOne]

We just received the post card we sent ourselves from Vigur Island. Only took 32 days to arrive by snail mail.

 

 

[SteelCity Cruiser]

On 9/11/2024 at 3:33 PM, OneSixtyToOne said:

We just received the post card we sent ourselves from Vigur Island. Only took 32 days to arrive by snail mail.

 

 

What an awesome memento of your trip!!!