I think I can, I think I can, I think I can . . .
I need to finish writing up our Scandinavian Trip of 2011 before we head to Prague (YIKES!) five weeks from today. I think I can do it in three more posts, maybe two.
While in Oslo our tour group visited the Norsk Folkemuseum, an outdoor living history experience that shows typical Norwegian life from 1500 to the present. The open-air museum has over 150 buildings and many costumed workers and exhibitors.
The peaceful, richly-colored old town could have almost been one of the towns we drove through in the bus as we traveled through the country:
Walking away from the town square was like walking back in time:
One of the most photographed structures in the Folkemuseum is the Gol Stave Church, built in 1212. It was saved from destruction in 1880 by the king and relocated to its current site. There are only a handful of these wooden medieval churches left. Again, notice the lack of windows. No brilliant stained glass here.
Unfortunately, we were not able to go inside because just as we got there, guests began to arrive for a wedding. I was really disappointed not to be able to experience the dark interior, but the seeing the surprisingly comfortable mix of old and new in the wedding party more than compensated for that:
This woman we could see through a window appeared to be the minister:
I recently ran across these words spoken by Kjell Magne Bondevik (a Lutheran minister and former Prime Minister of Norway who was very popular) that I thought were very appropriate for the blend of old and new we saw here:
"We have to find compromises. That's the way it is in Norway."
On the other hand, Henrik Ibsen, Norway's most famous playwright, said:
"The devil is compromise."
I think in this particular case, I have to vote with the Prime Minister.
I need to finish writing up our Scandinavian Trip of 2011 before we head to Prague (YIKES!) five weeks from today. I think I can do it in three more posts, maybe two.
While in Oslo our tour group visited the Norsk Folkemuseum, an outdoor living history experience that shows typical Norwegian life from 1500 to the present. The open-air museum has over 150 buildings and many costumed workers and exhibitors.
The peaceful, richly-colored old town could have almost been one of the towns we drove through in the bus as we traveled through the country:
My brother Dave would never be able to visit this town. Too bad, Dave.
Notice the almost complete lack of windows on the house below. When there is snow up to your roofline, a window is not a good thing.
We did see a few windows, but they were usually up high and not too large:
All the people in costume "doing their thing" significantly enhanced our experience:
One of the most photographed structures in the Folkemuseum is the Gol Stave Church, built in 1212. It was saved from destruction in 1880 by the king and relocated to its current site. There are only a handful of these wooden medieval churches left. Again, notice the lack of windows. No brilliant stained glass here.
This woman we could see through a window appeared to be the minister:
I recently ran across these words spoken by Kjell Magne Bondevik (a Lutheran minister and former Prime Minister of Norway who was very popular) that I thought were very appropriate for the blend of old and new we saw here:
"We have to find compromises. That's the way it is in Norway."
On the other hand, Henrik Ibsen, Norway's most famous playwright, said:
"The devil is compromise."
I think in this particular case, I have to vote with the Prime Minister.