Saturday May 2 was a busy day for us. It is rare to spend the whole day exploring the museums. We purchased the card Oslo Pass, which was created especially for tourists. It allows admission to museums and gives you the ability to use public transport in price of card. We decided on a daily card, which cost NOK 320 for adults and NOK 160 for children. The purchase pays for itself in the third museum counting the price of regular access.
The trip we’ve started at Aker Brygge, which is in the harbor in front of the City Hall in Oslo. We need to get on Bygdøy peninsula. To get there we could choose bus or ferry – both available under the Oslo Pass card. Ferry option was more attractive.
Ferry ride around the bay lasted a few minutes and was an interesting alternative to the bus. We reached the Huk Aveny. All museums on pennisula are located nearby, we needed to take a few minutes of walking to reach them. After a while we reach the junction with the main road Langviksveien. Opposite there is the first museum in the scheduled list – Viking Ship Museum.
Viking Ship Museum
Who hasn’t seen a boat Viking definitely should go to this place. In the vast premises of the museum are three authentic copies of oak Viking boats. The building of museum is built on a cruciform plan and in each of the arms we find one of the boats. Boats are archaeological, preserved in excellent condition. They come from the Oseberg (boat with dimensions of 22m x 5m), Gokstad (25m x 5m) and the Tune (destroyed, had the dimensions of 22m x 4,35m). The first one is the most interesting, perhaps because it has been preserved in the best condition. To drive this boat there was 30 people needed. Probably it belonged to the wife of a Viking chief, buried in 834r with the boat. In the burial chamber was found a lot of fabulous treasures – including richly carved sleigh, lots of ornaments and everyday items from that era. The Vikings believed that during dying you don’t loose social position, that’s why the tomb has a lot of things that can be useful to the deceased in the afterlife.
Museum quite boring, there was only few exhibits. Magnificent is the size of the boat, but the whole thing can be seen literally in the quarter. The cost of a regular ticket is 60 NOK, if not to use the Oslo Pass.
At the exit souvenir shop. Kris most liked the shield and sword of the Vikings.
