(De)Tour to Norway IV: Layover in Oslo (7/16/2004)
Changing trains in Oslo left me with 2 hours to spare. I first bought a disposal camera to pinch-hit for my long-lost digital. Then I thought, “What can I do in Oslo in an hour?” and I answered, “See the Scream!” I knew exactly where it was--the National Gallery--and even by foot I should be able to make it in time, so I lockered my bags and started hoofing it. I even remembered where in the museum the painting hangs--in landing between the two central staircases.
Except that it wasn't there. Was my memory flawed? No, they must have moved it. Running out of time, I quickly found a map of the exhibits, and it usefully showed where to find the Scream in a top-floor side room. Sure enough, there it was. I didn't have along my disposable camera, but I did have my phone!
As many of you now know, The Scream was stolen in August of 2004. When first heard that, I thought maybe I was lucky to be one of the last to see it. However, that was not the same painting as the one above. There are actually four different versions of The Scream, and the one that was stolen was the one that hanged in Oslo's Munch Museum, not this one from the National Gallery.