In memory of...

After the Rose Ceremony at Oslo City Hall last Monday, people went out in the streets to cover downtown Oslo with flowers. These are some photos taken the next day:

The lion statue outside the Parliament building.

From the "ocean of flower" outside Oslo Cathedral.

Broken

The clock of Oslo Cathedral, broken by the blast from the bomb explosion, one week ago today.



Another clock, this is from Møllergata 19, quite near where the bomb went off. Møllergata 19 used to be a prison and police station, and was used by the Nazis during WWII. It's still a symbol of freedom fighters in Norway during the war.

Oslo explosion - the day after

The centre of Oslo today... soldiers with guns, guarding the area where the bomb exploded yesterday, killing 7 and injuring many more.

People have been visiting the area during the day, bringing flowers and candles. Some are at tears, others just walk by and try to comprehend the horrible events that has struck Norway so hard.

At Utøya, a small island in the fjord Tyrifjorden, about 50 km south of Oslo, the police and other helpers have started to bring back the bodies of all the young ones who were massacred yesterday. So far 85 are confirmed dead, and 4 or 5 are still missing. Many others are injured, some of them severly. We don't know yet how high the death numbers will be.

Norway is a small nation, we aren't many people here. Just to compare; per capita Norway has lost more than twice as many as the US did during 9/11. We are all touched, we are all mourning and we will never be the same.

We receive heart warming support and concern from all over the world, and I know this means a lot to me and others. Thank you, to all who care!

Peace & Love

Photo by: Imzadi

Dressed for party

This photo is from the courtyard of Oslo city hall. You can see quite a lot of the women wearing "bunad", the traditional Norwegian costume.

We were all there to celebrate the civil confirmation of about 100 young men and women, and among them was my son. A beautiful and proud day. :-)

Photo by: Lothiane

The old tram

This is not a common sight in Oslo. It's the first and only time I've seen one of these really old trams. You may remember the photos of one of the more modern trams (called "trikk" in Norwegian) that we've showed you earlier. These are a common sight in the center of Oslo, but this old one was probably only used for a short time. It would be really cool to be able to ride it!

I don't know how old this tram is, but I'll try to find out.

Edit: I've already got help from a friend, who sent me this link (only Norwegian). It says that this is a veteran tram called "70". It was built in Hamburg, Germany, and was delivered in 1913. It was in use until 1968, and was restored for the 100th anniversary of running electrical trams in 1994.

The tram can be rented for parties, making of movies, weddings etc. There is room for 52 passengers in the first motor car and 52 passengers in the towed vehicle.

What a great idea for a special party!

Photos by: Lothiane

Schweigaards gate - blue and white

I love the colour of this building!

(It was raining, hence the raindrop on the lense on the first photo.)


Photos by: Lothiane

Schweigaards gate - the Man U flag

Across the street of the little art gallery, I saw this Man U flag waving from a window...

Photo: Lothiane

Schweigaards gate 88

This is Schweigaards gate (street) number 88, where you'll find a small art gallery. It can be rented by artists who would like to display their art.

I was there to take a look at the exhibition "X" by Maria Gjerpe.

You may remember her photo "Lovely winter day" from January this year.

Photo by: Lothiane

Ullern kirke

Ullern church, in Oslo, built in 1903. It has room for 800 people. I was just there, attending a beautiful wedding.

Photos by: Lothiane

Freiauret

The first electric billboard in Oslo, first lit the day before Christmas Eve in 1909. Hated by some, loved by others. The clock came later (1925). When it's dark, the billboard will light up, as you can see in this YouTube video. It's a landmark here, you can see it from far away. In the evenings I can see this from my balcony, and I live about 8 kilometers away.

Freia is a Norwegian chocolate factory. If you ever visit, you should have a taste of it!

Soon to graduate from high school

I met these two happy girls on Karl Johan, and they let me take their photo. You may wonder about their clothes, but this is typical clothing for graduating students this time of year. They're called "Russ", and they usually dress in red or blue costumes (depending on what kind of high school they're attending).

Time for flowers

This man is planting flowers along the main street of Oslo; Karl Johan.

Spring is here, turn on the water!

In the background behind the trees, you can (barely) see the Parliament building. This photo is from the little park called "Spikersuppa" where this fountain is waiting to be filled with water. It should happen soon, we've had such wonderful weather the past few weeks.

Photo by: Lothiane

New Holmenkollen ski jump

Happy Easter to everyone!

The weather here in Oslo has been lovely all Easter, and according to yr.no's weather forecast, we'll continue to have sunny and warm weather in the coming days.

Today's photo is of the new Holmenkollen ski jump. You can see what the old ski jump looked like here.

Photo taken by: Lothiane's son

Evening in Karl Johan

From 23 February The Nordic World Ski Championship has been held in Oslo. All the events is held at Holmenkollen’s new National Arena, which includes the new spectacular Holmenkollen hill and the naturally beautiful Midtstuen hill. During the WSC there have also been public and cultural events at Holmenkollen and activities especially for children.
 
The medal ceremonies has taken place in the University Square in downtown Oslo. There has been stage shows and a free concert every night, a separate mingling area, an exhibition of ice  sculptures inspired by Edvard Munch and much more. Everything needed to create amajor celebration in Oslo. Both the competitions and the ceremonies have been enormously popular. 50 000 to over 100 000 people have gathered downtown every night!!

Todays picture is of one of the ice sculptures downtown, inspired by (I think) the painting "Evening in Karl Johan" of Edvard Munch. 

The Cross-Country 50 km for men on Sunday will be the last competition in Ski-VM 2011. See more pictures from the championship at Ski-VM 2011's public gallery.

Photo by: Stormel 

Crown of Scandinavia

The DFDS passenger ferry m.s. Crown of Scandinavia, leaving Oslo this afternoon. Heading towards Copenhagen. :o)

Photo by: Stormel

Golden

Yesterday's golden view of Oslo.

Photo by: Lothiane

Para Haiti

Another guest photographer! sNapaRt visited Oslo together with Man8os last winter. I think this photo is really beautiful.

Ice sculpture for Haiti's victims. Oslo, winter 2010.

Photo by: sNapArt at deviantArt

Winter by the opera

I found some really nice photos from Oslo on deviantART, so I asked for, and got, permission to post a few here in this blog.

First, this brilliant photo of children playing in the snow. It's perhaps not easy to recognize, but they are playing on the slanting roof of the new opera house in Oslo.


Photo taken 2010 by man8os. Thank you so much for letting us borrow it!

Lovely winter day

Just a few minutes from the busy center of Oslo, you can enjoy beautiful nature. Sognsvann is a 3.3 km circumference lake just north of Oslo, Norway. It's a a popular recreational area, both in summer and winter. Read more about Sognsvann.

Photo by: Maria Gjerpe

This must be cold...

Happy New Year from Oslo!



I live next to a construction site. It's sometimes annoying (because of the noise), but it's also interesting to watch the changes from week to week. I take photos almost every day to document the process. (They're building 50 new houses, so this will probably take a while.)

The past few days they've placed this really huge crane there. I must admit I'd rather not be one who has to work at the top of it... I admire these men, it must be cold to do this work during winter time!


Photos by: Lothiane