Wed., 8/11/10 - Kristiansand, Norway
We planned to wander through town today on our own but...As soon as we got through the fish market and the sand sculptures along the marina park, I heard whistle blowing and the smack and bump of volleyball matches. To our great surprise, the FIVB beach volleyball tour was in town this week. It was an international doubles competition for men and women. The more I saw, the more I thought I might find a ref or two that I knew. Sure enough, I first found Patti Salvatore (another Hall of Fame collegiate ref) working a match. She was followed on the court by Dan Apol (from Castle Rock, CO) and then after talking with them I found Ryan McDowell (from Denver). What are the odds of coming to Norway by way of Iceland and the Polar Ice Cap to find three friends and colleagues from Home!?
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Australia vs someone
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Clinic for the kids |
Women's play
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Practice court in the center of town |
Kristiansand is a nice town even without the volleyball. We walked the marina with lots of large expensive boats, the Otra River with its river pathway, old town (Posebyen) with its white wooden houses, and the shopping area. The Kristiansand Cathedral (Lutheran) was in the town center and had a young orchestra rehearsing inside. We sat and listened for a while. A practice volleyball court was set up right outside the front door of the church! It was next to an open-air farmers' market. We walked some of the cobblestone pedestrian streets. It is a very pleasant town.
Thurs., 8/12/10 - Oslo, Norway
Since we had been in Oslo on a previous cruise and had taken the tours to Vigeland Sculpture Park, the Viking Ship Museum, and the Kon Tiki Museum and we had walked through the center of town to the palace, etc., we went out on our own today.
Tall ship in the harbor |
Decoration for a restaurant
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We took a ferry from "Pier 3" across to the open-air folk museum on the Bygdoy peninsula. We walked the 35 acres and looked at most of the 155 buildings that were relocated onto this site. Most were 18th and 19th century wooden farmhouses and buildings. We found the "stave church" from the 1200's particularly interesting. It was a Christian church built by previously pagan people, kind of a link from one religion to the other. Stave churches appeared in many places in Norway, but only a few remain. The structure is definitely unique and the craftsmanship and woodworking are very ornate in a rustic way.
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Stave church
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Stave church |
Stave church - interior
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Stave church - interior |
The farmhouses were mostly one room with a table and bench that went the length of the room, a hearth either in the middle of the room with a hole in the roof for the smoke or, later, in the corner with a chimney. There was a bed for the children and usually a large decorative cabinet on one wall. It was a functional room for several people. These houses and barns were built very similar to those we saw in the restored village of Mandrogy in Russia. The storehouses looked like caches used by the Inuit people of Alaska. The barns were two-stories - animals on the ground level with a ramp of dirt and wood to a second floor for the carts and sleds. Many of the buildings had roofs with birch bark waterproofing under thick turf just like in Iceland. Most of the buildings were made of large tree timbers and had decorative carving in some panels. Stairs were chiseled out of huge tree trunks. The fences for the animals or gardens were slanted slats held between two poles. I guess it served as a wind/snow break as well as a fence.
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Storehouse with birch bark under the turf roof |
Slate roofed storehouse
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Garden, scarecrow, and slat fence
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Barn with ramp to the second story |
Making lefse - a traditional Norwegian flatbread - the old way
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Ornate storehouse |
Oslo yacht club |
After walking through the 18th and 19th century farms with sawmill, dairy, pottery shed, etc., we walked through a three-story "apartment house" where each urban apartment was representative of a different decade and wealth of the occupants. It was an interesting contrast to the farmhouses and gave the idea about how many Norwegians lived. We were wearing down by the time we got to the exhibit halls. We did walk through the old children's toys exhibit to the Sami Culture exhibit. The Sami are the "Lapps" who herded reindeer in north Norway and Sweden. They originally milked the reindeer and made butter and cheese and later just produced the meat for trade. When treaties established borders for the north countries, the Sami were given an exemption to continue to move their herds across the new borders.
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We took the ferry back to Pier 3 and walked to our ship for a late lunch. Without taking a rest, we walked over to the new Oslo Opera House. It is as unique as the one in Sydney, Australia. It sort of resembles a ship and the white sloping stone "roof" can be walked up and around to view the city. I have never walked on a monument anything like this! On the top is an aluminum cube. It is a building to be experienced. We got to walk inside the lobby and viewed the unusual plastic walls and the wooden ones that surround the hall. Someone pulled the fire alarm and we had to vacate the building. It was time to head back to the ship anyway.
Oslo Opera House |
Oslo Opera House
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Oslo Opera House - interior
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Oslo skyline from the Opera House - Oslo Cathedral in the center |
Holmenkollen ski jump - seen from the Opera House
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Dinner tonight was the last formal dress meal. We were lucky to have Frank Buckingham, the tour guide, and only Lin and Gary (from Lewes, DE) at our table. We had free wine compliments of Frank and the Captain, lobster tail (very good), baked Alaska with "neon strips" because sparklers violate the fire code now. It was festive and we had good conversation.
After dinner we listened to Hanna Starosta, a Polish/Scottish/Miami, FL classical violinist. She was good and played lots of peppy music.
We have been absolutely blessed with good weather and calm seas on this cruise. As Lin said, today was another "pearl of a day on a whole string of pearls." It was about 70° with clouds and sun and a light breeze. We had a good view of the Oslofjorden on our sail-away.
More boats! |
Kon-tiki Museum
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Beautiful landscapes |
Restaurant in the fjord where meals start at $140.00
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Doing what seagulls do best |
Looking for a handout
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Fun on the fjord
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Frank gave commentary and pointed out North Kaholmen Island where the Norwegian resistance sank a German battleship Blucher in 1940 at the narrow part of the fjord. The Germans did complete the invasion but the locals got in their licks. We have heard about what the Germans did to each of these port towns. They even burned and destroyed the Sami sod homes way up north.
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Oscarsborg Fortress |
Oscarsborg Fortress
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Fri., 8/13/10 - Last Day at Sea
We had another long relaxing day with calm seas and even some sunshine. We attended the Crew Farewell and disembarkation instructions. The crew from all over the ship came in and sang a HAL song about how we all come from so many countries and can get along on the ship, isn't it possible that the world could do so too? It is a nice summary for the cruise.
We filled out our cruise summaries and packed up our bags, returned our library books, and killed time until dinner. We ate with Lin and Gary and a couple from Austin, TX. It was a pleasant meal.
Sat., 8/14/10 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Amsterdam is another pretty port with a lengthy approach - it is not actually a port on the sea. Around 4 AM we went through a lock and docked at 7 AM. We disembarked at 8:15 and were taken to the airport by bus. Amsterdam airport has a people flow problem but it was less painful than last time we were at this airport.
London Heathrow Airport is another huge mass of humanity. You can't go to your gate - they don't even tell you what gate - until 45 minutes before your departure. You wait with everyone else in the central holding area. We had baguette sandwiches and Starbucks mochas for lunch and sat for 2 1/2 hours.
The flight to Denver was smooth and uneventful and long. We both slept some. We drove on home and got in about 10 PM Colorado time. We were exhausted but the trip was wonderful and so very different from any other cruise we have taken.
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