Adventures in Oslo

Today was perhaps the best day I've had in Oslo yet! I've had many good days before this, but today stands out. I think it was a balanced day, and as a result of the balance, my anxiety resulting from being unbalanced was minimal to nonexistent. I studied in the morning, went to the museums in the afternoon, walked around the fortress, had a nice sandwich and coffee as the sun went down, came home and sent some emails, had kraft dinner, enjoyed the internet.

The highlights of the day, and what will undoubtedly remain as highlights of the trip, were my visits to the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art and the Akershus Slott (Fortress).

The Astrup Fearnley Museum is one of the most impressive museums/galleries I have seen - if it weren't for its lesser size, it would stand right next to Tate Modern as an equal (if you ask me). The exhibition currenly in progress is the second part of a joint exhibition produced by Astrup and the Serpentine Gallery in London. Its aim is to shine a light on the amazing work being produced by the current generation of Chinese artists, all of whom have chosen to stay in China (the exhibition tells that in the past, most contemporary artists would have had to leave the country to pursue their art in more traditional centres such as London and New York). There were some incredible pieces. Here's the only photo I managed to take before I was told that photos were not allowed:



Following the Astrup, I wandered over to the National Gallery of Contemporary Art, which was great, but felt a little flat compared to where I had just been. There were, however, several great pieces, which may or may not include the following:


Once I'd had my fill of art, I took a walk and decided to do something I probably should have done within the first few days of arriving in Oslo: visit the fortress. It's marked on every tourist map, and it's within walking distance of three different train stops, so I really have no excuse for taking this long to get to it. Better late than never is what I continue to tell myself as I sit here writing this blog.

The fortress is built on a piece of land that juts out into the Oslo Fjord, and it's actually one of the more impressive fortresses I have been to - moreso than the ones in Denmark and St. Petersburg.

As I walked along the steep walls, I found a nice spot to sit and watch the sun sink lower into the water. I sat there for nearly an hour, and really felt like I was enjoying Oslo, which I was (and am). Here are some photos:










I'm now sitting here, reading through an Oslo tourist guide, thinking that I should probably get out and do more of this sort of thing before I have to leave.

Tomorrow I leave for Amsterdam, so my adventures in Oslo will have to wait until Monday.