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By Bob Van Leer
(AT SEA NEAR OSLO, NORWAY, Aug. 18, 1993) - Before World War II, Norway was one of the poorest countries in Europe. Now it is one of the richest. The difference is oil. Oil under the stormy waters of the North Sea.
Yet curiously, the Official Guide for Oslo, a tourist publication, makes no mention of oil at all even though it has a section on the history of Norway.
Norway traces its origin to the Vikings and a museum in Oslo features three Viking ships from the ninth century. These were used for burial of important persons and were found preserved below the surface of the soil. These are the classic style the mind associates with the Vikings - open boats with high prow and stern. The three are all more than 1000 years old. Ships used for burial and had been in use. The Vikings were wise enough to use some condemned ships for funerals.
These are not new finds. The Gorkstad Ship, the largest of the three on display, was excavated in 1880. It is 24 meters long and rowed by a crew of 32. The ships had a mast and a single sail but did not depend on the sail.
These ships were suited for open sea. An exact replica of the Gorkstad Ship was sailed to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. Under the right conditions it made up to 11 knots.
Norway is small in population with about 4.2 million people of which 20% live in greater Oslo. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo. All other Nobel prizes are awarded in Stockholm.
A town was built by the Vikings in the 8th century at the head of Oslo fjord long before Oslo was developed by the Vikings in 1048. The Black Death in 1348 killed over half of the city's inhabitants. This had political consequences for Norway also which was reduced to a province of Denmark.
Norway remained part of Denmark until 1814. Denmark sided with Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. After Napoleon's defeat, Norway was given to Sweden. Norway remained a province of Sweden until a peaceful partition was arranged in 1905.
Germany invaded Norway April 9, 1940. Norway fought for two months but was overwhelmed. This did allow time to get the king, Haakon VI, out of Norway to England along with the national gold reserve. The king maintained a government in exile in England until the defeat of Germany in 1945.
Tour of Oslo
We took a tour of Oslo looking over the Viking ship museum, the Holmenkollen ski jump, the longest in the world, and many public buildings.
But the standout on the tour was the Gustav Vigeland Park and Sculpture Museum. Vigeland lived from 1869 to 1943. In the latter part of his career in 1921 he donated his works to the City of Oslo. In turn, the city built him a huge studio - living quarters where he lived until his death.
Of the two principal groups of sculptures, the older is in bronze and the newer in granite. The principal theme is the cycle of life. Descriptions, even pictures, are inadequate. These must be seen to be fully appreciated.
The granite figures are in 36 groups, slightly larger than life size, and all nudes. Most nude sculptures are of the young and vigorous. But Vigeland did his sculptures in all ages from infants through mature people and finally in old age.
In the center of this group is the Monolith. It was modeled by Vigeland in 1924-25 and named the Monolith because it was carved out of a single block of stone. The figure part is 14.2 meters high and weighs 180 tons. It was carved on the site from the full-scale plaster model made by Vigeland. Three stone carvers worked on the column daily from 1929 to 1943 and were finished just before Vigeland died.
The column is a pile of human bodies, 121 in all, topped at the summit with small children. The sculpture park is a "must see" for anyone visiting Oslo.
Captain's Gala Dinner
Tonight's dinner was a formal affair called the Captain's Gala Dinner. At the culmination, drapes were closed and the waiters paraded around the huge dining room carrying flaming desserts, call the Parade of Bombe Diane, ice cream stuffed with fresh fruit.
Tomorrow we will be in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the last full day of our cruise.
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