Oslo; Monday, 20 December, 2004

Virtually the whole day was spent out in Bygdøy. First stop was the Norsk Folk museum, a collection of over 200 traditional buildings that have been rebuilt on the site. One of the most impressive is the Stave church, one of the few left.

Next-door to the Folk museum is the Viking ship museum. This houses the remains of 3 Viking ships which were used as burial ships and have subsequently been uncovered in archaeological digs. Two are in very good condition with the third just being the very bottom.

A short walk from the Viking ship museum are 3 further museums dedicated to ships & the sea.

The Fram museum tells the history of its key exhibit, the ship Fram, the ship that has travelled the furthest North & South on expeditions to both the North & South poles.

The Kon-Tiki Museum tells the story of Thor Heyerdahl's famous journeys. The original Kon-Tiki & Ra II ships are the key exhibits.

The Maritime museum tells the story of sea-faring and the people of Norway from the Vikings to the modern super tankers & cruise ships.

After spending almost the whole day on the Island it suddenly dawned (or more correctly dusked) on me that Tomorrow was the shortest day of the year, and that I had witnessed both the sunrise and set of the day from Bygdøy. With that thought and the chill of an early night I headed back into the city through the evening rush hour and towards a warm dinner!