Tag Archives: Oslo

Jun15

The Astrup Fearnley modern art museum

Posted on June 15, 2024 by perfectusvarrus

Thursday, 23-May-2024

And now for something completely different.

On what could possibly be the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Banksey, or maybe is closer than an Engineer like myself realizes, I brought myself to the Astrup Fearnley museum of modern art to continue the parade of culture into my brain.

When I arrived, I learned that the parade would be a bit shorter than I’d expected, though… as the museum was basically cut in half by a renovation project currently in process. The good news – admission was half off. The bad news – there was less than half of a museum left to see.

I’m nothing if not optimistic, though, so I took the half-full glass in front of me and headed inward to explore the museum available to me, consoling myself with the knowledge that I’d have some extra free time to visit other museums… and/or cafes… afterward.

What I found was… extreme. There were three pieces that I absolutely fell head over heels for (shown above), along with a fair number that I wasn’t particularly fond of. That’s modern art, though, right? A departure from the purely representational art of landscapes and light, moving into things that speak more directly to people’s ideas?

Maybe.

Or maybe I’ve been visiting too many art museums.

WE’LL NEVER KNOW!

Jun14

Oslo Natural History Museum – aka – Naturhistorisk museum

Posted on June 14, 2024 by perfectusvarrus

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Oslo Natural History Museum – aka – Naturhistorisk museum

Wednesday, 22-May-2024

After escaping from the defensive botanical garden, I finally laid siege to the heart of the castle and my intended destination for the day – the Oslo Natural History Museum.

The museum was split into two wings – Exhibitions on Zoology, and Exhibitions on Geology – so I took the museum in two stages. I explored one side, went to the nearby cafe for a coffee and pastry because this is Europe and I wanted a coffee and a pastry, and then explored the other side. It was, absolutely and totally, glorious.

I started in the Zoology hall, since left seemed like the correct direction to turn, and explored wonderous lands! I saw animals from ancient times, dinosaurs and sabertoothed tigers. I saw wonderous creatures from the rainforest, from Africa, and even from far off lands like North America and Greenland! It was honestly really fun, getting to see a different viewpoint on everything – much of it overlapped, but from slightly different perspectives.

I finished in the Geology hall – learning about how the planet formed, and more saliently about how Norway itself was populated by plant life, then submerged under tropical oceans, and then how it re-emerged back as dry land again, over the course of millions upon millions of years. There were displays on gemstones, and the wealth of Norway’s mountains… it was fun! Though I’ll admit, the seemingly-endless parade of subtly-different gemstones did overwhelm me, by the end…

One of the highlights, for me was the journal entries from an explorer-geologist-cartoonist, who did quick sketches of his team’s expedition to Svalbard… the cartoons are gloriously silly, and show a less-stifling side to adventures and expeditions that I haven’t really seen before.

100% worth seeing, especially all the fossils!

Jun14

The Oslo Botanical Gardens

Posted on June 14, 2024 by perfectusvarrus

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Wednesday, 22-May-2024

My first day in Oslo, I wandered.

My goal was the Oslo Natural History Museum, or the Naturhistorisk museum in the Norwegian parlance, but I wasn’t locked into getting there in any rush. Oslo was still new to me, and I was enjoying the opportunity to wander.

I’d had a coffee, sandwich, and smoothie earlier in the day and was feeling well fortified, so I set up directions on my phone, grabbed my satchel, and headed out the door.

Nearly to the museum, I realized that it was guarded by one of the most effective barriers in existence against a member of my family… a garden. An expansive garden, full of beautiful flowers and interesting greenhouses. Those clever devils, they knew how to distract me from my destination! How was our hero going to get past this blockade??

I mean, I wasn’t in a rush.

I got past the cleverly-placed blockade simply by walking something like 5 miles, wandering into every corner of the gardens that I could find. Through outdoor pathways, paved and gravel, I wandered and appreciated the views and the smells. Through greenhouses, I ogled massive lily pads and sweat in the heat of a simulated Arizona desert. I saw a pineapple, and the biggest pitchers I’ve ever seen on a pitcher plant.

It was awesome.