We spent most of today at the Viking Ship Museum, the Kon-Tiki Museum, and the Fram Museum, out on the Bygdøy Peninsula. These are, deservedly, three of the tourist highlights of Oslo, and it was great to see them again. The Viking ships are magnificent, and they remind me of my ancestors, whose remorseless and aggressive violence in combat have always inspired me and urged me on; they’ve helped me to achieve the reputation for mean-spirited viciousness that I enjoy in certain circles. And, of course, Thor Heyerdahl has been a hero of mine since I was a young boy. I was even privileged to meet him when he visited BYU while I was a student there, before my mission.
(Photo by my wife)
In the evening, we had a Mexican dinner [! Norse-Mex?] and attended a sold-out concert by the South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim in the “Aula” or Hall of the University of Oslo, surrounded by murals painted by Edvard Munch (1863-1944). You may be familiar with Munch’s most famous work, popularly known as The Scream, which is located here in the National Gallery. Actually, it’s a bit more complicated than that. There are multiple versions of it, most or all of which are still located here in Oslo. But this one is in the National Gallery:
(Wikimedia Commons public domain)
Interestingly, a statue of Edvard Munch’s uncle, Peter Andreas Munch (1810-1863), stands in front of the University Aula. P.A. Munch was an important, pioneering historian of medieval Scandinavia; he died the year Edvard was born.
As I write, my wife and my son are still out on the town. They’re attending a concert by the trumpeter Mathias Eick. I had a few things to attend to, so I walked back to our hotel.
Posted from Oslo, Norway
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