Last Day

   




















   Today I took a loop around the city on a different trolley line. I went further out from center city and rather than walking back into town like I did on the other days, I got on and off the trolley when I saw something interesting. The bus pass I got the other day is good for unlimited travel, so it was easy and cheap.

   I went to see the national gallery near the university and it was a nice little museum, old but well organized and taken care of. It was crowded with lots of Asian tourists from a cruise ship and little kids with their school classes. Lots of kids were sprawled out in front of the paintings with paper and crayons on the floor. Maybe that's a good way to look for budding artists.
It was tricky navigating my way through the rooms without stepping on any little kids, or knocking over any old ladies. The paintings were at eye level and the kids and old ladies were at hip level and below. The museum had a handful of Impressionist paintings and it's most famous piece is 'The Scream' by Norwegian Edvard Munch.

   I went by a news stand with lots of papers, wondering if the late game ball scores were in there. I got off the trolley and had lunch at a place recommended in the travel guide, called Godt Brod. It sold loaves of fresh bread for takeout and made sandwiches for eating at tables inside. I had a ham and cucumber baguette, it tasted better than it sounds. For dinner I went to The Dubliner Pub, (as a side note, the vikings take credit for founding the city of Dublin). I ordered a Guinness and a menu item called 'The Codfather's Fish & Chips'. The waitress said they were out of fish and recommended the 'Hangover Burger' instead; it wasn't bad. The price for the burger and Guinness was close to $40. It made me think the reason my pants have seemed a little looser wasn't all the walking afterall, it's my wallet getting so thin after a week here.

   I called SAS Airlines today to check on my flights. When I had to take Plan B on the front end of my roundtrip, I was worried the airline would cancel the return like they do in the states. I stopped in at the SAS Office when I arrived in Bergen and they said my return was safe, not to worry. But today (of course) SAS said my return was also cancelled. After about a half hour of polite but assertive phone conversation, they agreed to re-book me on the same flights. It makes me wonder if Edvard Munch was dealing with airlines before he painted The Scream. It's an early night tonight, trying to re-pack everything in my bag before bed. I'm up at 5, checkout around 6 and to the airport around 7 am. I'll be tired but happy to be home again. Thanks for reading and for (almost) all the comments over the last 3 weeks (wink/smile). It's been a fun little travel project for me. Safe travels, all !

More museums and getting around Oslo

    
  

































































   Monday was a local holiday, I figured this out when I went walking and noticed that all the shops were closed. Luckily the museums and bars were open. I went to the harbor castle fortress which still serves as a military headquarters and hosts formal receptions for visiting heads of state. There's also a royal mausoleum down below next to the dungeon with the coffins of King Haakon and Queen Maude. On the grounds there's also a museum for the German Resistance during WW2.


   On Tuesday I wanted to get out of the city center, and I was able to figure out the city bus and trolley system. I've been doing a lot of walking the last week and my legs are starting to feel it. I took a trolley ride to the trendy Grunerlokka section which reminded me of a small Brooklyn, with some good looking restaurants. The bus and trolley stops have computer signs showing the wait time for each line that passes by. There was even a nice looking doggie on my morning trolley.

   I hopped a bus to the Kon-Tiki Museum on the other side of the city which houses the actual reed boat (Ra II) that another famous Norwegian exployer, Thor Heyerdahl used to cross from North Africa to Barbados in 1970. Thor was also famous for sailing the Kon-Tiki, another reed boat from Peru to Polynesia in 1947. That boat was destroyed on a coral reef when it reached dry land after 101 days at sea. Also in that area was the Norwegian Folk History Museum. It's an open air museum covering acres of ground where historic farmhouses, countryside homes and a wooden stave church were relocated to save as part of the cultural history.

   Oslo is an expensive city, the bus ride costs $6 one way. A beer is $10 for a small draft local brew; a beer and burger tops $30. Norway was expensive when I was here in the navy in the 70's, it hasn't changed. I ran across this Karaoke Taxi service a couple of times this week and it makes me think about bringing the idea to the US for my next career. I can picture this as a big hit in a place like New York City. Two more days here in Oslo before I fly home on Friday morning. It's been a great trip but I'm missing everyone and I'm ready to come home. I'll try at least one more post from Norway before I leave. I'm sure there'll be something interesting to take a picture of.