A Bus About Oslo

Today, I took a (free!) bus tour around Oslo with a gaggle of other international students. Although the morning was a rainy one, the enthusiasm was bright! 

I took a seat next to my Polish friend and we began the tour. Some of the destinations on the list I had already seen, but this time, I had a tour guide leading the way. We passed the first and only (known) sculpture that commemorated a prostitute. Who knew?! It even inspired the novel Albertine written by Christian Krohg, one of Edvard Munch's teachers.

The real highlight of the tour for me was the Viking Museum on the Bygdøy peninsula. These boats were incredible! 

Maybe it was the coxswain in me, but I could almost see the extended wooden oars from the ships. Imagine rowing this beast! In some cases, there would be 40 to 50 rowers! That is a lot of pair partners...

These ships were excavated from burial sites near Oslo. Wealthy citizens of the viking age were buried in them, along with horses, dogs, weapons, money, and relics. Some ships were well preserved, others not preserved at all, depending on the soil that they were buried in.

This ship was buried in an area of Oslo with clay soil. Although the weight of the clay broke the structure, the wood was preserved well, and the ship was able to be reconstructed with the original components.

The viking ships always had the steering oar on the right side of the boat. According to my guide, this is where the term "Starboard" came from!

It was a blast to get a glimpse into the Viking Age. It was impossible for me to wrap my brain around how OLD these vessels were. In the words of Eddie Izzard, this is "where the history comes from!" I was reminded of that many times today.

The Bygdøy peninsula is home to five museums, and the Viking Ship Museum was a great introduction. I'm sure I'll be back to explore the other four (especially the Kon-Tiki Museum! Keep your eyes open for the much anticipated "pilgrimage!"). 

For now, I'm sending a challenge to Humboldt Crew team- I think the most intimidating way to show up to Dad Vail 2011 is one of these beasts. You in?