Wednesday 27 August

What a city – last night after driving around most of the streets in suburbia we eventually found the centre and parked in Karl Johans Gate (all the main streets end in Gate). Walked around the main parts, City Hall, Harbour, National Theatre and ended up with a beer (10/- worth!) in the gardens at Storkings Gate. Cannot get used to whistling for service yet but have plenty of time to learn.

In the morning we decided to spend the day being real tourists. Started at the Viking Ship Hall. As recently as 1904 excavation found the last of the only three Viking ships to have survived the few centuries since they were built. All were used as burial chambers, the largest the Oseberg ship was reputedly the burial chamber of Queen Aasa, grandmother of Harold the Fair Haired.  Many relics were beautified, displayed and we purchased a slide of the boats. Next onto the pyramid-shaped building housing the Polar Ship “Fram” – the vessel that took Nansen to the Arctic in 1893 and Amundsen to the South Pole in 1910. The boat had been hauled on land and the building erected around it. This enabled everyone to see quite literally from top to bottom. We went “on board” – the cabins and mess rooms were very snug and filled with their ex-occupant’s personal items – clothes, books, medals, etc.

Then into the nearby building holding the Heyerdahl’s balsa wood raft. The complete story is told by model and photographs of their 5000 mile journey to test the theory that South American Incas may have settled the South Pacific. Since the language used in the Norwegian Navy is English, it’s easy to read all the diaries and notes.

Next to the Folklore Museum. This is laid out in about 1 square mile of parkland and consists of three main buildings and tons of old Norwegian houses. Inside the main building are housed relics of Norway’s history including Lappland and Eskimo items, tapestries and a superb collection of modern photographs. The grounds have been used to house transposed building decking from 1550. Some of the houses can be entered and each one has a “keeper” – a woman dressed in national costume. These houses are very dark and it gives quite a scare to suddenly meet one of these women sitting in the shadows. As we had noticed on the drive from Kinsarvick, all the houses were built on wooden piles and “double insulated” by a false outer wall (including the stone church).

A quick coffee and into the “Sentrum” to the Norway AA for an International Campers Card, and then onto the harbour front for a very late lunch. Still raining, pity, but still back to camp site to dry and write postcards. Going into town again for coffee [this time] tonight.