17th of May is the day when every Norwegian is out in the streets celebrating the Norwegian constitutions. This tradition is very nice and I believe visitors from other countries would find it fascinating. All the schools are marching and the kids are waving their flags shouting hooray hooray! Many schools have their own marching bands providing music during the procession. In Oslo the procession march to the royal castle in the center of Oslo. The Royal Family is present on the balcony for a couple of hours greeting the schools as they march across the square outside the castle. In other cities the procession will end in some central spot and the mayor or some other prominent person will give a speech. I snapped a few shots in Oslo this year, and here they are:

Karl Johans gate. The royal castle visible in the background.

Karl Johans gate closer to the royal castle

Many people wear "bunad"; traditional Norwegian clothing

Marching band

American indians performing in Oslo 17th of May

Hare Krishna worked hard to be heard over the sound of the indians.

I’ll start this one where I left the last blog post. The celebration of the work of Norwegian artist Pushwagner is also visible on the south side of the Oslo central station at the airport train terminal. I find it fascinating how they can spend the money and the effort to set the whole thing up and then utterly disrespect their own exhibition the next moment.

Pushwagner 'Vertigo' at Oslo central station (click image for large version)

Notice the carefully parked lift?

Just a few meters away from this disturbing sight is the beautiful Oslo Opera House. I’ve shot dusins of pictures of this building with my old camera of us doing Taiji on the roof. This is the first time I’ve tried to capture the building it self though – or at least at part of it.

Oslo Opera House (click image for large version)

I was walking along the waterfront this afternoon. The next object to attract my attention was this ship from the Norwegian coast guard. I’m no expert, but I believe this is one is a Nornen class inshore patrol vessel designed for coast guard duties such as search and rescue, fire fighting, environmental protection, customs duties and police duties.

Norwegian coast guard (click image for large version)

The girsl and boys in the Coast guard sail the Northern Sea and go head to head with the Russian navy in the name of Norwegian sovereignty in the Barent Sea. They are the caretakers of our huge national waters looking after the fishing resources and helping ships in distress. Most Norwegians probably knows this, but don’t appreciate that fishing is the number two source of wealth in Norway after the oil industry.

A few meters away, we move into another world. “Kongeskipet Norge” (the royal yacht) is docked; apparently for some minor maintenance. The area smells of paint and the crew is crawling around with paint brushes and cleaning equipment. I have no idea about the plans The Royal Family might have for the summer, but I’m willing to bet they plan to use “Norge” 🙂

Kongeskipet Norge (click image for large version)

A bit closer to the city center is the old steamer Børøysund (sorry, but couldn’t find information in English for this one). It was built in 1908 in Trondheim and spent the next 60 years trafficking the tough waters along the Norwegian coast with cargo and passengers. It was retired in 1969 and has been maintained and redone by enthusiasts. Today it’s certified for up to 100 passengers and can be rented for parties and tours of the Oslo fjord.

Børøysund (click image for large version)

On my way from the water front towards the Oslo City Hall I bumped into the guy on the next picture. The great Norwegian hero Peter Tordenskjold (thunder shield). He was a prominent naval officer working in the early 1700’s and his name his legendary. The article in Wikipedia does not mention it, but I’ve read that he actually served on one or more slave ships during his early years at sea. This came as a big surprise to me and is a part of Norwegian history I’ve never seen in official history books …

Peter Tordenskjold (click image for large version)

My last shots for this post are from St. Olavs plass, a couple of blocks up from the water front. It’s pretty close to where I go to work every day. They’ve sculpted the whole square around a stunning centre piece hanging suspended from cables connected to the roofs of the surrounding buildings. I think the whole place looks great and have to say that I’m glad to live in a city that can spend our tax money on making our home town look good. I mean; we need to make sure that we take care of the those in need. We also need to invest in infrastructure and municipal services. It is also essential to keep the city in shape and to make sure it’s a place where we enjoy and find interesting. I think what the local government have done to St. Olavs plass is a great example of how to do exactly that.

St. Olavs plass (click image for large version)

St. Olavs plass (click image for large version)

That’s all folks! I’ll be back in a day or two with pictures from the 17th of May – the Norwegian constitution day.

I’m back from my trip to the US and the UAE for a couple of weeks and I still have my new camera. I’ve been snapping a few shots here and there that I believe are representative for the springtime feelings in my home town Oslo. The following quote is taken from the Wikipedia description of Oslo and is a good introduction to my first picture from Oslo Central Station.

“The city was once referred to as Tigerstaden (the City of Tigers) by the author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson around 1870, due to his perception of the city as a cold and dangerous place. This name has over the years achieved an almost official status, to the extent that the 1000-year anniversary was celebrated by a row of tiger sculptures around city hall. “

Oslo "Tigerstaden" (City of Tigers)

A sure sign of spring in Oslo is the emergence of marching bands. This day (Saturday 9th of May) I came across the band “Kampen Janitsjar” playing outside Oslo Central Station. Behind the band you can see a huge reproduction of a picture by pop-art artist Pushwagner. He used to hang around with the homeless in Oslo and would occasionally spend the night at a friends house or with someone he met. Sometimes he would leave one of his paintings as collateral or payment for lodging. Today those pictures are worth their weight in gold or perhaps more than that. This is at least the story I’ve been told about him. The little girl in front of the band is just a little girl standing in front of the band …

Kampen janitsjar playing at Oslo Central Station

The rigging of outdoor stages is another sure sign that summer is around the corner. The picture is taken on “Youngstorget” and the building in the background is the old Oslo police station “Møllergata 19” that also served as HQ for the Gestapo during World War 2.

Youngstorget music stage

There are lots of green areas in Oslo. The next few shots are taken in an area close to where i live by “Akerselva” a river hat cuts through the city.

Akerselva, taken in Nydalen

Duck swimming in Akerselva

Windflowers by Akerselva

One of Oslo’s land marks is the City Hall housing the political leadership of the city. The building was finished in the 1950’s after standing only partially finished during World War 2.  This is also where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented to the winner in December every year.

Oslo City Hall

Oslo City Hall, clock tower

For me though, the best thing about spring is that we can start practicing Taiji outside! Every morning from 07:30, Monday to Friday we practice on the roof of the fantastic new opera house in Oslo. I haven’t taken any good pictures there so far this year but here’s one from last year taken with my old camera.

Morning Taiji at Oslo Opera House

Every second Saturday of the month the entire year, we practice outside the Nobel Peace Center. This is something we keep going regardless of weather or whether the ground is covered by snow or ice. It’s a way of bringing sharing our practice with the community and to demonstrate the “peace in action” philosophy represented in the practice of Taiji. It is however a great thing when the snow is gone and the ice is gone from the fjord.

Taiji practice outside the Nobel Peace Center

That’s it for now. Take care 🙂