A day in Oslo with Ally

Today Ally took us out and about in Oslo. First we went to the Bygdøy peninsula which is a short bus ride from the centre of Oslo. It's very pretty and peaceful with beautiful white painted wooden houses and sandy beaches. First we went to the Vikinghus museum which houses three Viking funeral ships which were found buried on nearby farms. I was surprised at this because I had thought that the Vikings used to set fire to their funeral ships as they drifted out to sea. It was really interesting; although any gold and jewellery had been plundered long ago, there were great and well preserved artefacts like intricately carved animal heads, and even a pair of soft leather ankle boots which looked both comfy and stylish! Then it was a short walk to the Kon Tiki museum. James and I knew a bit about Thor Heyerdal from our youth but the exhibition told us so much more. Alasdair on the other hand knew nothing about him - he does now! We watched part of the 1949 documentary (introduced by Richard Dimbleby puffing away on his pipe!) and then looked at the Kon Tiki itself - amazing! 

We then went to the beach further along the peninsula and looked across at Oslo and the islands. It was warm and sunny and there were lots of families having picnics and barbecues. 

Back in the city we had a look at the Royal Palace and its gardens then walked down Karl Johann gate before turning off to the town hall. This controversial modernist building (the people of Oslo at first didn't like its red brick design) hosts the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. It's rather lovely inside with lots of murals, a painting by Munch (the tree of life) and views out to sea. 

From there we walked to the harbour and hopped onto the inter island ferry (which was included in our seven day travel pass) and thus had a tour around the fjord. The islands have brightly painted houses on them and are popular for sailing and day trips. Our boat trip also gave us a rest after all our walking!

Our last visit of the day was the Opera House. It's a modern building made of white stone with lots of glass. We walked up the slope which leads onto the roof and walked around looking at the views of the harbour and the city as the sun started to get lower in the sky. What a great way to spend a Sunday!