NORWAY : Part 1 - OSLO — Roaming with Roth

We left Helsinki in a most convenient manner. Two days before our departure we took a taxi to the Iitala design museum. The taxi driver is an expat from Somalia who spoke excellent English, along with Norwegian and his native language. And, he was curious. He asked a great many questions of us: about America; words and phrases; attitudes, and of course about Trump wondering, “How did he get elected?”. At the end our route, our friend inquired as to whether Liibaan would be able to meet us all and drive us to the airport? And, he agreed. Our friends needed to leave at the ungodly hour of 5AM. But, Liibaan was there with a smile, on time, and drove them to the airport. Likewise, at 9:30, Adele and I stepped out of the elevator to a message, “I’m downstairs”, so we simply walked our baggage to the curb and were off to the airport.

Eight days was simply too long in Helsinki. Given what we thought we knew about its being a ‘design center’ with a new architecture, we actually found ourselves wanting for more and desiring to move on. So much so that on Monday, July 8, we were all planning our last day in Helsinki, including packing for Wednesday’s departure. Were it not for our friend, Viv’s, curiousity that led her to look at a calendar we would not have realized that July 11, our departure date, was actually a Thursday. We all froze for an endless second, calculating in our heads if our renrtal apartment was paid through Thursday or if we would be out on the street for one night. In fact, the apartment was ours until Thursday so an emotional crises was averted…and we all had a good laugh.

Then, we arrived in Oslo…

Twelve buildings comprising the “Bar Code” district. All individuals designers and architects contributing to this interpretive area.

Oslo was the real surprise…

It had everything: architecture, scale, ethnic restaurants, delicious bread, and ‘warm’ people. I say warm because they are not immediately available or cordial. They remind me of ‘urban farmers’. Farmers have an abundance of chores, responsibilities and worries, from dawn to dusk, and simply would prefer having their fingernails dug deep into the ‘business at hand’, soil and survival, than have to deal with niceties. Scandanavians live in a sparsely populated world in relative isolation. Adele first noted that (as a generalization) Scandanavians are, shall we say, impassive, self-contained. They do not respond to passing greetings. They are not rude, rather self-sufficient and private. I utilized the “Nod and Smile” to get a passer by’s attention. However, the nod seemed intrusive and the smile completely disregarded.

On a gloriously sunny day, Adele and I took a walk toward a park and discovered a marina with an outdoor restaurant that invited ‘al fresco’ dining. Our wait person showed us to our table demonstrating an unusual degree of friendliness such that before we even took our seats Adele inquired, “May I ask you a question?” And proceeded to describe our experiences with Scandanavians. “Oh, that is so Finnish” she laughed. “That’s who we are. We don’t hold doors for the next person. We don’t ask what a another would like when ordering. We take care of ourselves”. Social courtesies are not an issue. It might be interesting studying the ‘courting process’ in Scandinavia. How is one ‘nice’ to another?

Vigelamd Park - Scene 1 -maybe he simply sits with his love

We visited Vigeland Sculptural Park. Vigeland, located in Fogner Park, is the largest park in the world devoted to the sculpture of a single artist. Gustav Vigeland dedicated his life to the creation of highly emotional sculptural pieces that were as reviled as they were admired.

Politics aside, Vigeland is a fantastic place to visit. With over 250 sculptures, including a massive monolith of writhing, racing bodies clawing their way to the top, as if struggling to assure entry into Heaven.

One of over two hundred sculptures by Gustsv Vigeland in Vigeland Park, the worlds largest park devoted to the works of a single artist.

Oslo is a diverse and wonderfully ‘new’ city in so many ways. There is no consistent architectural theme, other than, maybe, soaring, complex, functional, socially friendly intricate structures that invites light and participation. These are active communities where all people come to walk the promenade, watch the sailboats and enjoy the stunning harbor and sea views.

With our friends, Michael and Barbara at Vigeland Park