Norway post #3 (while you were sleeping)
I seem to be on a travel-writing roll. Might as well go with it...
Today Eric was working at the conference so I got to play tourist on my own. I was in the mood to check out a museum or two but since there was a strike closing down some of the museums, I wanted to check which were still open. I figured the tourism office would know a helpful thing or two.
Finding the tourism office was it's own adventure. I heard there was one in the train station and my hotel is right next to that station so I went inside. Upstairs, downstairs, down hallways, still nothing. Finally I see a sign pointing down. Follow sign, still no tourism office. Go outside and see an "i" for information. Head over. Can't figure out how to get in. Make a circle completely around the building. Try a random door I see some other folks going into. Success. Then I get to figure out which of the 1/2 dozen machines gives me a number so I can be called to a desk. Even better, I am called up immediately where a helpful person draws on a map which museums are closed and which are open and worth seeing. Yay!
I start to wander towards the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art but it's a nice day so I get distracted and turn towards City Hall. On the way there, I see that theOslo Theater Museum is open and has free admission so I head up the stairs to check it out. Mostly it is full of portraits and biographies of actors and dancers in Oslo in the last few hundred years. They also had a nice collection of costumes, some newer, and some quite old. It was quite nice to see these up close. I particularly enjoyed when they had a picture of the actress wearing the costume over and behind the costume itself. Neat to see the difference between the glamor and the reality.
Feeling snacky, I went in search of lunch. Oslo must look and feel so radically different in the winter. In the summer, it is absolutely full of outdoor cafes and these cafes are absolutely full of sun seekers. I chose a nice little table at Skansen , mostly because it was shaded, but still with a good view for people watching. My waitress was friendly and immediately asked if I wanted an english language menu. When I said "yes," she disappeared for a while. When I was starting to wonder if I should leave, she brought my menu. And then was gone for a long time. Not gone-gone, I did see her serve other people occasionally, but that sort of impossible-to-get-eye-contact sort of gone. However, soon after she took my order, my food arrived. But then she was gone-gone-gone and despite my having finished my plate ages ago, despite trying to get her attention, nothing. I grabbed my backpack and headed to the bathrom and by the time I came back, my table was cleaned up and another couple was sitting there, eating.I can only assume that they saw me leave and took over. So I sat at the table right next to it. With backpack on table. With credit card in hand. And finally got some attention. My waitress asked me if I wanted anything else to drink. I said "no" and she dissapeared again. Finally I flagged down someone else and got my check.
If a waitress doesn't like me, wouldn't she want to rush me out of there? If she does like me, wouldn't she want to check on me to see if I have all I need? I just don't get being left to sit. If I had exact change on me, I would have just guessed at the bill and taken off. It was very tempting to leave without paying but any consequence of breaking the law in a foreign country sounds like all kinds of no fun.
It's too bad, because it was a rather tasty sandwich. It was shrimp and mayo on white bread with the crusts removed. Garnished with a hard boiled egg with the yolk still a little bit soft, perfect. Also served with lemon slices and caviar. Yeah, caviar. This sandwich also cost me over $20. For that price I'd damned well get a bit of caviar.
Once released from purgatory cafe, I finally made it to the modern art museum (also free). You know, I'm not so sure how I feel about modern art. I looked at each piece carefully, waiting to see if I made any kind of emotional connection; for most of them, I had no emotional response at all. No response either. What on earth were they trying to convey? Fortunately the museum had a sunny reading room, full of books about the exhibits. Some of it made sense. Most of it sounded like bull. A lot of the meaning was not so much in the piece itself but in the story the artist had for choosing the piece. In other words, I can sit and stare at it all I like but without knowing the artist's purpose, and what it is trying to comment on, both socially, and in relationship to works of art that came before, the object itself holds no meaning at all.
From the museum, I headed down Akerhusstranda. Cruise ships and recreational fishermen on one side of me, massive old fortress on the other. The path led me to Aker Brygge, full of boats, shops, and restaurants. Beyond that was Tjuvholmen, an area in major development. It looks as though they are building into the sea.
Knowing I needed to meet up with Eric soon, I found my way back via Karl Johans Gate. I enjoyed the waterfront so much that I took Eric on pretty much the same walk. We landed at Herbern restaurant for a dinner of herring for me and smoked salmon for Eric. Oh so tasty! Herbern was "seat yourself" but in that undecipeherable Norwegian way that means "but not there" "and not there either, you idiot." Well at least that explained why we weren't getting service at the first table we came to. Once again, it was near impossible to get the check after the meal. When the guidebook praised Oslo restaurants for not rushing people out the door, I had no idea it was such a backhanded compliment.
Once again I sit in my room and watch a delightful late sunset. Good night Oslo. Good afternoon Seattle.
By the way, sorry for stealing the nice weather away from you. If it makes you feel better, I think it's going to rain here this weekend too.