        
|
Teacher Aboard Logs |
|
His life's work was donated to the city and placed in this park. The park contains more than 50 copper statues and a 470 ton monolith. |
| All of the statues describe some element of family life. |
|
|
The monolith that presides over the entire park is gigantic! It is literally a "tower of human bodies." The park is very popular and a must-see if you visit Oslo. Next stop: the palace! |
| Since 1905, Norway has been under the rule of a king. Since 1968 when oil was discovered offshore, the country has been blessed with widespread affluence. The Royal Palace sits above the city and looks down over the main boulevard. I was surprised to find that anybody can walk right up to the palace without being stopped. How close can Americans get to the White House? |
|
|
On my way to the palace, I saw a marching band coming down the boulevard. The local inhabitants told me that they often march down the street playing show tunes for no reason other than to share the music! And since Oslo is celebrating its 1000th birthday this year, everyone is in an especially festive mood. I followed the band until they stopped at an outdoor gazebo where they continued to play for some time. |
| The National Theater was my next stop. On the face of the building, above the three arched windows, are the names of the three most famous Norwegian contributors to the theater, "Ibsen," "Holberg," and "Bjornson." Perhaps the most famous of these is Henrik Ibsen. His most famous plays are "A Doll's House," and "Hedda Gabler." |
|
|
No trip to Oslo would be complete without a visit to the Vikingskiphuset (Viking Museum). The Norwegians are proud of their Viking tradition and evidence of this is visible all over the city. The museum display includes three authentic Viking ships discovered along the shores of the Oslofjord. It's hard to believe that they are more than 1,200 years old. This is the ship Oseberg thought to be the burial ship for Queen Ase. Although the ships were plundered, they were amazingly intact for their age! |
By this time, the light was waning so I took the ferry across the harbor and walked back to the boat. I checked in with the Captain to be sure that my plans for the next day were approved, then I headed off to the train station to buy a ticket for Wednesday's adventure!
Norway In A Nutshell!
On a sailing ship, the Captain likes to have some idea of where the crew is, especially if departure time is near. I needed permission for my adventure because I had to leave the central train station in Oslo at 08:11 Wednesday morning and would not return until 07:00 Thursday. That left me only one hour before the boat was scheduled to leave! With a video camera, a digital still camera, and my ticket in hand, I set off at 07:30 for the train station. Here are the highlights of the package:
- Train journey from Oslo to Myrdal
- Train from Myrdal to Flam on the Flam Railway
- Cruise on the Sognefjord from Flam to Gudvangen
- Bus journey from Gudvangen to Voss
- Train from Voss to Bergen
- Night train from Bergen to Oslo!
| Whew! I knew I had 25 long hours ahead of me, so I sat back and enjoyed the ride. As we left Oslo, the train started to climb and city life disappeared. The mountains appeared, and lakes were everywhere. Once we arrived in Myrdal and boarded the train to Flam, the temperature dropped but was still tolerable because the sun was out making it a gorgeous day. |
|
|
As we came through one of the many mountain passes, we passed this beautiful little town that looked like it had stepped out of a postcard. The rushing stream was crystal clear and ran right through the middle of the town. |
| In Flam, I boarded the cruise ferry and sat outdoors on the top deck. The views were spectacular! As we entered the fjord, sheer cliffs and rocky crags surrounded us. |
|
|
I would have never believed that people could live so far from what we call "civilization," but as we came around the pass, we saw a town nestled at the base of the mountain. Small and serene, it seemed to be oblivious to the outside world. Farther on, we saw a few buildings that made up another small town, but this one was above the level of the lake. |
| As the boat moved slowly farther into the fjord, we were treated to magnificent displays of waterfalls tumbling down the mountains. I must have counted twenty different falls throughout the trip. |
|
|
When we arrived in Gudvangen, we boarded a bus for one of the wildest rides I've ever had. The bus was in first gear the entire way, and went around hairpin turns as though on a track. It climbed what must be a one way street all the way to the top of the mountain. There, we were treated to an amazing view! |
|
I asked another tourist to take a picture of me standing in
front of the overlook for perspective.
The train rides back were a letdown after seeing all this beautiful scenery, but I had a boat to catch, so off I went! |
|
More Crew Details
|
Let me introduce a few more crewmembers. We'll starting with my Watch Officer, Third Mate Mike "Sinker" McCreery since he leaves us in Oslo. His father gave him his nickname when he swallowed a fishing sinker as a boy! Mike is 31 years old and has two brothers and a sister, all of whom are supportive of his trade. He's from Lantana, Florida, and has a degree in English and American Literature. He was 23 before he decided to sail on tall ships. He finished college and went to Maine to sail for some "life experience," even though he had never sailed before! His first assignment was as a deckhand on the Angelique. By now he has sailed on four different tall ships. His favorite thing on board Pride II is the community of the crew. His least favorite is the short stays in some ports allowing no time to absorb the culture. He's been on Pride II since February 28 of this year. |
Mike's hobbies include fishing, guitar playing, and scuba diving. He has a girlfriend of seven years who teaches elementary school in Portland, Oregon. After Mike visits his family in Florida, he'll be joining his girlfriend in Portland. There, he'll seek employment in the marine industry, possibly aboard a tugboat. His favorite thing about leaving is seeing his family and returning to a stable environment! What he'll miss the most? "The crew, of course!"
| The other crewmember I'd like you to meet in this log is P.J., a deckhand with whom I stand watch. Her full name is L.Parlin Meyer, Jr. and she calls Cleveland, Ohio, her home. She has one brother who's older and somewhat jealous of her career choice, since he's not as comfortable on the water! Her mom is very supportive and vicariously lives through her experiences. P.J. has several hobbies that include playing bass guitar, cycling, photography, and exploring abandoned and falling down buildings! At 24, P.J. holds a degree from the University of Maryland in Marine Biology. She wanted to do scientific research on vessels but was drawn to tall ships, instead. With only two years of sailing under her belt, already she has crewed on four ships. Her favorite is Pride II because of the rig and her sailing ability, but she'll always remember the Westward, her first boat. P.J.'s favorite American port is Hawaii, and her favorite in Europe is Copenhagen. But her overall favorite is Dominica in the Caribbean. Her favorite thing about sailing on Pride II is the adventure of seeing new places. |
|
So Long, Farewell!
|
Oslo was also a time of parting. We said goodbye to our guest crewmembers, Myles, Jason, George and Mc, seen in this picture. |
| We also said goodbye to Pat Tognoni, mother of deckhand Dayle Tognoni, who had been with us since Copenhagen. It was neat to see mother and daughter working side by side on the boat. Here they are aloft together one last time! |
|
|
We also said goodbye to Sinker. For the short time I knew him, I can say that working with him was great. He was serious about his work, but he always took the time to explain things, something not everybody does. I'll miss being on watch with him, but I already know that his replacement, Christine Cleary, will be equally interesting. There is a tradition on Pride II when you leave the boat. You get "tossed in the drink." Sinker was no exception, so the crew finally was able to throw him overboard! So, we bid Sinker a fond farewell. |
I will also bid you a fond farewell until the next time and wish you fair winds at your back! Now, we press on toward Ireland!
Your Teacher Aboard,
Lee Vogtman
YOUR THOUGHTS
- What is a "monarchy" and how is it different from our system of government? What would it be like to have a king and not a president?
- Why can't you get close to the White House? Why do you think it's different in Oslo?
- How long did the Vikings last, and how far did they travel?
- What is a "fjord," and how are they formed?
Return to Part 1 of the September 23, 2000
