An entry in The TFS Travel Journal
Drag, another cloudy drizzly day, and actually quite nippy! Ambled around town, visiting the Radhus (city hall, though also notably used for the annual presentation of the Noble Peace Prize) an imposing two-towered redbrick structure with a descending, cascading fountain in front.
The main hall was enormous: probably more than 100 meters high with mosaics inlaid into the tiles all around. (It also had one of the largest men’s rooms I’ve ever seen) We spent the next several hours walking the city on our way to Frogner Park. A truly interesting city — mostly built in the early 1900s, all interesting, muted colors (salmon, celedon, light blues, white, yellows, etc.), some hills so that we were reminded of San Francisco. As usual, lots of flowers along the streets, in the windows, adding to the colors. Lots of parks, too. We saw the higher-class shopping area — some of the usual stuff, but lots of local crafts and antiques. Here in Norway the popular image is the troll, (really ugly ones, too) which adorns many cards and the like. They also seem to like drawings of fat, ugly-looking people, also, maybe as a contrast to the predominantly thin and tall locals.
The crafts really ran the gamut from creative, high-tech looking glassware, to very crude dolls and masks, all of which seemed to be given equal billing. As usual, the city was (to two New Yorkers) eerily quiet for a regular work day. (However, it was the first day back after the country-wide 3 week vacation) Not a complaint, mind you. We later discovered the crowds on the shopping arcade streets, though, as well as the modern, glass office buildings in their section.
Finally arrived at Frogner park, a large park containing a few museums, and over 50 copper (now all oxydized green) sculptures by Gustav Vigeland lining a long, wide prominade. They’re all life-sized, detailed nude, and represent all types of men, women and children (and all combinations thereof) in many emotional and physical states (children in tantrums, women pulling at their hair, men and women doing it all. . .) Remarkable! A bit higher up is a huge Vigeland fountain of four men holding a birdbath fit for a pteradactyl, and higher still, a very tall odelisk of dozens of granite-sculpted, tightly interlocked nude bodies. All surrounded by plentiful and colorful flowers.
We cabbed back to the hotel to drop our fruit purchases, and then walked back to the radiant harbor with its large South Street Seaport-type shopping and eating complex (built in the old fish market) We dined on more Greenland, peel-em-yourself prawns (succently sweet), a Caesar salad (with chicken!) and an entree of redfish in a cherry broth (interestingly sweet with the fish and vegetables) and one of monkfish over spinach tagliatelli. Impressively tasty fish, pan-fried without tasting like it. While Wendy bought us a frozen yoghurt cone dipped in cocoa powder, we listened to a duo of a guy on a vibraphone and a guitarist; Milton bought their tape for NK50 ($7) and reminded them that Milt Jackson would be here next week at the Oslo jazz festival and it was the vibraphonist’s obligation to go see the greatest living vibe player.
We then went eagerly to our 7pm massages, which we had attempted to book with the desk help at this hotel, but it was clearly way beyond his capabilities, so we used one of our favorite techniques of going to the best hotel in town and using their concierge to book one for us, which he was happy to do in their salon.
The massage was not stellar, but certainly sufficient to diffuse the memories of the hours in the car, and the masseuse was cute, with a nice tan and a small white dress, so that counts for something for Milton. . .
On the short walk home, we became aware of the myriad nightlife abounding, as there were many live music places (a guy on a guitar doing “Wonderful Tonight”, a live jazz bar) a sports bar with noisy darts, snooker (what the hell is that, anyway?) etc. We’ll have to investigate tomorrow night. Impressive for a city of less than 500,000.
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