Goeteborg/Sweden - Oslo/Norway
Visiting Date: June,1998
We gave up to visit Oslo from Stockholm due to fully booked hotel sistuation in Oslo, and we decided to enjoy journeys down to southern Swedish regions, such as Malmoe and Goeteborg. The existing border bridge between Sweden and Denmark was not present and the major transportaion was regular ferry services in 1998. In the next morning after visting Copenhagen from Malmoe, we left for Goeteborg by train and arrived there before a lunch time.
Goeteborg is the second largest city next to Stockholm in Sweden of 0.5@Million population and is very vivid, where the head quarter of Volvo Motors is located. The reserved Hotel Europa in front of the railway station from Malmoe, and we went out for the city sightseeing walk after checking-in the hotel.
We got pamphlets in the tourist information office and enjoyed walking in the city. The water channels were well maintainedand offered sightseeing boat services. This city was very clean and beautiful, having comfortable feelings.
At the port within 5 minute walking distance, several sailing ships were moored. The tall bulinding red-painted at the top might be Volvo headquarter, however, was not confirmed. We could not find very busy port enviroments like those in Japan and USA. This would be caused by less population in the city.
The weather was pretty good and we enjoyed walking along Kungsports Avenyn up to the Goetaplatsen (Goeteborg Place). The square was surrounded by the Museum, the city libarary, and theaters, in the center of which Poseidon (neptune) statue with water spring, functioned nice water sprays. The street looked very much broader than actual width, because of less populated atmosphere. There were some works by Dutch Painter Rembrandt in the City Art Institute.
The white and pink lilac flowers were in bloom. They are considered as informing spring-time in the northern region, however, it looks late in season for people there to be patient to see nice blossoms till June.
Next morning we succeeded to get rent-a-car from Avis Co., and we decided to make two-day journey up to Oslo in Norway from Goeteborg. It was our pleasure to be able to visit Oslo, as we gave up this trip once in Stockholm. It took approx. three hours to drive up to Oslo, and we thought that we could be there before noon time.
After two-hour driving, we reached the border town, Svinesund, and found the fjord with a sight seeing ship.
We took a short rest with ice cream tasting to look down the landscape of small scaled fjord. The border was in the middle of the bridge and no cheking offices are found. We failed to see fjord scenes on the sea coast way to Oslo City, although we thought that there might be lots of similar lanscapes. We arrived just before noon time.
Oslo is the capital city in Norway and has the population of 520 thousands. This capital has a severe history of being occupied by Denmark for approx. 300 years, however, acquired their independence and administration in early 20 century and has been developed successfully to the modern city. The center street was called as Karl Johansgate of 1.3 km length, starting from the central station till the imperial palace.
This palace is now the residence for royal families, and is symbloized as opened royal family by no fences surrounded, although no public entrances are permitted.
We could see the famous painting "Shout" by Munk, in the national art musuem near-by. We surprised at being lots of Japanese tourists inside and we understood that fully-booked hotel situation was caused by Japanese.
All the paitings owned by Munk himself were donated to Oslo City, and Munk Musuem with such ones was located at a little bit distant place.
We drived down to Drammen, next city from Oslo, due to no vacancies in Oslo hotels. Drammen was very calm and clean without foreign tourists. We asked the hotel front when checking-in, how to find out nice fjord landsacpes near there, and their reply was that this town was in Oslo fjord area. We began driving to the southern end of this fjord at 8 O'clock at night, as it was not dark at least till 10 O'clock in this time of season.
We found a fishery hut and talked with the habitant. They said that this sea had abundant salmons near there.
Even at 9 O'clock, the sunshine were still present in the region of 60 or more degree north lattitude in June.
We found a typical nordic house supposed as far north peasant living place, and we suspected that it was in very lonesome and cold conditions, in the dark winter time.
We entered into the lane from the drive way and drove up to a drive-end of the hil, and we saw the sea. We found a calm and beautiful fjord entrance sea. But this fjord was different from expected fjord with steep cliffs, which could be seen only at Belgen Area in the eastcoast side. Here steep cliffs might be under the sea. Although this was a large scale fjord, we were disappointed to some extent as we had similar scenes in Nagasaki Bay in Japan.
Anyhow we found a nice creek surrounded by resident houses, like a beautiful artificial box garden.
It could not be really dark even in Oslo at mid-night time. We could see children playing with the bicycles outside the roads. This darkness would continue until the day-break, and we cannot have such experiences in Hokkaido of Japan.
It was chilly rainy weather in the next day. We vistied Kon-Tiki Musuem demonstrating Pacific races immigration by ships in acient days, the world famous Holmenkollen Jump Slope, and Frogner Park famous for stone carved statues despite od bad rainy conditions and Drove back to Goeteborg in Sweden.