Coming to you from.....

http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=59.908878,10.768174&spn=0.000264,0.000823&z=19

Norway is a funny place!

Viegland Park

The Viegland Sculpture park is one of Oslo's biggest attractions. We had a perfect day to go there, in fact we were chasing the shade around. The park has 212 sculptures by Gustave Vigeland, made between the 19 teens and the 1930's. I have heard that he was a fachist etc... but i get a general good feeling from the statues. The human condition that binds us is the major theme.

Here is a blurb from Wiki about the Monotith. (last photo) It is awsome!!

At the highest point in the park lies the park's most popular attraction, The Monolith (Monolitten). Construction of the massive monument began in 1924 when Gustav Vigeland himself modeled it out of clay in his studio in Frogner.

The design process took him ten months, and it is speculated that Vigeland had the help of a few sketches drafted in 1919. The model was then cast in plaster. In the autumn of 1927 a block of granite weighing several hundred tons was delivered to the park from a stone quarry in Halden.

It was erected a year later and a wooden shed was built around it to keep out the elements. Vigeland’s plaster design was set up next to it to give reference to its sculptors. Transferring of the figures began in 1929 and took 3 stone carvers 14 years to accomplish.

On the Christmas of 1944 the public was allowed to admire The Monolith and 180,000 people crowded the wooden shed to get a close look at the creation. The shed was demolished shortly thereafter. The Monolith towers 14.12 meters (46.32 ft) high and is comprised of 121 human figures rising towards the sky. This is meant to represent man’s desire to become closer with the spiritual and divine. It portrays a feeling of togetherness as the human figures embrace one another as they are carried toward salvation.

Loved.

Nettles!!

Well i know alot more about stinging nettles now! First of all they hurt like the dickens! And funnily enough they are very common in urban areas. Hidden dangers of city life! Go figure. We were on our way up to the sports center to see about Tae Kwon Do classes for August and we took a little short cut through the grass. MISTAKE! In this photo Evita is recouperated but she was stung all over her leggs. August and me too. He was a trouper. We take the path now.

More airline deals!!

http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/two-day-sale-on-mexi-4641/

Now is the time to book, if you’re seriously contemplating a Mexico beach vacation sometime this summer or fall. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have announced a two-day sale, which began this morning, on the eight destinations that they serve in Mexico: Cancun, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Loreto, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta.
Deal: Book a flight online to one of these spots, and you’ll get 25% off.
Tested: Starting via the sale page, I found round-trip flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR) in late June, traveling both ways on Tuesdays, for $264, including taxes and fees. This represents a $53 discount on the base airfare.
I checked the same flights on CheapTickets.com and the total there amounted to $317 — or, $53 more than the sale fare I could snap up booking directly with the airline.
When: This is valid for travel through Oct. 31. You have until midnight Tuesday, June 16, to purchase.
Caveat: Among the fine print: “One discount is allowed per reservation for up to seven people traveling together in the same reservation.”
Baggage note: You have until July 6 to get one bag checked free of charge. After that date, $15 will be charged for your first checked bag, $25 for your second.
Contact: Alaska Airlines / Horizon Air
- Susan Derby, Special to The Times

Some airline deals!!??

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2009-07-07-airline-cheap-fares_N.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN0734299620090707

Ekebergrestauranten

A couple of days ago we took a small forest path at the edge of our neighbour hood up the side of the mountain. After only about 15 minutes of upish walking we were at the top. There we found the Ekeberg Restaruant, a deco building that has been recently restored. It was lovely! In fact we were so inspired that we splurged for a beer, while enjoying the view of the city. (and the opera house).

Here is a link showing the restaurant, (yeah, i forgot to take photos of it, how lame!) We didn't get to see the inside as only the patio is open in the daytime.

http://www.dehistoriske.com/restaurant/ekebergrestauranten/

If you can't open new doors....

You can at least paint the ones you have! The building that we have recently moved into in Oslo is in the process of renovation. It is all finished except for the attic and the stair case up to the apartments. Which will be done in one year. (or so we have heard!) Anywho we didn't want to spend the next year looking at a partially sanded and defaced door, so Jim got busy!!
The result you see below! We have the prettiest door on our stairs! (not that it is a competition!) Now we just have to get that door bell working!

Hysterical in Oslo

Last week i went to a art show, here is a link to a review of it in Norwegian

http://www.kunstkritikk.no/article/73887


And here is the gallery that it was held at

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=39148807688

It was a very interesting show that entailed three actress/dancers doing thier interpretation of hysteria in women at the turn of the last century. Their influences were the works of

Jean-Martin Charcot (November 29, 1825-August 16, 1893) French Neurologist. Here is a small blurb from Indiana University.

21st century psychologists are primarily interested in Charcot's research into the causes of Hysteria. Although this disorder expressed itself differently in each patient, most suffered a combination of physical and psychological symptoms, which could include delirium, paralysis, rigidity and contraction of muscles, blindness, inability to speak, loss of feeling, vomiting, hemorrhaging, seizures, joint deformity and distended abdomens. Many contemporary physicians accused the hysterical patients of malingering and fraud, but Charcot was convinced that the patients believed that their symptoms were real, and that the physical symptoms were indicative of a genuine psychological problem (Fancher, 1985, p. 53).

For full info follpw http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/charcot.shtml

It was a wild show and i think that everyone was uncomfortable most of the time. The above photo is my cousin (in flowery dress) looking at the woman on the floor who had just collapsed (as part of the show) that is me behind her looking at one of the other actors. See more photos at the first link above.

luckily it only lasted an hour. In a good way....