August 19 (Day 23) - Oslo, Norway

Our last stop on the cruise was Oslo, Norway. We docked a little before 9:30am and Constance and I were off and out soon after.

Oslo had much to offer, but after going over the cruise tours and sightseeing suggestions, Constance and I decided that the one main point of interest for us was the Norwegian Resistance Museum on the grounds of the Akerhaus Castle - or Akerhaus Fortress. As luck would have it, our ship docked right at the base of the Castle grounds!

Here is the view from the ship - the Castle is undergoing some renovations - or upkeep - at the moment...

Walking up the hill to the castle - you can see the cannons perched at the top...

When I say, "hill" I mean HILL. Here is Constance taking a wee break...I mean a small break...not a wee break...you know what I mean...

I was trying to take a picture of the guard patrolling the castle grounds, but he marched so fast (and I was too slow in getting out my camera) it was hard to get a good photo...

There he is!

Finally made it to the top - the castle wall....

A view of our ship from the wall...

And a view of the bay...

I didn't get any picutres of our time in the museum itself mostly because it was so interesting the thought never occured to me! As I mentioned, the museum is housed on the castle grounds. It is in an old protected building that stands near the memorial on the spot where Norwegian patriots were executed by the Germans during the second world war. It is filled with information and artifacts from World War II - from April 9, 1940 when it became apparent that Nazi Germany had launched an invasion of Norway, through their occupation to the end in 1945.

I recently read a book called The Drifters by James Michener where one of the characters was a Norwegian girl whose father was part of this resistance movement. It was so interesting to me to read the real stories about men like her father who hid out in the mountains, spied on German ships and radioed all that they saw back to London. Such risks they took!

The museum offered so much, but if I had to choose one thing that really got to me, it would be the diary of a prisoner of war named Petter Moen. He was captured by the gestapo on February 2, 1944 and he kept a diary by pricking letters on toilet paper with a drawing pin. Wads of five sheets each were stuffed into a ventilating shaft that ran under the floor. Petter Moen lost his life, but his diary was found after the war - it told of the torture he suffered and the horrors of solitary confinement....I can't even imagine.

The rest of our few hours in Oslo were much lighter and brighter than the Resistance Museum. Shopping! I know, I know, but we needed a little light after walking through and taking in the weight of all that the museum held...

The main shopping street in Oslo - Karl Johans Gate - at the end of which lies the Royal Palace.

Leaving Oslo...

The end of a nice day...

And the beginning of a wild night! This was the second of two "formal" dinners. We skipped the first one, and although neither one of us had anything seriously formal to wear we decided to get as dressed up as we could and head to the dining room...

Yes, I actually have a dress on...

We ended the evening in the Casino Lounge where a very funny and talented pianist/comedian was doing this thing. We had a great time - I even got up to do the polka! The ship was rocking pretty heavily again that night, just as it did on the first formal night - I think they must plan it that way knowing people will be dressed up trying to look as graceful as possible...I'm sure the crew gets a good laugh! I'm pretty sure they did as they watched Constance and I make our way back to our cabin when all was said and done...and danced.