LILLEHAMMER, NORWAY

JUST A COUPLE OF HOURS NORTH OF OSLO IS LILLEHAMMER.  "HOME OF THE 1994 OLYMPICS" AS THEY SEEM TO REMIND VISITORS ON EVERY STREET CORNER.  IT'S A SMALL CITY AND MY GUESS IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED SINCE THOSE OLYMPIC GAMES. BEFORE ARRIVING IN LILLEHAMMER WE STOPPED AT A SMALL TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTING NORWEGIAN TRANSPORTATION.   IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD EXHIBIT WITH HISTORIC BUILDINGS, NORWEGIAN ROAD BUILDING EQUIPMENT, AS WELL AS AN INTERESTING TOUR OF A ROCK MINE.  THE NORWEGIANS WERE REALLY INTO MINING FOR ROCK.    WE SAW SEVERAL FAMILIES WHO HAD YOUNG KIDS AND THEY WERE HAVING SO MUCH FUN CLIMBING ON THE EQUIPMENT AND EXPLORING.

A LITTLE TASTE OF HOME!

FUNNY NORWEGIANS

LIKE I SAID, FUNNY NORWEGIANS

I WISH I COULD SAY IT WAS A SUNDAY AND THAT WAS WHY THE SHOPPING DISTRICT WAS SO EMPTY IN LILLEHAMMER, BUT IT WASN'T.   KIND OF SAD.

WERE THESE GALS LAUGHING AT US BECAUSE WE STOPPED OFF IN LILLEHAMMER ON OUR NORWAY ADVENTURE?

THEY LOVE BLASTING OUT TUNNELS IN NORWAY.  NEARLY THE WHOLE DRIVE FROM OSLO TO LILLEHAMMER WAS A CONSTRUCTION SITE.

OOPS!   I THINK THEY FORGOT TO FINISH SOMETHING HERE!

THIS IS THE TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM OUTSIDE OF LILLEHAMMER.   THEY HAD QUITE THE BICYCLE COLLECTION

THE STORY BEHIND THIS BUS IS THAT IT WAS CUSTOM BUILT FOR AN AREA OF NORWAY THAT HAD A NARROW BRIDGE.  THE REGULAR BUSES COULDN'T FIT OVER THE BRIDGE TO PICK UP KIDS FOR SCHOOL SO THEY HAD THIS ONE DESIGNED FOR IT.  THEN OF COURSE THEY EVENTUALLY WIDENED THE BRIDGE AND THE BUS WAS PUT TO PASTURE.   THEY HAVE LOVINGLY RESTORED IT AT THE TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM AND THEY USE IT TO DRIVE PEOPLE AROUND WHO CAN'T MAKE THE WALK.

THIS WAS AN INTERESTING BLASTING TUNNEL TOUR.  THEY HAD THE TOUR IN ENGLISH SO WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW THEY BUILT THE ROADS AND TUNNELS ALL OVER NORWAY.  IN THE EARLY DAYS IT WAS DONE BY HAND.  UNBELIEVABLE.

VIEW OF LILLEHAMMER FROM OUR HOTEL

 

HEADING TO NORWAY

WE LEAVE HAMBURG ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON TO DRIVE ABOUT 4 HOURS NORTH INTO DENMARK.  WE STAY IN THE SMALL CITY OF AALBORG, DENMARK.  IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO MAKE A STOP SINCE IT IS LESS THAN AN HOUR TO THE FERRY WHICH WE ARE CATCHING AT NOON THE NEXT DAY.    THE FERRY IS HUGE.   A LOT DIFFERENT THAN THE CROSS SOUND FERRY IN NEW LONDON.   

COOL BENCH IN AALBORG, DENMARK

THOUGHT THIS WAS KIND OF A FUNNY COMBINATION AT THE HOTEL.

VIEW OF AALBORG

BRIAN DRIVING ON THE AUTOBAHN!

ON THE WAY TO THE FERRY

FERRY DOCK IN DENMARK;

THIS IS ONE OF THE "SMALL" FERRIES.

LOOK HOW TINY THE PERSON IS!  THE FERRY IS HUGE!  LOTS OF CARS AND FULL SIZE TRUCKS AND BUSES ARE DRIVEN ON WITH THE CARS.  3 FLOORS OF SEATING, DINING AND LOUNGES.

CAMPING?   DENMARK STYLE?

ONCE WE ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE IN NORWAY WE  HAVE ABOUT 2 HOURS TO DRIVE INTO OSLO.  I THOUGHT WE WERE SEEING SOME PRETTY NICE VISTAS - BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT THOSE VIEWS WERE NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT WE WOULD SEE ON OUR WAY INTO THE CENTRAL PART OF NORWAY.  WOW!   YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THOSE PICTURES ON ANOTHER POST.    

OSLO WAS AN AWESOME CITY.   I THINK IT PROBABLY RANKS UP THERE AS ONE OF MY FAVORITE EUROPEAN CITIES.  YES IT'S MORE MODERN THAN OTHER PLACES BUT THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT BOTH RANDY AND I LIKED ABOUT IT.   IT WAS FRIENDLY, CLEAN, JUST THE RIGHT SIZE, AWESOME ARCHITECTURE, INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR.    WE STAYED AT AN OLD HOTEL - THE HOTEL BRISTOL.  I MUST ADMIT I HAVE TO AGREE WITH RANDY....QUITE REMINISCENT OF THE SHINING. 

CUTE

THE ACTUAL FACADE OF THAT BUILDING IS A PAINTED MATERIAL THAT IS DRAPED IN FRONT TO CAMOUFLAGE THE RENOVATION WORK AND SCAFFOLDING.   IT'S A GREAT WAY TO KEEP THE LOOK OF AN HISTORIC AREA.

THIS IS CHRISTIAN KROHG - A FAMOUS NORWEGIAN PAINTER AND ILLUSTRATOR.  HE WAS FAMOUS FOR HIS PORTRAYAL OF EVERYDAY LIFE;  MANY OF THOSE "EVERYDAY" PEOPLE HE PAINTED WERE PROSTITUTES.  LATE 1800s TIME PERIOD.

THIS IS A GREAT SIGN THAT CHANGES COLORS.  IT REMINDS ME OF THE CITGO SIGN IN BOSTON.   FREIA IS A CHOCOLATE COMPANY IN NORWAY - IT IS QUITE GOOD TOO!

SPEED PAINTING

FINALLY, I HAD MY CAMERA READY AT JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT!!  LOVE THE NEXT PHOTO!

OLD TELEPHONE BOOTHS AT THE HOTEL BRISTOL

SOME ART DECO PIECES IN THE HOTEL

WHERE'S LITTLE DANNY AND HIS BIG WHEEL??

IMPRESSIVE HOTEL LOBBY.  

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT OSLO IS THE WONDERFUL SCULPTURE WORK THROUGHOUT THE CITY.  I'M SURE THERE WERE MANY THAT I DIDN'T SEE.  

WE SPENT ALL DAY TUESDAY EXPLORING OSLO.   WE TOOK A WATER TAXI ACROSS TO THE VIKING SHIP MUSEUM AND ALSO THE KON-TIKI MUSEUM.   YOU MAY REMEMBER THE THOR HEYERDAHL BOOK ABOUT HIS CROSSING THE PACIFIC FROM PERU TO THE POLYNESIAN ISLANDS.  MOM AND DAD HAD THAT BOOK WHILE I WAS GROWING UP AND I REMEMBER PERUSING THE PICTURES OFTEN WHEN I WAS A KID BUT I HAD NEVER KNOWN THE STORY.  SO I HAD THE BOOK BACK HOME AND  BROUGHT IT BACK FROM THE STATES AND READ IT BEFORE WE WENT.  IT WAS AN AMAZING STORY.  I WOULD RECOMMEND IT.



THE VIKING SHIP MUSEUM 

THE KON-TIKI MUSEUM.  1947 - 3 MONTHS, 4,300 MILES, 6 EXPLORERS.

RANDY & I WERE REALLY SURPRISED AT THE BEAUTIFUL MODERN ARCHITECTURE OF OSLO.  I KNOW I WOULD REALLY HATE THE WINTERS THERE BUT IT WOULD BE A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE I THINK.