Spending a day in Oslo, Norway

After 5 days in Tromso we had an opportunity to visit Oslo as well. I was keen to visit this city that I had never been to and also to see my Norwegian friend Solfrid (Sol). She was one of my tennis buddies here in Singapore and I was sad to see her go back to her home country Norway. This was a great opportunity to visit her.

Although we only had one full day in Oslo, I managed to see quite a bit of the city. Here we are in Oslo’s harbour in front of the statue ‘She lies” by artist Monica Bonvicini. The sculpture stands on a concrete platform and can turn on its own axis, moved by the winds and the tides. That’s in line with its dedication to change, as its creator Monica Bonvicini sought to create a public artwork in an urban redevelopment area of Oslo that’s changing all the time.

Although I did not get any pictures of the Oslo opera house close by, I did snap some details of the interesting interior.

Here we are in Oslo’s Frogner park. The whole park contains more than 200 sculptures of naked people made out of bronze, granite and cast iron and were created by the sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943). Vigeland was also responsible for the design and architectural outline of the park.

The Monolith Plateau is a platform made of steps that houses the Monolith totem itself. 36 figure groups reside on the elevation bringing with them the “circle of life” message. As you walk around, you see the people growing: from little babies, to grown men and women and finally death. Below is a sculpture depicting a young family.

And an older man.

Luca getting up close and personal!

At the highest point in the park lies the park’s most popular attraction, The Monolith (Monolitten). The name derives from the Latin word monolithus, implying the totem to be fabricated from one (mono) solid piece of stone (lith). Construction of the massive monument began in 1924 when Gustav Vigeland himself modeled it out of clay in his studio in Frogner. The design process took him ten months, and it is speculated that Vigeland had the help of a few sketches drafted in 1919. The model was then cast in plaster.

The most famous of all sculptures is Angry Boy (Sinnataggen).

One of Oslo’s other main tourist attractions is the ski jump. It sits on top of a hill and has a beautiful view over Oslo (see picture on top). The ski jump has been a long time landmark of Oslo and was rebuilt in March 2010. It is now one of the world’s most modern ski jumps, and one of the first designer ski jumps ever to be built. The start house soars some 60 metres above the ground and the structure is made of 100 tons of steel. Right now it is the only steel ski jump in the world.

The ski jump is surrounded by a beautiful area where you can ski, walk and do all kinds of other activities. Of course the boys could not resist and went for a short sledding trip. Below you see a small picturesque church.

I had a great day in Oslo where I also enjoyed a lovely lunch with Sol in the harbour area. Sol was very pleased that the sun was shining (after a very long and cold winter) so we were even able to sit outside (albeit with our warm jackets on).

Thank you Sol for you kind hospitality and showing me around your beautiful city. I will have to come back some time for more!

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