Norway (Day 2, Part 3)

June 19

Oslo

Yes, it was a very long day.  For this last segment, we concentrate mainly on the art of Edvard Munch . . . 

[But first, we have cows . . . ]

[We bused to the maritime museums, but we decided to stay aboard to visit the Royal Palace and Munch Museum.  Anne & Bill would be spending an extra day in Oslo, so they came back to this and 5 other museums the next day . . . ]

[Back into town where we would de-bus and walk to . . . ]

[Haakon VII (born Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel; 3 August 1872 – 21 September 1957), known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was Danish prince who became the first king of Norway, after the 1905 dissolution of the union with Sweden.  He reigned from November 1905 until his death in September 1957.  As one of the few elected monarchs, Haakon quickly won the respect and affection of his people. He played a pivotal role in uniting the Norwegian nation in its resistance to the German invasion and subsequent five-year-long occupation of his country during  World War II.  Regarded as one of the greatest Norwegians of the twentieth century, he is particularly revered for his courage during the German invasion—he threatened abdication if the government cooperated with the invading Germans—and for his leadership and preservation of Norwegian unity during the occupation (Wikipedia).]

[The royal tourists at the Royal Palace . . . ]

[The Royal Palace is situated on a rise, the Bellevue, at one end of Oslo’s main thoroughfare, Karl Johans gate. The Royal Palace is one of the country’s most important buildings, and a concrete symbol of the course of Norwegian history since 1814.  Building activities commenced in 1824, and the foundation stone was laid by King Carl Johan on 1 October 1825. The Palace was officially taken into use on 26 July 1849 by King Oscar I. The Royal Palace is owned by the state and placed at the disposal of the head of state. It is where the daily work of the monarchy is conducted and where the King and Queen live (www.royalcourt.no).]

[Guy on a horse . . . ]

[Looking back down Karl Johans gate . . . ]

[How do they keep down the weeds?]

[Again, where we were.  We walked around the palace looking for entry.  We discovered it was closed for reconstruction, like I-35W.  So we found a corner pub for lunch.  Inexplicably we have no photographic evidence of this event?]

[Victoria Terrasse is an historic building complex located in central Oslo.  The complex now houses the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wikipedia).]

[And now to the subway ISO the Munch Museum . . . ]

[On our walk to the museum, which was farther from the subway stop than it appeared on the map (amazing how often that happens) . . . ]

[Whew!  Found it . . . ]

[After a pay in and be searched entry (OK, there’s valuable stuff in here) . . . ]

[The building we’re in, soon to be replaced by the new museum behind the opera house.  In fact because of this transition period, we didn’t think we’d be able to see Shrik . . . ]

[And now a tour of Munch art . . . ]

[An all-time favorite word . . . ]

[Edvard Munch (12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter, whose best known work, ‘The Scream’, has become one of the most iconic images of world art.  Studying at the Royal School of Art and Design in Kristiania (today’s Oslo), Munch began to live a bohemian life under the influence of nihilist Hans Jaeger, who urged him to paint his own emotional and psychological state (‘soul painting’).  From this would presently emerge his distinctive style.  In Paris, he learned much from Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, especially their use of colour.  But it was back in Kristiania that his legendary work The Scream was conceived.  According to Munch, he was out walking at sunset, when he ‘heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature’.  That agonised face is widely identified with the ‘angst’ of modern man.  Between 1893 and 1910, he made two painted versions and two in pastels, as well as a number of prints.  One of the pastels would eventually command the fourth highest nominal price paid for a painting at auction  (Wikipedia).]

[And here it is.  Likely one of the 10 best known paintings of all time.  Right up there with The Mona Lisa, The Starry Night, The Last Supper, The Night Watch, and The 4 Dogs Playing Poker . . . ]

[1894?  Madonna wasn’t born yet?]

[The Super has her ears on and her camera ready . . . ]

[The red dots indicate the number of Munch exhibitions abroad . . . ]

[Walker Art Gallery caught my eye – turns out there is one in Liverpool . . . ]

[Munch . . . ]

[The Super in the Madonna room?]

[Bill indicating an object of interest?]

[Discussing the finer points of Munch’s brush strokes . . . ]

[A wall of art . . . ]

[A wall of posters . . . ]

[Where to next?]

[Poster of the new museum . . . ]

[Indicating a final departure date?]

[Park art . . . ]

[Returning to the subway stop was a long uphill walk.  We decided to just walk directly back to the hotel . . . ]

[Again, Norwegian names.  It’s a shop, it’s on a corner; thus, it’s the Corner Shop . . . ]

[Proudly displayed outside the Corner Shop . . . ]

[Strolling through the city, following the blue dot on the Super’s GPS map . . . ]

[The neighborhood’s starting to look familiar . . . ]

[Oslo Cathedral clock tower . . . ]

[As the sign says, Comfort Hotel Grand Central in the heart of the city . . . ]

[Returning to the site of our first repast . . . ]

[Watching the world pass by . . . ]

[While enjoying adult beverages . . . ]

[I have no idea?]

[I have no idea (part deux)?]

[Restaurant in the old post office . . . ]

[We’ve discovered The Hand again, so we know where we are . . . ]

[Actually, after returning to the hotel, we decided to dine in the area of The Hand, having noticed many restaurants in the area . . . ]

[And here was one, though I don’t recall the name?]

[To the best of my recollections, that was not Chelsea Handler at the next table . . . ]

[I think we liked it . . . ]

[I’ve decided every city in the world with a population of over 100, 000 has a The Dubliner . . . ]

[Mini bottles of adult beverages through a selfie . . . ]

[The M/S Bretagne Figurehead . . . ]

[Oslo Stock Exchange – we did not place any bets . . . ]

[Home sweet home, for one more night . . . ]

[And how we knew we were home again . . . ]

[On this day, we walked 18,641 steps – made us want to SCREAM!]

I want to go away, oh so far, far away.  ~  Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Up Next: Norwegian train trip