Out of the Jurisdiction: Bergen

Norway's second biggest city and a former capital, Bergen sits between seven mountains on a fjord leading to the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a mercantile powerhouse in the Hanseatic
League, with ports throughout the Baltic Sea.

The usual view of the merchants' buildings along Bryggen, the pier of Bergen,

photobombed by a seagull.

A tall ship on the Bergen waterfront.

The Sailor's Monument celebrates Viking and Norwegian culture,
with statues on the four sides depicting different eras.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Train to Bergen

It's tricky taking photographs out the window of a train moving fast across Norway's forested mountains.  You have to identify, aim, pan, focus and fire in that split-second before
a nearby tree or utility pole leaps in front of you and spoils the picture.

Looks like Edward Hopper got here before I did.

 A frequent kind of scene in the first third of the trip, often blocked by the nearby trees.

The stations always seem kind of cosy.

This simple church was a favorite.

A snow field -- on June 23, just about the longest day -- above the tree line.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Day Three

The Tiger is a symbol of Oslo.

Looking down Karl Johans Gate toward the Royal Palace.

A butcher's shop.

The Resistance Museum has good exhibits about Norway during World War II.

There is an exhibition beginning tonight in Akerhus Fortress.

After the wooden buildings in the Christiana neighborhood burned down,

the king pointed here and ordered the city rebuilt in brick.

One street has a string of balloon bears saying "Hug Life"
but no one could explain what they mean.

Construction in the vicinity of the Opera House is simply crazy.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Oslo, Day Two

Staying across the street from the National Theater.

The Holmenkollen ski jump on a mountainside outside the city is
a dizzying sight for someone like me who doesn't like heights.



The nearby Holmenkollen Hotel is a spectacular example of vernacular Norwegian architecture.

Vigeland Park is set within the much larger Frogner Park.  It is chock full of 20 years worth of statuary by Norway's greatest sculptor, Gustav Vigeland.  Vigeland made an arrangement with the city to give all his work from 1924 to 1943 in exchange for studio space and financial support.

Back downtown, the Nobel Peace Museum had exhibitions about banning nuclear weapons
and the implications of a celebrity-crazed, hedonistic, materialistic culture.

My day ended with a gift from nature, a rainbow over Karl Johans Gate.

Out of the Jurisdiction: Oslo

I arrived in Oslo today for the start of a three week adventure.

There is a lot of public art in Oslo, but the birds have no respect for it.

Certainly not for poets and playwrights (Henrik Wergeland).

And not even kings (Olav V and Christian Frederik)

Going Natural

The owners of a house in my neighborhood are reducing the amount of grass in their yard,

planting it with perennials and wildflowers, with a scarecrow to

keep the birds away.  Or, maybe just for decoration.

I like it.

St. Cyril and St. Methodius Parish

This church on Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford was established in 1902 for Polish immigrants.

It is across the street from the 1930 Art Deco Polish National Home.