Monday, Oct. 10 - Vigelandsparken
Today we took the underground to Major Stua to see the statues at the Vigelandsparken. It turned out to be not the most efficient way to get there, but I hadn't yet figured out the trams and buses, and this was the closest underground station. So we had a bit of a hike to the park, and got somewhat turned around. It was hard to miss once we were close, though...
Gustav Vigeland was such a prolific and admired artists that the city of Oslo built him a house/studio to live and work in; that building now houses his entire collection, but it was closed on Mondays, so we were only able to see the outdoor sculptures in the park.
That was plenty, as it turned out. The park includes iron gates designed by the artists, columns topped with dragons, a double row of bronze statues lining a walkway, a fountain, reliefs in the sides of the fountain, more sculptures of people in trees depicting the cycle of life from birth to death, and a somewhat phallic 17-meter monolith depicting the human struggle for greatness, surrounded by yet more statues (this time of granite).
What catches your eye right away is that all of these poor sufferers are starkers. They're very well-rendered nudes, capturing nuances of musculature and veins, and all, dare I say, reasonably endowed (no Michaelangelo-Davidesque shrinkage here, despite the Nordic autumn chill).
The Vigelandsparken is surrounded by the larger Frognerparken, which is in a residential/commercial area called Major-Stua. We found a little Mediterranean-themed café for lunch. Even in the fall, outdoor seating was available, but there was a little box of blankets outside the door for patrons wishing to brave the weather.
We got a bit turned around heading back to the underground station, but that was all right because we found an internet cafe and a teeny little Italian-themed restaurant called Pinocchio. I wish I'd gotten pictures of it, it was so cute.
We also discovered the "Norwegian left." Twice on this trip, Norwegians trying to give us directions pointed right but told us to go left. We've yet to figure this out.
Click here for pictures. (Might not be considered work-safe.)
Today we took the underground to Major Stua to see the statues at the Vigelandsparken. It turned out to be not the most efficient way to get there, but I hadn't yet figured out the trams and buses, and this was the closest underground station. So we had a bit of a hike to the park, and got somewhat turned around. It was hard to miss once we were close, though...
Gustav Vigeland was such a prolific and admired artists that the city of Oslo built him a house/studio to live and work in; that building now houses his entire collection, but it was closed on Mondays, so we were only able to see the outdoor sculptures in the park.
That was plenty, as it turned out. The park includes iron gates designed by the artists, columns topped with dragons, a double row of bronze statues lining a walkway, a fountain, reliefs in the sides of the fountain, more sculptures of people in trees depicting the cycle of life from birth to death, and a somewhat phallic 17-meter monolith depicting the human struggle for greatness, surrounded by yet more statues (this time of granite).
What catches your eye right away is that all of these poor sufferers are starkers. They're very well-rendered nudes, capturing nuances of musculature and veins, and all, dare I say, reasonably endowed (no Michaelangelo-Davidesque shrinkage here, despite the Nordic autumn chill).
The Vigelandsparken is surrounded by the larger Frognerparken, which is in a residential/commercial area called Major-Stua. We found a little Mediterranean-themed café for lunch. Even in the fall, outdoor seating was available, but there was a little box of blankets outside the door for patrons wishing to brave the weather.
We got a bit turned around heading back to the underground station, but that was all right because we found an internet cafe and a teeny little Italian-themed restaurant called Pinocchio. I wish I'd gotten pictures of it, it was so cute.
We also discovered the "Norwegian left." Twice on this trip, Norwegians trying to give us directions pointed right but told us to go left. We've yet to figure this out.
Click here for pictures. (Might not be considered work-safe.)
Dans la bibliothèque: Die Upon a Kiss - Barbara Hambly
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