We all get fed up of listening to the rain and watching the returned cable tv that we decide to catch the bus into Oslo again. On the bus there was a group of teenagers full of high spirits and when they realised that we were English we had introductions all round and continued talking until their stop. Another passenger apologised for their behaviour but compared with some we have encountered back home this group were very subdued.
Having got off the bus at the Central Station we once again walked to the booking office for a sailing over to Denmark. First we tried with DFDS but they didn't have any berths for the next day, however we finally had success with Stena and blew the expense and got ourselves a 4 berth cabin with porthole, which Guzzisue insisted on. Tomorrow we sail for Denmark!
After a bite to eat we take the advice from the Tourist Information Centre and buy Day Rider Tickets for 60 KR and take the Metro to the Munch Museum. The main reason for going here was that Ian had always wanted to see "The Scream" painting and this was in the first gallery on the right as we walked into the museum. This may have changed since the painting was stolen and recovered some time later. Ian was surprised to find that this masterpiece was painted onto card. We all enjoyed the visit finding different works of the artist to discuss.
Our next stop was to Vigeland Sculpture Park And Museum. We arrived by bus and when our stop was reached six people in uniform boarded. Ian thought they looked like firemen, but were in fact ticket inspectors. No quarter was given as three of the group blocked the bus doorways whilst the others inspected all passengers' tickets. If anyone had not paid then they were issued with a fine notice without the chance to pay the fare on the bus. Identities and home addresses were checked of the non payers and they were not permitted to leave the bus until these had been verrified!
Having shown our tickets to the inspectors we were permitted to leave the bus and proceeded to enter Vigeland through the main entrance. The park covers an area of 80 acresand functions as both a sculpture park and a public park, open to visitors all day everyday.
The park contains 192 sculptures with more than 600 figures, all modeled by Gustav Vigeland. He also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds.
From the entrance there is a walk to the bridge which is 100 metres long with 58 sculptures along it plus one at every corner. One of the most photographed sculptures from this area is the one titled "Angry Little Boy, Crying"
Just below the bridge is a circular area titled "The Children's Playground", containing 8 bronze sculpyures of small children placed around the circumfrence. In the centre, mounted on a small granite coloum is the figure of an unborn child with its head down.
Moving on from the bridge we next arrived at The Fountain, the earliest sculpture unit in the park. The centre of this piece has a six men holding up a large saucer shaped bowl from which water spills down. Around the edge of the sculpture there are more figures in each corner while on the fountain's wall there are many small scenes depicted.
Leaving the Fountain behind we carry on a little further and go through a set of gates to the Monolith.
This column consists of 121 figures and is so named because it was carved out of a single block of stone and its total height including the plinth is 17.3 metres. Three stone carvers worked on the colum daily from 1929 to 1943 and it was completed just before Vigeland died.
Around the steps leading up to the Monolith there are 34 more sculptures, one of which is below.
Carrying on from the Monolith we pass through another gate
and reach the Sundial, mounted on a 12 sided granite pedestal bearing circular reliefs depicting the signs of the zodiac.
The final picture is a view from the Monolith looking down the park towards the main entrance.
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