Oslo, Norway

Our morning was filled with boats today.  We started off at the museum dedicated to the Antarctic exploring ship Fram.  This was the ship that Roald Amundsen's used during his expedition to be the first to reach the South Pole.  Kevin's great-grandfather worked at the factory that built the diesel engine for the vessel.

A trip to Norway wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Viking Ship museum.  The ships on display here were discovered while excavating several Viking-era burial mounds.  The clay in the soil preserved the wood from the time they were buried (in the 800's) until they were unearthed by archaeologists a thousand years later.

In addition to these historic ships, the government has also amassed a collection of buildings from around the country that have been relocated to Oslo so that they can be preserved as a living history museum.  The Folk Museum has a stave church from the 1200's, farm houses, and even an old town.  Inside the buildings you can watch people in period costume performing tasks like weaving, baking traditional bread, silversmithing, folk dancing, etc.

Farm buildings with sod roofs

One of the buildings in "town"

We were so glad to have a sunny afternoon for our last stop - Vigeland Park.

Gustav Vigeland was one of the most imaginative and prolific sculptors of the early 1900's.  He designed the Nobel Peace medal as well as a huge installation of statues in Frogner Park in Oslo.

Plaster models for The Monolith sculpture

My fitbit claims I've walked eight miles today, and I believe it.  Time to sit down and relax for a bit!