Toward the Arctic North?

 Read the Small Print

And then we got on the boat. So, when we signed up we kind of took a look at the ship, cabins etc. and said "fine" and moved right along.  It didn't really register that this was BOTH a cruise ship and a ferry.  There was a scintillating description of all the alluring tiny fjord towns we would dock at and the wonderful times we would enjoy.  Perhaps we were blaise because our friends Jeff and Liz had recently done a similar voyage and gushed about the adorable towns with red and yellow cottages and  atmospheric locals standing on docks waving them welcome and adieu.

How did all translate?  Four out of the seven Gate 1 couples had their cabins mysteriously downgraded with no recourse or explanation.  In very small script it had mentioned that port arrival and departure times may vary a bit.  Sometimes this translated into a stop of perhaps 20 minutes until we were merrily on our way once more. And then there were the ports themselves.  No charming red and yellow cottages -- in fact no cottages at all.  It turns out that poor old coastal Norway didn't fare to well in WWII. First the Nazis rolled through after bombing extensively.  Then when the Nazis were done with them, the Russians came in and finished the job.  For good measure, while retreating the Russians followed a scorched earth policy and sent the locals away and burned their villages. So once we learned all this we felt rather churlish in complaining about the lack of tourist charm.

This fisherman was coming back to Trondheim in his wooden boat.

This shell sculpture appears very different depending on the viewing angle.

This colorful klaxon was in Trondheim harbor...

as were these ocean research boats. The boat in the rear is a drone.

The modern research boats were a contrast to this boat from the sail/steam era.

Norway has its own museum of popular music, which preserves and recognizes Norwegian popular music from the 1950s to the present.

The Toldkammer is the old custom house in Trondheim which now houses various businesses.

This is the fore view of the Kong Harald ferry which we were on...

and this is the aft view.

There were many small fishing villages along the Norwegian fjords, which looked more modern due to the destruction of all of the villages by the Nazis as they fled in WW II.

One of the many important Norwegian industries is salmon farming. The two circles in the background are the pens to contain the salmon.

This child waved to us holding the Norwegian flag as our ferry passed by.

These two ice breakers were hardly necessary when we were at the Arctic circle, but I am sure are still necessary, even with global warming.

It was not always clear, as this photo attests, but the clouds made for a dramatic photo.

This is the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø was inspired by Arctic nature.

The Frangstmonument, is a tribute to the Arctic hunter.

This bust of the famous Arctic explorer was outside of the Polar Museum in Tromsø.

Inside the museum were several dioramas depicting Arctic life...

and these two were among the many.

This sculpture of two women running was in Autumn Park in Tromsø.

This wooden boat in Tromsø harbor caught my eye.

The Gateway to the Arctic was created in 1933, a motif inspired by the Northern lights.

Occasionally I will post a photo of Deirdre for all to enjoy.

This Samegutten Poster ("Sami Boy") in the North Cape Museum is Norway's most famous tourism poster was designed in 1958 by Knut Yran. 

This fresnel lens taken from an old lighthouse was also on display in the museum.

This next series of photos was labeled "Pleasant Heritage?".

It depicts all of the various pieces of flotsam and jetsam recovered from the areas Arctic waters, ...

and which pollute our oceans. This begs the question if this is the heritage we want to leave behind for future generations, not to mention the damages caused to our current environment.

The museum also contained history of the period of occupation by the Nazis in WW II. When the Germans fled at the end of the war, they practice a scorched earth policy with all houses and structures destroyed forcing the inhabitants to flee.

This knitting machine was acquired by Lily Nicolaisen in 1937 for 1,000 kroner (a lot of money at the time). With the help of her brother, she was able to smuggle the machine out as the Germans forced them to flee. the machine was used by the family into the 1960s.

A display of clothing worn by the Sami people of the Arctic region.

These barriers, both natural and man made, are necessary to protect Honningsvåg from avalanches.

The highlight of the trip was billed as crossing the Arctic Circle.  Upon our crossing we were each presented with a very official document attesting to our achievement.  And it was good that we got the diploma because it was the only inkling we had that we were at the Arctic Circle.  We had prudently packed puffy jackets, wool hats and gloves.  We greeted the Circle clad in T-shirts and ball caps.  Clearly Global Warming is a hoax. There isn't much else to say about the boat ride except that traveling always affords us the opportunity to meet people outside our normal progressive bubble.  In this case we had the opportunity to dine with a couple who boasted that they owned over 30 guns.  Very impressive.  Other than an obvious fascination with firearms they were a lovely couple.

Back to the Big City

We disembarked in a very northerly town from which you could spit and hit Russia (more on that later) and grabbed a plane back to Oslo.  Michael and I had a day before we were due to fly to Copenhagen so set off to explore our freedom.  Scandinavia is really in love with outdoor historical museums.  Sweden had the first one in the world and now every Tom, Dick and Scandinavian country has one.  We took a pleasant ferry ride out to experience what it was like to live in Norway a few centuries ago.  I had alluded somewhat obliquely in the Family Reunion blog that I obtained something there which would follow me throughout he trip.  It was a mundane cold.  But a mundane cold that morphed into a sinus infection and penultimately into pneumonia.  At this point, deliciously unaware of where my health was headed we trounced endlessly through acres of authentic houses, stores and farm buildings carried to the site from around the country.  I was feeling pretty rough by then but we decided to add a little walk of several miles to the Kon Tiki museum because.... well, it would be a shame to miss it, right?

This large clock was on prominent display in Oslo harbor.

The outdoor Norske Folkemuseum contained various buildings relocated from throughout Norway showing how people in Norway have lived since the 16th century.

This impressive house was part of the Old Town section of the museum.

The interior of the house was furnished with authentic period furniture, such as this desk...

and the table and cabinet in the game room.

There were also people in traditional costumes for the period.

This wall rack for displaying and organizing the dishes and platters, ...

this decorative heating unit and door...

and this authentically furnished master bedroom gave one a realistic feel for the time period.

In this confectionery shop they even had an authentic American Cash Register Company cash register from the time period,...

along with the proprietress in period dress.

These clothes hung to dry in this suburban cottage led an air of true authenticity,...

as well as the crowded communal bed space.

There also was this Standard Bensen gas station with the old pumps.

This section of the museum was labeled "The Countryside", depicting old wooden houses, some with sod roofs.

This woman in period dress was scything, gathering and hanging flax to dry.

The Kon Tiki museum contains the original Kon Tiki vessel (a balsa wood raft) used by Thor Heyerdahl and his crew to sail from Peru to Polynesia in 1947. 

The size, structure and display of the contents,...

including the small covered hut, complete with the typewriter Thor used to record the voyage,..

and the display of rations, etc. was testament to the vision and bravery involved in this voyage made in 1947.

This was another Thor Heyerdahl vessel called the Ra II, which was made of papyrus reeds, and was sailed from North Africa to the Caribbean.

A scale model of the Ra was Thor's perception of an ancient Egyptian seagoing boat. The first Ra was destroyed in a storm before beginning its voyage.

Another museum contained this colorful altar,...

this decorative trund form 1820 with the oriental screens in the background...

and this trund from 1802.

It also had two people in period dress.

The Nobel Peace Center, located in a converted railway station, is the museum of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway. All of the other Nobel prizes are awarded in Stockholm.

This sculpture of Aasta Hansteen, is a tribute to a female Norwegian artist, polemicist and feminist. There is also a major gas field named in her honor.

This cruise ship in Oslo harbor looks more like a very large apartment building.

Upon our return to downtown Oslo, with my having decimated our supply of Dayquil and Nyquil we stopped by a pharmacy to pick up some decongestant..  Here we began to experience the wonders of Scandinavian health care.  "Oh, you need a prescription for a decongestant," stated the man in charge. Why?  Why?  Is it because Norway is teeming with meth labs nestled amidst their forests and glens? God!  You can barely get a drink in the place much less meth.  There was nothing to do but cough, snuffle and struggle on hoping for a more sensible approach to medication in Denmark.  Spoiler: Nope.