Polar Bear Hunt 15 - Day 2

Introduction

After all that flying time we found it hard to believe we were in Oslo. The weather was grey with a hint of rain, but we headed outside to walk from near the railway station along Karl Johan's Gate towards the royal palace - the Kongelige Slott. We took our time, looking at the shops, market, people, parks and sculptures. We passed Oslo University and the National Theatre, before turning down towards the water and the piers where the ferries and tourist boats departed.

Oslo - Karl Johan's Gate

Looking towards the railway station, with the tram stop in the front.

The station and adjacent hotel.

The Nygard Steakhouse. It features New Zealand beef - at a price we were not prepared to pay.

Looking up Karl Johan's Gate in the early morning.

One of the trams you had to look out for.

Flowers and plants in a local market.

Most of the architecture is very ornate.

A few more people about now.

A nice display of purple violets, with the royal palace in the background.

This part of town is full of pubs and eating places - none were cheap or that good either.

Looking back down Karl Johan Gate.

The Parliament Building.

Oslo University.

With pretentions to classical Greece.

There are wonderful bronze statues everywhere.

The National Theatre, complete with its own underground train stop.

Commemorating local playwrights...

And performing a national masterpiece.

The royal palace.

And one of the kings.

Looking back down Karl Johan Gate from the palace.

King Haakon VII in the nearby park...

Along with trees, all in a row.

Alfred Nobel's Peace Center

It is only a short walk from the Slottsparken and the Palace down to the waterfront and the wharves from which the ferries depart for the islands around the fjord, across to the museums on Bygdoy and the tourist boats that that offer a variety of trips around the water. Also at the waterfront are several cafes that we found sold excellent light food and very good coffee. So after a mid-morning snack we headed into the other major attraction here, the Nobel Peace Center.

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who invented dynamite and gelignite as safer forms of explosives. He also invested in oilfields opened up by his brothers and at the time of his death in 1896, aged 63, he left 31 million Swedish Kroner for the establishment of the Nobel Prizes. Today the fund stands at around SEK3.1 billion or $US500 million. In his will, Nobel asked various Swedish academies to award prizes, but he asked the Norwegian Parliament to decide on the Nobel Peace Prize. Today the Nobel Peace Center houses the offices of the Norwegian Nobel Committee and a fine museum to the history and recipients of the Peace Prize.

You could spend a long time in the museum, reading about all of the winners of the Peace Prize. When we visited, there was a alarge display to two recent recipients - Malala and Kailash. In a large room at the top of the building is a fascinating visual display of all of the recipients, with photographs and information displayed in tablet screens, amidst a sea of coloured lights. The display forms a snaking wave around the room, set up as a timeline.

The Nobel Peace Center

The stunning display of lights and stories inside the Center.

Tour of the fjord

From the pier near the Nobel Peace Centre, tourist boats take you around the islands and bays of the inner fjord. The tour lasts about 2 hours and provides an intereting view and commentary of Oslo from the water.

Looking across to the old castle.