The Blue Chair Blog

It's not just about the novel

Tag Archives: Norway


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Northern light, blue skies

Here are a few photos from around Drøbak and Oslo. Chalkboard signs are ubiquitous in cities and Melkesjokolade is ubiquitious in Norway. I come from berry country; fresh Norwegian strawberries will meet or beat ours. And the waffles I get when I’m in Drøbak can’t be bettered anywhere.

On July 22, I flew to London from Oslo, leaving behind not only family and friends in Drøbak but the pure Norwegian light and lucid blue skies. I miss the people, light, and color still.  A few odds and ends posted for you. Soon, I’ll write about London and Oxford. With photos, of course!

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Modern art in Oslo

I’ve been wanting to visit the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art ever since it moved into it’s new location on Oslo’s waterfront. Between this place and Ekeberg Park, Oslo’s access to modern art is off the charts, especially in proportion to her size.  There was one rainy day during my time in Norway, so off we went.  Besides the impressive permanent collection of modern art, there was an exhibit of works collected by the explorer Erling Kagge’s called Love Story. The Astrup Fearnley’s location on the peninsula of Tjuvholmen is dramatic, and the two museum buildings provide a soaring backdrop for the art. I liked a lot of what I saw, was challenged by some pieces, and thought a few were in the category of you’re-pulling-my-leg. That’s modern art for you, but in particular I am still haunted by Damien Hirst’s Eulogy, constructed with butterfly wings, and to which no picture can do justice.

Oslo from Tjuvholmen
Third Floor Terrace, Astrup Fearnley
Olafur Eliasson, The Kaleidoscope City
Franz West, Untitled (Rolls Royce Adaptives)
Outdoor sculpture on Tjuvholmen
Outdoor sculpture from above
That’s my nephew!
Damien Hirst, Eulogy
Takashi Murakami, Blue Life Force
Looking out, looking down


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To market, to market

The Sunday market along the Akerselva at Blå, in the Grünerløkka district of Oslo, is about as colorful as you could want — sun, music, street art, kids, dogs, things to buy, things to eat and drink, and a lot of happy people. Sunday markets were another of several firsts for me on this trip to Oslo.

Grünerløkka
Street art is everywhere in Grünerløkka
Street art detail
From another perspective
Søndagsmarked på Blå
Local color
Gotta have ’em, kids & dogs
Are you lookin’ at me?
Cafe on the river
Akerselva
What should I buy?
Photo bombed
Coffee at the market
This artist is Phlegm

Notes:

In Norwegian this market is called Søndagsmarked på Blå and it’s located at Brenneriveien 9. If you are curious about that intricately painted crocodile in the last photo, someone was kind enough to tag my Instagram photo with the artist’s name: Phlegm. (You just can’t make this stuff up.) Click the links to read more about Phlegm and his impressive body of work.

My nephew and I capped this field trip off with a visit to Oslo’s Food Hall (Mathallen) for lunch. We were there last year, too. Lots of delicious, beautiful food — meat, produce, baked goods, etc. — and a variety of places to eat and drink. We had sandwiches of duck confit from Ma Poule. Not particularly Norwegian but delicious!


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Exploring Fredrikstad

The last time I was in Fredrikstad, which is about 55 miles south of Oslo and only 20 miles from Sweden, the weather was cold and blustery and the town was nearly deserted. On a warm day in July, the place bustles with sightseers and shoppers. The Old Town (Gamlebyen) is beautifully restored and if you take the time to walk the perimeter, you can see why it’s described as the best preserved fortress town in Scandinavia. All of its original defenses are still intact. Since I didn’t have a helicopter or a drone, I don’t have a picture that shows this, but you can take a look here and probably recognize it as a star fort or bastion fort —  similar to Fort Ticonderoga in the United States, for example. In the event you are geeky like me, you can read more about star forts here. Gamlebyen itself is more about charm than might, however. Now, we completely missed this, but when I researched this post I learned that Fredrikstad boasts Norway’s smallest museum, the Norwegian Humour Museum (scroll down). Are they deliberately trying to be ironic?

Boats on Østerelva
Frederick II
Building in Gamlebyen
Old Town Elegance
A view of Gamlebyen
Yellow rose in Gamlebyen
View toward the harbor
Up to the walls

 

 


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Exploring Ekeberg Park

Oslo has long had one of the most impressive sculpture parks in the world in Vigeland Park. In the fall of 2013, the city of Oslo opened Ekeberg Park as a “people’s park,” which is a quintessentially Norwegian way to do things. It is a “sculpture and national heritage park” with a strong international art collection, including works by Rodin, Renoir, Dali, Vigeland, Botero, and Damien Hirst.

Most of the sculptures are figures or representations of women. They are surrounded by beautiful scenery with many spectacular views out over the city and Oslfjord. Traces of some of the oldest settlements in the area, such as petroglyphs and dry stone walls, are also found in this fascinating cultural landscape.

After quite a few visits to Oslo over the last 15 years, it was a deep pleasure to discover something new and inspiring and to spend an afternoon walking through beautiful Ekenberg Park with family. The park is free and always open. There is a nearby campground, too.

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In transit

I’m in Norway at the moment. Tomorrow, I fly to London. Blogging while traveling is a great concept if you are set up for it. Really, I’m not. I have an iPad Mini, disobedient fingers, and dodgy eyesight. However, I also have a notebook — first and last, I’m an analog writer. So, once I’m home, there will be blogging. In the meantime, there are visuals.


I got sort of dehydrated. I ended up not only drinking, but taking quite a few photos of, blue Gatorade.


The Sunday Market at Blå, in the Grünerløkka neighborhood of Oslo.


Reflection at Ekeberg Park.

That’s all for now.