May 2012 Norway Part 3 of 3

In Oslo we returned the rental car and visited several boat museums. We visited the Fram, Kon-Tiki, and Viking Ship Museums. The Fram was designed to float above the crushing ice flows, and it survived three major expeditions. It traveled further north and further south than any other wooden boat. The Kon-Tiki was made from balsa logs and completed the journey from Peru to Raroia Island, 4300 miles away. The reed boat Ra II is also on display. This boat traveled from Morocco to Barbados.  The three Viking boats at the museum were used as burial chambers and the clay they were buried in helped preserve them. All of these boats are the originals.

In the Resistance Museum, we learned how the Norwegians dealt with 5 years of German occupation. On a brighter note, the Nobel Peace Center gave us a chance to learn about the previous medal winners. Later we walked through Frogner Park, a park filled with human sculptures by Gustav Vigeland.

From Oslo we needed to travel to Bergen to meet the Coastal Steamer. The guide book recommended doing the Norway in a Nutshell tour. This consists of three train rides, a boat trip, and a bus trip. It was a very scenic trip, but it was stressful trying to make the connections. It was a 14 hour trip that we renamed the Norway in a Nuthouse tour.

 Viking Ship and a Submersible

                                                   

Kon-Tiki

                                                                       

Town on the Nutshell Tour

Bergen's Manhole Covers

                                   

Even though Bergen may be the rainiest city in Norway, everyone said that we would love it. Well we did luck out and get beautiful weather while we were there. Unfortunately the only days we had to explore the city were a Sunday and a Monday holiday. Most of the museums were closed the entire time we were in town.  With help from a student, we found the well hidden Leprosy Museum.  We walked down to the harbor to explore the Bergenhus Fortress.  In the 13 century, Bergen was a walled city and the capital of Norway and the home of royalty. In the 1560’s the Rosenkrantz Tower was added to the Bergenhus Fortress. We climbed the tower, enjoyed the views and learned about the history of the town. For an even better view of the city we took the Floibanen funicular 900 feet up Mt Floyen and walked back down. The following day we sailed through the Maritime Museum before boarding the Coastal Steamer for a 12 day trip up and down the Norway coast.