After a second beautiful day in Oslo and another marathon eating session at dinner, I plan on a quiet night and a late morning wake-up tomorrow in Kristiansand, Norway’s southernmost port. For some reason, Deck 10, at the top of the ship has some internet reception problems. The techie in the computer center suggested I try it with my stateroom door open—and behold, it works quite well.
Monday 1 August: Sailing to Oslo
The sun rises very early and doesn’t set until close to 10 pm, so these are some very long days. It takes about four hours this morning to sail up the Oslofjord. Yesterday the captain predicted rain, but it has turned out to be a beautiful and warm day (mid 70s). At some points the fjord is so narrow you feel you can touch both shores with a long paddle; at other times it widens, dotted with green islands. It is like a much tamer version of Alaska, but without the forbidding sense of chill and ice. The mountains are much lower, of course, and lushly green. The shore is dotted with small towns and isolated cabins, but grows more crowded as we approach Oslo. From the upper decks, it seems as if the ship is gliding silently between the shores, accompanied by random sail and motorboats. In the dim distance ahead, I can see the Royal Caribbean ship that left Copenhagen just before the Eurodam.
We dock in Oslo at noon, one hour ahead of schedule. The dock is almost directly opposite City Hall and alongside the Akerhaus Fortress. From my window at the front of the ship I can see the panorama of the city spread before me. I decide to try the “Hop On-Hop Off” tourist bus that the ship’s tour guide recommends in every city. The entire route takes about 90 minutes to circle the main sights of the city, but it’s not really my cup of tea and I prefer to use mass transit. However, I take the bus ride up the hills to Frogner Park, site of the Viegeland sculpture garden. It all seems rather tacky and kitsch today compared to my memories from 1968, when it seemed immense and extraordinary.
Then it’s a tram and subway ride back to the city center. Oslo seems to have returned to normalcy after last week’s tragic events, but even the visiting Liverpool football fans in their ubiquitous red jerseys seem somewhat subdued (thank goodness). There are make-shift memorials in various places around the city and it reminds me eerily of 9/11. I manage to walk to the National Theatre, the Storget (Parliament), Cathedral, Railway Station, ending with the day’s highlight: the newly-built Opera House, a spectacular 21st-century building that dominates the cityscape as much as the mid 20th-century Sydney Opera House does. The immense lobby is constructed of marble, glass and Norwegian wood. The exterior roof slopes down from the top of the stage at the rear to the plaza in the front—and is open for strolling and other outdoor activities, providing extensive views over the city and harbor.
Evening on the Eurodam
I choose to have a short nap before dinner and skip the GLBT mixer—it’s a sign of the times that they don’t call it “Friends of Dorothy” anymore. Dinner begins with a yogurt-based chilled cranberry soup, followed by Caesar salad with anchovies, beef tenderloins (four large slices) in wild mushroom sauce with roasted potato logs and mixed vegetables. Dessert is a “chocolate platter,” with three kinds of chocolate (“corn flakes,” dark chocolate bar, white chocolate garnish). I almost finish off the bottle of Cabernet from last night and tipsily make my way back to my stateroom.
More of Oslo tomorrow.
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