I woke up early as usual so decided I would head out and do some exploring on my own. I had read about a sculpture called Neve og Rose - Fist with Rose and set out to find it. The route took me back down Karl Johan’s Gate where we had strolled the previous night. It was much less lively on a drizzly Sunday morning! I found the sculpture as well as a few other photo- worthy stops - the Oslo Cathedral, the Oslo Spektrum (an indoor concert arena), the statue of Christian IV, some cheeky roosters, and a couple of local trolls. Despite the mizzly weather it was great to be out and about exploring - my fav thing to do on a holiday.
Back to the hotel then out for breakfast in the rain. Tried my first authentic Norwegian hot chocolate. They make it with actual chocolate wafers - your choice of milk or dark - dissolved in steamed milk. So yummy,. It was coming down hard by the time we were done, so opted to dash back to the hotel and wait for a bit to see if the rain would let up. It did so we headed out to catch the bus back out to Bygdoy where we had been yesterday, this time to pay a visit to the Kon Tiki Museum.
This is a museum dedicated to Thor Heyerdahl’s exploits. The museum houses his two crafts - the Kon Tiki and the Ra II. It was in the first that he and a crew of five set sail from Peru to prove that South Americans could have crossed to Pacific Ocean over to Tahiti and possibly colonized it. After 101 days at sea, they reached the Tuamotu Islands and proved their theory right. On his second adventure he sailed an Egyptian papyrus craft across from Morocco to Barbados to prove a similar theory about ancient sea travel. But Heyerdahl was not one to be content with just those accomplishments. He went on to do extensive work on Easter Island, exploring the mysteries behind the moai - the ancient stone heads found there. After learning about Roald Amundsen’s exploits yesterday and Heyerdahl’s today, we were left with great admiration for the adventurous spirit of both these men. I found it interesting that, in Heyerdahl’s case, there was a woman who was very instrumental in the success of his voyages - Gerd Vold Hurum - however it was only recently that her involvement has been made known. Because of course, she was “only a woman”. She was actually the one responsible for getting the Kon Tiki back to Norway to put on display. Thor and crew would have left it stranded on the island!!
Our destination after a quick lunch stop was over to Akershus Castle to take in the last day of the Middelalder (Medieval) Festival. We had discovered this on our first day in Oslo when they were just setting up for the weekend-long event. .Fortunately the rain had stopped so we were able to spend the better part of the afternoon wandering around the grounds of the castle. It is set up so as to replicate what a similar event would have been like in the early days of Oslo’s existence. There are tents of all shapes and sizes pitched throughout the castle’s grounds. Some are stalls for the various artisans selling their wares, others contained demonstrations of craftsmanship such as woodworking and metalwork. Some held amusements, such as board games from days gone by that you could play. And some were lodgings for the participants who chose to remain on the grounds for the whole weekend, much as their predecessors would have done. There are also performances of music and dance and even knights in armour engaging in combat. It was a great way to pass the afternoon.
We were feeling a little tired so opted to stick closer to home for dinner. Found a very nice Italian restaurant only a couple of blocks away and enjoyed a pasta dinner with a good glass of wine.