July 24, 2010: Oslo, Norway (no airport)

When I was growing up, there were three main fixtures in my fathers office on the 17th floor of the Astronomy Department in RLM at UT. One was enormous stacks of papers and boxes curving into the maze, the second was many Pi digits running across the wall just under the ceiling, and the third was a panoramic photo of a ski jumper flying at Holmenkollen in Norway.

At breakfast Friday morning, we planned the day. Anne had an engagement around lunch time, but was free before and after. Guvnor was free for the day, but would like a simple afternoon. Jan-Erik was game for anything. I needed to meet the Lindblad group at the Continental Hotel around 5:30, but was otherwise open. The Lindblad group had tour lined up in the afternoon for anyone who wanted to participate, they were planning on visiting the Fram Museum and the Vigeland Sculpture Garden, but I decided I would spend enough time with the boat people during the trip and wanted to spend more time with the Solheims.

Cleaning the breakfast dishes, we made plans. If we moved quickly enough all of us could visit Holmenkollen. I had been given several options and they all sounded fun, but visiting a real ski jump sounded even better!

Piling into the car, I found myself next to Jan-Erik as he maneuvered around the roads that twisted around this section of Oslo. Holmenkollen is the site of the 2011 World Championships, the road leading down the mountain is currently under construction and we all commented about how we'd find an alternate route down. The roads in Oslo were just as small as the roads in Tromso going up the mountains. It reminded me of driving to McDonald Observatory where you reach the top and a stop sign greets you, in our old family vehicle we feared we'd slide backwards if the break was applied - I had similar thoughts driving up the mountains of Norway even though I knew modern cars were much better equipped!!

Giddy with anticipation, we drove around to the parking lot. Because of the construction, parking is still free and it was early enough for only a moderate amount of traffic. The day was stunning with clear skies and a gentle breeze. The first floors of Holmenkollen are devoted to the history of skiing in Norway. Large and small skies were on display showing examples of what people wore. Sledges, snowshoes, and traditional hunting equipment was also highlighted. I enjoyed looking at the old photos of women in long dresses bundled up on long skis and the royal family photos. My father learned to ski at age three in Norway, it was fun looking at the skis and clothing he would have worn in the late 1940's.

The line to visit the jump was decent when we made our way to it in a very plain room with a winding line to the elevator. Feeling pressed for time, the line moved slower than expected. But we prevailed and hung in till it was our time. When we reached the front, they only had room for two more - Anne and I went first with Guvnor and Jan-Erik coming in the next group.

Breathtaking does not adequately describe the feeling of being at the top of the jump where people will start their flight. I told Anne all I needed to do was strap on skis, bend at my knees, have someone push me off, and fold my arms back. She laughed, the people around us chuckled and looked horrified at my demonstration. Some even clicked their tongue at me. From the top of the jump we could see the parking lot and the ski bridges under construction. Just like people will take their bicycles and lock them up at their destination, people will do the same thing here with their skis.

From our high vantage point we could see the forests fanning out from the city. Oslo and Norway are protecting huge swaths of land from human growth and consumption. There are a lot of people who want to open the land commercially, but right now it is protected and stunning looking out over the mountain top.

Anne described to me how in the summer, the bottom of the jump is filled in and concerts and events will take place. During some winter months, the bottom can be filled with water for an ice skating ring. Holemkollen is more than a ski jump for the city of Oslo.

This was the first visit for the entire Solheim clan to the jump since construction had really been started. We all marvelled at the changes and I was told how they were changing the layout of the jump. The new jump is a much steeper angle then the old jump, reinforcing my opinion that all you need to do is sit low and tight and keep the skis parallel for the jump. The enormity of the jump is surprising: it looks much smaller on t.v. The seats near the jumping launch are trimmed downward and form a bowl near the bottom. The royal family has their own box seats.

Walking downstairs we could tell it was much later. The medium size line we stood in was now three times as long with people waiting on the staircase to get inside the room with the elevator. Finishing at the gift shop, we took Anne to her appointment.

We stopped at the local grocery for a rotisserie chicken to eat at lunch. Back at the house we set the table outside on the deck. Guvnor's mother loved flowers and the bloomed with delight around the house in all colors. The deck was full of flowers as we ate our food.

After throwing my bags in the car and hugging Guvnor goodbye, Jan-Erik and I left for our meeting spot with Anne. We met her by a set of shops and drove to the Continental. Anne helped lug my belongings inside and get me checked in. Carrying half my worldly belongings, she asked if she could see the room. I begged her to help me cart everything upstairs. We opened the door and made happy sounds about the view facing the National Theater, the bathroom, and the appointments in the room. She opened the window for me, demonstrating how it could swing all the way open or just open from the top depending on which way you set the latches. Later that night, it was dumb luck that I managed to open the window the way I wanted it.

We ran back to Jan-Eric and the car and took off for the Vigeland Scultupe Park at the Frogner Gardens. Their parking is worse than Zilker Gardens! He finally just dropped us off and would meet us in a bit after finding a spot.

The park is enormous. It's a lot like Zilker Gardens, but has a series of statues depicting the human experience. I couldn't imagine any garden in America accepting the risque statues lining the park. Ducks swam in the water below the bridge near the famous statue of Sinnataggen, a young angry boy. The park and statues have been a fixture since before the Second World War. The monolith of humanity was even covered during the war to protect it during blackouts.

While we only spent an hour in the park, the musicians playing for coin were charming. We listened to a young man in jeans play an accordion, an older gentleman play the guitar (complete with cd's for sale), a young teenager in a pretty spring dress play her violin, and others scattered around the park. I later learned the tour guide for the Lindblad group thought of these street musicians as ruining the park, I thought it added to the chatter and joy as people strolled across the wide lanes and children ran with joyous energy.

My favorite area of the park were the mazes by the monolith. I spent a few minutes running trying to find the path and not run into anyone. I also loved the sundial located just beyond the monolith's grandeur. The sundial's base included 12 stone zodiac signs and stone benches to sit on. Along the lawns people played games, listened to music, or sat in contemplation under the warm sun. The day was perfection.

We also stopped by the University of Oslo Astronomy Department's observatory dome on campus. Although under construction and locked, we still took multiple pictures from the outside. Anne and I discussed starting a Facebook page for Astronomer children and laughed as we tried to create the acceptance parameters such as you needing to name five observatories including a photo of you at one of them and when your parental worked there. The two of us had a splendid time together and it was a lot of fun telling people she baby-sat me years ago when asked how we knew each other.

The Solheims left me near the American Embassy (well guarded), the Nobel Prize announcement hall, and the Royal Palace (not well guarded). Anne gave me a few books to read that she though I would enjoy and told me to enjoy the rest of the trip.

<>

Royal Palace >

Walking toward the hotel, I passed shops that specialized in Coca-Cola merchandise, a theater, and a small bookstore. I crossed to the Palace grounds and enjoyed my time roaming the gardens. The tours were done for the day, but I did see the guards change hands. The Norwegians love their royal family - they talk about their generosity, kindness, and ordinary life styles. It is not uncommon to see them walking the streets and enjoying themselves. I tried to understand why our embassy was shrouded in an ugly building (built in the 1960's) behind barbed wire fences and guards with guns and their King's home was open and inviting.

Returning to the hotel, I changed clothing and called Julie Costello in her room. The phones had our names programed into the system - no mistake about which room I called! I ran down to her floor and was greeted with a hug and a neckless she made of the map of Svalbard. We chatted and went to the happy hour social.

Somehow we ended up at a table with people from Dallas, Corpus Christi, and Fredericksburg. Julie from North Dakota fit right in with the Texans. They told us to have our luggage out by 10pm for pickup to the airport or call the front desk if it was going to be later. We were also told to have the big yellow tags attached. A flurry of questions concerning nightwear and toothbrushes made scattered at the tables.

Saying good-night to the people at the tables, we made our way back to the rooms for sweaters and wallets. Many people broke off to go eat at the restaurants around town, but we were content from the appetizers of fish, bread, cheese, and other assorted goods. I also warned Julie how expensive Norway was and how I didn't feel the need to waste money on food I was too full to eat.

We walked across the park grounds near the hotel and headed toward the pier. We stopped for frozen yogurt and I refused to let her think about how much the little cups of frozen pistachio cream cost. Stopping at a McDonalds, I poked in just to take a photo of the menu. Walking, talking and sharing stories, we lost track of time because the sun takes a really long time to start a semi-decent in the sky. The two 6th grade World Culture/Geography/History teachers left the hotel light on our feet, but with some really dumb mistakes. We didn't take the hotel address or phone number, and in fact, neither one of us took a cell phone. Needless to say we got thoroughly lost on our way back and were out much later than expected. Things finally started to look familiar and it was only when we stopped yet another Oslo local, did we notice the huge sign of our hotel. Laughing we thanked him for his help (by which he was completely confused as only half our question had been asked), and made it back to the hotel. We parted ways and headed to our rooms.

Although it was after 10pm, all the luggage was still outside. I finished rearranging my bags, checked to make sure anything security would hate was still sealed in the main bag and put it outside. I never called downstairs because the bags still had not been collected. Leaving the t.v. on Norwegian music videos, I took a bath and prepared for bed. I took photos of the theater outside my window and looked out at the late night party goers waiting for the last bus before retiring for the night.