Oslo

Been having internet issues. I will continue in hopes of being able to connect with photos as well as text. Unfortunately my two earlier attempts are somewhere in the ether…

They seemed to have cleaned up the problem so I will have to recap my previous blogs and hope to give you a feel for this city.

Oslo on the weekend was eerily empty. According to one of our tour guides it is because all the families are either still away or just back because school starts today, Monday August 22 – all levels from pre-school through university. But this morning though there were more people the city still seems rather empty. Our group did a city walk this morning along a river the takes water from the hills above the city from which the drinking water is delivered. Sounds impossible but that’s the story.

The mills employed mostly young women from the countryside many of whom worked for very little pay. They often were exploited also for sex and when children were born various religious and civic organizations would house mothers and children and often take care of the babies during the day while the mother worked.

The university has its arts campus in this riverside park. We were told that there are music events the utilize the steps for concerts. We trekked up to use the facilities and to take a quick look at the two large galleries on the entry floor both of which featured paintings.