The Grand Princess arrived into Oslo Harbor early Thursday morning, September 3rd. Although I have made several trips to Oslo for work, it was always in the neighboring areas and not within the main city of Oslo. So, this really was a first-time trip for all of us!
Conveniently, the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus tour stopped adjacent to the ship's berth and we were quick to purchase tickets for the day.
The bus tour again was wonderful. We love the fact that we can view the many sights of the city (with narration) and then choose where and when you want to get off.
We chose to stop off at Vigeland Sculpture Park, to see the over 200 sculptures of the human form. It was situated in a beautful park-like setting, just within Frogner Park in the central city. First stop was a large playground where the kids enjoyed some serious playtime while burning off the big breakfast from earlier that morning.
Just a few minutes walk from the playground took us through the rest of this beautiful park and to the first of the sculptures, located just past the bridge.
All of the sculptures were nude, except for the one sculpture of the artist himself, Gustav Vigeland, a famous Norwegian sculptor. Apparently, he was not yet ready to bare all to the world. However, the kids thought these naked statues were quite amusing...
The sculptor donated all of his art to the city, on the condition that they be displayed to the public free of charge, 365 days a year.
Jo and DS at The Monolith, the centerpiece of the exhibition
The bronze fountain
After all that walking, we hopped back on the bus to see more of the city. Before re-boarding the ship, DS & PS went inside a gift shop to see what they could buy with the few remaining Norwegian coins we had left. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to buy anything in the entire store. However, the kind shopkeeper gave DS a souvenir "I Love Norway" heart that cost more than what the girls had. After realizing PS was sad that she didn't have a souvenir of her own, the owner came out and gave PS a souvenir heart as well! Now that's what I call Norwegian Hospitality!
Two "happy campers" after receiving Norwegian hearts!
Once back onboard, we had a bite to eat and headed upstairs to watch the beautiful Norwegian scenery as we departed Oslo.
A little later, we all gathered poolside to watch "Movies Under the Stars" on the giant screen. This afternoon's movie was "Grease".
That evening was our last formal night, so we got "dressed up" and met up for dinner. The kids wanted to head to the disco after dinner, so we went up to let them "burn up the dance floor". Lucky JY got to escort the three lovely ladies, I guess you can never under-estimate the power of a tuxedo...
Next day was "At Sea", as we sailed back to Southampton and the end of our cruise. Stay tuned...
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