COMPARING EXCURSION/TRAVEL COSTS FOR THE DAY                                                                         The OSLO PASS :  Adult 220 NOK ($38.36 USD)/Child 95 NOK ($15.96 USD)

     If you do not have a n OSLO PASS, to get to Bygdoy you can travel by bus (#30 Bygdøy--There is a 24-hour bus pass for 60 NOK ($10 USD), or by boat (#91 Bygdøy--35.72556  NOK ($6USD)  from Rådhusbrygge 3 (Oslo City Hall, pier 3).

THE VIKING SHIP MUSEUM   (Free Entry)

     Here, we visited the Viking Ship Museum with examples of the Viking shipbuilding artisanship.  The Vikings are widely acclaimed to be the first to discover the Americas - 500 years before Christopher Columbus.  The museum takes you back in time and gives you a glimpse into the their lives. Displayed are three ritual ships (burial boats) over 1000 years old  in which Viking kings and queens were buried and took their last voyage to the "other side." 

     This is a simple museum, but a very impressive one. The three Viking Ships (two in excellent condition, one much less so) are huge and simply awe-inspiring. It is easy to guess once you see the size of them that the museum building was build specifically to hold them.  But as gigantic and impressive as they are, they are open ships. To imagine people crossing from Norway to the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, and North America in these ships is just mind-boggling.

     The Oseberg ship was found in a large burial mound on the Oseberg farm, in Vestfold in 1904. The ship was built sometime between 815-820 AD, but was later used as a grave ship for a woman of high rank who died in 834 AD. The woman had been placed in a wooden burial chamber on the aft deck of the ship. The burial mound was constructed of layers of turf which preserved both the ship, and its rich contents of wooden objects, leather and textiles. Since the burial mound was plundered by grave robbers in ancient times, no jewelry, gold or silver objects were found in the grave. The 72-foot long ship was built of oak. The number of oar holes indicates that the ship was rowed by a crew of 30 men. The ship had no seats, and the oarsmen probably sat on their own wooden ship's chests.  The Oseberg ship is less solidly constructed than the Gokstad ship, which was probably a royal pleasure craft used for short journeys in calm waters.

      In addition to the 3 boats, the museum has other Viking artifacts. Also on display are a great many unique finds from the graves; these include small boats, sledges, textiles, kitchen utensils, a carriage and a bed. 

    Intricate carvings and workmanship                     A mural on the wall shows what they used to look like.

 We are standing in front of the burial chamber that was once aboard the larger ship.  Next photo: Section of a boat buried for over a thousand years.

NORWEGIAN FOLK MUSEUM  Costs without Oslo Pass: Adults: 95 NOK ($16 USD) /Child 6-15 years: 25 NOK ($4.25 USD)

     Next door was the Norwegian Folk Museum. Once you pass through the Museum's gate, you transport yourself back to a wide variety (153) of buildings moved here from all over Norway. Norsk Folkemuseum has exhibits in the Open Air Museum and in the indoor exhibit halls. The exhibits feature daily life and living condition in Norway from the 16th century to present time.

     At the start of the park is a building with changing displays.  During summer, there all kinds of activities, like dancing and costumed guides who tell you some interesting facts, like, how the people put sod on their roofs and let the grass grow. Then sheep would be placed on the roof to curtail the grass's growth.  And all about the Sámi people, their clothes, tools and other various other objects. Then there is an exhibition on folk painting and the way the Scandinavian-painted decorations on cabinets, chairs and chests evolved over the centuries.

     Spread over a large area, each building's location is recreated: at the farm house, you are on a working farm with nothing else in sight; the "town" has shops and trade buildings (weavers, blacksmiths, etc.). As you enter the museum, you learn what demonstrations are going on that day. Exhibitions that change according to seasons, holidays or special events.  

     In the 10th through the 13th centuries, more than 800 Stavkirker homes were built. The Stavkirker were gabled fantasies with no windows and therefore little interior decoration.  They used only the materials available -- wood (no nails) covered in wood tar, resulting in their dark color. Now only about 30 remain.  Their design incorporated the Viking symbol of might: dragons, combined with Christian imagery. The wooden roof shingles resemble fish scales. The West entry door was usually intricately carved with interlocking animals and foliage.

   The Old Stave Church   One of the highlights for me was the Stave Church from Gol  built in 1200 and transported here more than 100 years ago and built without a single nail. There are other stave churches in Norway, but this one we were able to go inside.

THE FRAM MUSEUM  Costs without Oslo Pass: Adults 50 NOK ($8.45 USD)/ Child 7-16 years 20 NOK ($3.40 USD)

     The Fram Museum shows the history of the polar explorers. Here you’ll find the world’s most famous polar ship, the Fram, from 1892. The ship is displayed in its original condition with interior and objects perfectly preserved. Every visitor is welcome on board!

                                
     The museum tells the story of the Norwegian polar expeditions, who also represent international history in the field of  polar exploration: Nansen's journey across the Polar ocean and his attempt to go to the North Pole, Sverdrup's expedition to Greenland, a voyage where more than 200 000 square kilometers of unchartered land was  discovered, and Amundsens journey to the South Pole, the discovery of the Northwest Passage and his attempt to reach the North Pole by plane and airship. The exhibitions in the museum have a representative selection of animals from the Polar region, like polar bears and penguins.

KON-TIKI MUSEUM    Costs without Oslo Pass: Adults 60 NOK ($10 USD)/Child 25 NOK ($4.25 USD)

     This museum tells the story of the expeditions of the famous Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl, who wanted to proof that ancient nations have been able to cross the oceans in very simple boats. He rebuild this boats in the original style and floated only with the help of wind and sea streams. The museum is named after his famous raft Kon-Tiki which is exhibited as well as the boats Ra II and a model of the Tigris.

      I have included costs for all above as they are presently published in their websites so that you can compare Ship Excursion costs with "On Your Own." Double-check current ticket prices by going to each of their websites..  as they may have changed.                                                                                                            Similar Excursions Tours by Ship Lines:
RCCL: "Viking Heritage" 5 hours, $69
Princess: "Introduction to Oslo" 3.5 hours $69
Holland American "The Best of Oslo" 7 hours, More than $150-- with lunch. 

     Notice that the hours differ, as do the prices.  Some ships are not in port long enough to do an all-day excursion.  Perhaps you can choose early morning and afternoon back-to-back  3.5 hr. excursions for around the same cost as the all-day if your ship does stay longer. Or, take the Bygadoy or Vigeland ship excursion and do "On Your Own" around the city later if you have the time.  Homework!!!!