Oslo

We spent today in Oslo. We were here a few years ago and made it to a number of the big sites then, so we didn’t have a long list of things we felt like we had to go see. We do, however, like to see very old things and there were still old things to be seen here.

We started out walking to the Old Aker Church. This is the oldest building in Oslo, dating back to 1080. The tower was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1703 and the exterior was restored in 1861. It is surrounded by a graveyard that dates back to the middle ages, although most of the tombstones we saw close to the church were relatively recent. Unfortunately, the church building itself was closed so we could not go inside.

Old Aker Church

Old Aker Church

Akershus Castle

From there we went and took a ferry over to Hovedoya Island in the Oslo Fjord. We went to see the ruins of the Hovedoya Abbey which was founded in 1147 and dissolved in 1532. The monks who founded it were Cistercian monks from England who modified an existing church on the site to fit their requirements of a simplistic life. At one point, the monastery was a large landowner making it one of the wealthiest institutions in Norway. After its dissolution, the monastery burned. Later it was used as a quarry to build the Akershus Castle in Oslo. Despite this, the remains are still the most complete ruins of a Norwegian monastery. The rest of the island is wooded with walking trails. There are beaches and other recreational areas and there were lots of school kids and moms with young kids there enjoying the nice weather today.

Hovedoya Island

Abbey

Abbey

Abbey

Abbey

Beach on Hovedoya

The only other thing on my to-do list was another yarn shop where I got some Norwegian yarn. By then we had walked nearly 7.5 miles and headed back to the ship to give our feet some rest. This was our last port…we have another day at sea and then we will be flying back home.

Buoy

Island in the Oslo Fjord

Island in the Oslo Fjord