Oslo, Norway : 2013-08

Visited Oslo, Norway for a couple of days (which is probably too short), but it was a great visit. Like Paris, Oslo has a share-bike program - Oslo Bysykkel. Shown below is the fist Oslo bicycle I used and a map with some of the stations. It's funny how quickly you get used to one system and immediately compare it to another. The bikes are a little funny - they have smaller front wheels and reminded me of a bike I might've had when I was 10. Liked: the bikes hook are secured by connecting the front rack (in Paris you have to drive them into a slot which can be tricky); the seats are easier to adjust; and you can take a bike for 3 hours at a time (30 or 45 min in Paris). Missed: you can't select your own bike, the station assigns a bike so you're almost guaranteed to adjust the seat; much fewer bikes and stations than Paris; the seats are a tad more comfortable in Paris; and the number of stations/bikes. Both cities have free apps to find bikes - cool.

Munch-Museet. If you're into art, this is a must-see.  Edvard Munch is a Norwegian legend of sorts and 2013 is his 150th birthday. So, the Munch Museum and the Oslo National Gallery had a combined exhibit - the Munch 150. They were great exhibits and Munch painted much more than I knew - i.e., I learned a lot. As a side note, they are strict about bags (at both museums) but the lockers are essentially free - you get your money back when you unlock it. Here are my tickets.

Oslo National Gallery (l) and Munch Museet (r)

Paintings I really liked (at both museums) include:

Courbet's The Man Made Mad by Fear (l) and Munch's Madonna (r)

Munch's Professor of Anatomy Kristian Schreiner was a great collage, but I can't find a good photo on the web and photos weren't allowed in the museum.

Munch's the Yellow Log (l) and his The Sun (r)

I included two versions of the Scream. Yes it is a great painting and it was great to see in person, but the main reason it's here is to make a famous association to Munch.

la version la plus célèbre en 1893 (l) et un autre en 1910

But, my favorite was a painting I had never seen before (to my recollection). It was The Murderer. I thought this is a great painting and it's one of those that grabs you at first sight.

Edvard Munch (1863-1944), The Murderer, 94.5 x 154 cm, The Munch Museum

On a lark, I visited the Icebar. We bought the tickets because we thought it was deal offered by the Tourist Office. Sadly, the tickets are 10 Norwegian krone cheaper online. AND, the tourist office has free WiFi. That was crappy. The bar itself was a novelty to see once, but I don't think I'd recommend it if you're on a budget (it's about 20€ to get in). I did really like the "glasses" for the drinks. They were 'cool' and can be seen right of the ticket. I'd like to have some of them myself.

I also visited the Vigelandsparken Sculpture Park, the  Opera House, the Norwegian Army Academy, the Akershus Fortress, and the Viking Ship Museum.

 Tickets from the Viking Ship museum (l) and the front of a viking ship (r)

Oslo is a great city! See it if you ever get the chance.