The day starts out COLD and dreary – oh and did I mention the snow flurries?  Well, you know… It is spring in Norway. Ha ha! We have ambitious plans today as we were able to add the Fram museum to our itinerary and have booked the 11am ferry to get to the “Museum Island” (not really an island, you can drive to it, but, hey, what do we tourists know?). At any rate, the ferry station is very close to the Akershus Fortress and Resistance museum, which become our first stop of the day.

We bundle up and wander our way over to the Fortress, built in 1300, and used as fortifications then later, in modern times, as a military facility. Which is probably why the layout is so confusing! It is really an odd maze of entrances and paths – pretty and interesting and steeped in all sorts of history – but confusing nonetheless.

After a bit of wandering and dead ends, we finally find the entrance to the Norway Resistance museum – which turns out to be quite fascinating.  At least to me, because as anyone who knows me knows – I don’t really do history! So, I had no idea about the occupation in Norway, the Resistance, the “quisling” traitor connection (Quisling was the first Leader of the new Nazi government here – he was a Norwegian, and they hated him so much for being a traitor, that his name is now synonymous with traitor). Amazing.

And the displays were so creative. Dioramas with grey cotton to represent gunfire, an artistic sculpture made entirely of old rifles, transistor radios hidden in dentures to allow prisoners to listen to BBC, a diary kept on toilet paper by a prisoner who used a pin to prick the words into the tissue. Wow, is all I have to say!

After that fascinated trip through WWII history, we donned our puffy coats and easily found the ferry for the “Museum Island.” Right on time we, and the boys, took off and sailed across the harbor to explore the Kon Tiki museum and Fram museum.

We originally had only planned to visit the Fram, but we could buy combination tickets at the museum for both, so that seemed like the deal. And it actually worked out well because the Fram museum was packed with a school group when we arrived. The very helpful ticket clerk suggested we go to Kon Tiki first, then come back when it wasn’t quite so crazy at Fram. Sounds like a plan.

So across the street we go to Kon Tiki – which just blows the mind.

Obviously, Kon Tiki was before my time, but I was aware of the experiment (so to speak) and of course Ed was completely up on the details – being the explorer he is and was as a kid. But, really? Those 6 guys actually sailed across the ocean on that raft? Oh, it is the actual raft! Not a reproduction – of course it has been repaired from the shipwreck and kept up over the years – but still. You can see the original 9 Balsa logs that carried them 8000 km in 101 days.

Ok -now we are both totally all about Kon Tiki! Before we even left the raft room we had already reserved the book from the library and figured out where we can watch the original movie! And that was before we got to the other displays from Easter Island, where Thor Heydahl was the first outsider allowed to go inside the family caves on Easter Island. The guy was incredible.

Next up was the Ra Expedition exhibit – again, fascinating. Kon-Tiki wasn’t enough – he proved the researchers and scientist wrong about migration and the ancestry of the Polynesian islands, but for Ra, it was a papyrus boat like those on the Nile during the Pharoah era, being sailed from Morocco to the West Indies. Crazy.

Done with Polynesian, South Sea explorations, we cross back over to the Fram, stopping for a quick cappuccino break at the cafe. Then we delve into polar explorations with the Fram. Again, they have the actual ship, and it is really cool to be able to walk around it, and tour through it….

…but, oh boy, even with some of the kids gone, it is way too Peopley in there – I mean way!  School kids, yes, but tons and tons and tons of others – and it was just too much for us being below decks (seriously below decks) on the Fram – so we skeedaddled out of the ship, managed to walk through the “Trapped in Ice” polar expedition simulator – freezing cold, floor moves, ice all over….

…but after? We were outta there, completely missing another building with another ship that was the first to do the Northern Crossing.  Oh well – it was probably Peopley in there too!

Luckily enough, our rushed escape from the crowded Fram museum meant we were just in time for the 1:10 ferry back to the city. It pulled up just as we hit the dock. Serendipity.

Back on the city side of Oslo, we were heading to the grocery store when we stumbled upon the Noble Peace Center with a fabulous exhibition on the whole Noble Prize history, and the 2021 winners – the 2 journalists (one Filipino, one Russian) who are championing free press in their countries.  What a great find! We learned all about the Nobel prize history, how it was created (Nobel was a chemist, engineer and inventor, who left virtually his entire fortune to the establishment of the Nobel Peace Prize), played this really cute Nobel Mystery game where we entered different rooms and looked for clues to crack the code to bet into Nobel’s safe for his will, and generally just soaked up all the history and worthwhile endeavors so many have accomplished.

Leaving the museum, it has warmed up enough, we don’t really even need our jackets. What a swing of temperatures! Not complaining, we quickly hit the store then head back to the apartment to sit on the deck in the sun while we can.

After our little rest, we headed out to the housewares store near the train station to buy duct tape to fix our small suitcase which has been absolutely destroyed during this trip. Between the luggage holds and the jostling around on our off-road adventures in Eswatini, this thing is bound for the garbage as soon as we get home. But we have to make it home with it first, thus the duct tape. We had actually bought some heavy packing tape in S. Africa (we couldn’t find any duct tape), but, stupidly, I had it in my carryon instead of the checked bag on the way here, and well, that’s not allowed!  Didn’t even think about it.  So – duct tape – at Norwegian prices.  Better than a whole new suitcase at Norwegian prices!! 

Dinner tonight is take out from Pincho Nation around the corner. Tons of great options, and easy to order, pick up then walk it back for a sunny dinner on the deck/balcony.  Very good!  Little slider burger, chicken strips, Pad Thai (not the best), fried dumplings (the best) and the weirdest, most decadent mac and cheese pizza.  Oh, that was so bad, but so good! Excellent way to end a most excellent day here in Oslo.