Day 41 - Tuesday, July 23, 2024 - Our last day in Oslo

 

Nicknamed Grumpy Boy, one of the most famous in the sculpture garden 

Today's weather was much better than yesterday and we had a wonderful tour.  Only 5,500 steps taken in the park today, but oh boy, the steps, steps, steps.  

We left at 8:45 am and received a short tour of the city and headed for Vigeland sculpture garden.  I was hoping to see this wonder as we didn't get there in June.

One man, Gustaf Vigeland, was the inspiration, artist, sculpture and genius behind this entire park.  

There are 214 bronze and granite sculptures in this 80 acre park owned by the city of Oslo with free admission to all.  Only two granite sculptures have clothes on.  All the others have none.  These are classless and timeless. Clothes can tell you a person's social status and date the piece based on the clothes worn.  This cannot happen here.

These sculptures are on The Bridge.  There are 58 bronze sculptures showing children, women and men of different ages. Among other things, the iconic little boy, nicknamed Grumpy Boy.  The bridge sculptures all depict play, life, energy and vitality.

Vigeland modeled the bridge sculptures between 1925-1933. They were some of the first sculptures to be installed in the park in the early 1940s.

Our guide's favorite, showing unbridled joy and enthusiasm.

You can interpret the statutes any way you wish.  None have names and no plaques to explain their meaning.  Is this the stress of life?  The weight of the world on your shoulders?  You decide and tell me.

Looking over the bridge down into the lake in the park.

Vigeland's few notes describe this as letting  children find their own way in the world 

A boy and his father? Or grandfather?  Love in the boy's eyes evidence of passing knowledge from father to son?

A view of the 15,000 rose bushes that were all in bloom about three weeks ago. They are taken into greenhouses during the winters.

Vigeland's Fountain is the oldest sculpture part of the park.  In the center of the basin, six giants hold up the large saucer-shaped bowl. The men are of different ages, and also hold the giant bowl up in their own way. The fountain has been interpreted as an expression of man's struggle with life's burdens.  The younger men - statutes, holding up more of the burden.

There are 20 groups of trees around the fountain. The tree is seen as a symbol of regeneration and eternal life.  They are grouped in groups of five according to the stages of human life; childhood, youth, mature age and old age.

childhood

youth

mature age

At the park's highest point stands the roughly 55 foot high Monolith. The sculpture is carved out of one stone block, which was originally shot out of the quarry in Idefjord.  It weighed 220 tons as solid granite. The three carvers took 3 years from start to finish.  They started at the very top and worked their way down to the basem

The sculpture shows 121 human figures of all ages huddled together.  The elderly and dieing appear to be at the base.  Middle life.persons in the middle and youth and babies at the very top.  Much like the circle of life, this shows the evolution of man reaching into the sky.

At the base, the elderly 

Mid way up,.you see people in their middle life

At the very top, you can see young people and babies

Surrounding this monolith, are granite sculptures.  They were perfectly smooth.  The carving, while it may look rough, is not.  They are as smooth as glass.

One last bronze statue, a sun dial. We were told it's appropriately 40 minutes off all the time.

One last look back at the monolith 

The dragon medallions in the main gate to Vigelandsparken were designed by blacksmith Alfred Mikkelsen.

Next, we were taken to the world cup ski jump in Oslo, called Holmenkobakken. Until you see this up close, you can't begin to realize the true height and the nerve that ski jumpers have.  

The hill has been rebuilt 19 times.  Between 2008 and 2010, the entire structure was demolished and rebuilt. The hill record is a jump of  144.0 meters or 472 feet.

The top of the ski jump is 1,600 feet high.

They have to land on the slope or probably break every bone they have if they land in the flat.

The arena, can you imagine, in the winter, sitting on the cold concrete seating holds more than 10,000 people.

People were practicing  for a biathlon while we were there.  While it's a winter sport and it's summer, they're wearing inline skates.  The biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship.

Tomorrow, we finally leave Norway and sail to Denmark, landing in Aalborg. We have a liesurely walking tour.  Hopefully for Wayne's knee, it will be liesurely.