Just a note on the pictures for today: the light was really weird and I had a hard time getting good photos, so I’ve fiddled with most of these trying to pull the details out.
The first stop was a return to St. Olav Church to pray my Rosary, then I made my way to the Royal Palace. The seagull perched upon the rider’s head took center stage.
There is a tour that will allow you entry and I may try and do that next week. For now, the main doors leading in and the very happy security guard (she will smile for the camera, but I’m guessing she can handle the rifle.)
I had hoped to be invited in by King Harald V for a cup of coffee, but apparently he did not get my memo.
It was at this point that Siri got me good and lost. She said go this way and pointed in another direction. Switched over to Google Maps and got back on track, but put an extra mile on beforehand. FYI: Apple Maps does a fine job in the USA, but it seems Google Maps is the better choice when traveling abroad.
Eventually, I found my destination: Vigelandsparken (The Viegland Park), which is apparently what tourists call it, but known as Frogner Park to the locals.
The Gustav Vigeland statutes and other works—there are 212 of them—take up only a small portion of the park.
If you are offended by nudity, you may want to stop here. Vigeland wanted the pieces to remain timeless, so they are all nudes. It does makes sense. Clothing dates a piece.
Scene from the gate (the monolith is in the distance)…
Further down the lane, you cross the Bridge that has 29 statues on both sides.
For the record, this is not a man drop kicking a baby. The “babies” are actually Genii spirits/demons and he is fighting them off. Think of it as the devil on your shoulder.
And then there is perhaps the most famous of the bridge statues, The Angry Child. For whatever reason, it is believed you can touch his hand for good luck. That is why it is so shiny—the oxidation patina has been rubbed off. They’ve asked people to stop rubbing it as this may damage the statue.
From here, you climb the steps, enter through the iron gates, and make your way to the monolith. There is much going on in these works of granite. The various figures represent different stages of life.
And then there is the monolith. It is a single piece of granite weighing several hundred tons. It took fourteen years to complete, is just over 46 feet tall, and consists of 121 figures.
Further on you come to the Circle of Life.
A view from the top looking back down toward the main gate…
Pope Clement XIII would have a coronary walking through Oslo and seeing all the nudes. He would hire an army of sculptures to create hundreds of fig leaves to cover the nudity. I am no prude, but I confess I am not accustomed to seeing so much. I believe that says more about me than it does the art.
Having done more walking than I should have, I got myself a cab. The driver was a very chatty Pakistani who was delighted to tell me about every building we passed. When we arrived at the hotel, he gave me his phone number, promising to provide me with excellent service during my stay. I do believe he would.
Now, what shall we do tomorrow?
Candle in a Cave 