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.