Venturing Oslo for Adventure
Last weekend I made what in retrospect was a kind of a superfluous trek to Oslo, Norway. We had decided just two weeks prior (on a whim, perhaps after a few glasses of wine) to go, despite the weather and the distance. It turned out to be an amazing (albeit expensive - Fifteen dollar beer, Oslo? Get it together!) experience.
With my blog in mind, as soon as I heard about the Eventyrbrua I knew I could not rest until I found it. Literally translated it means Adventure Bridge, but colloquially it is known as the Fairytale Bridge! So, after a good night's rest (my resolve does occasionally wane...) and a trip to Akershus Fortress (a medieval castle and former prison) my traveling partners and I decided to head on over. Except, well, we didn't know how to get there.
Thankfully the fortress houses a beautiful Visitors Centre which happened to be manned with the two most pleasant and knowledgeable Norwegian ladies known to humankind.
K: "Hi, could you help us? We're looking for directions..."
Helpful Tourism Lady (HTL): "Well, this is up (points up), and this is down (points down)..."
We could not have asked for a more enjoyable encounter. When I mentioned the bridge, one woman made a face. She was adamant that the bridge wasn't anything special. Thankfully my interest was matched by HTL, who chimed in to summarize a folk tale about one of its statues:
A princess dreamed of a golden wreath, and stumbling upon a white bear in the woods with one, attempted to bargain for it. Unbeknownst to her, this was Kvitebjørn (King Valemon), who after scorning a witch had been transformed into a polar bear. Needing a wife to break the curse, he demanded the princess' hand in marriage for the wreath. Loving it so, she agreed, and despite her father's efforts to keep Valemon at bay, she travelled with the bear to his own castle.
After some time, in the candlelight the princess saw the king's true form ("Because he turned back into a man at night", interjects the second lady). Since this violated the witch's rules, he had to be married to her instead. When he left to go to her, the princess jumped on his back to follow him, and with the help of three young girls ("Who turn out to be her daughters!") she defeated the witch and they all lived happily ever after.
I'm jazzed about the folklore of Norway and I'm not even into vikings and Norse gods yet! You best prepare yourselves. This entry is brought to you by too many parentheses and writers-lag. (That's a thing, right?) Farvel!
With my blog in mind, as soon as I heard about the Eventyrbrua I knew I could not rest until I found it. Literally translated it means Adventure Bridge, but colloquially it is known as the Fairytale Bridge! So, after a good night's rest (my resolve does occasionally wane...) and a trip to Akershus Fortress (a medieval castle and former prison) my traveling partners and I decided to head on over. Except, well, we didn't know how to get there.
Thankfully the fortress houses a beautiful Visitors Centre which happened to be manned with the two most pleasant and knowledgeable Norwegian ladies known to humankind.
Cropped out of photo: me making a goober face with a thumbs up toward the Centre
K: "Hi, could you help us? We're looking for directions..."
Helpful Tourism Lady (HTL): "Well, this is up (points up), and this is down (points down)..."
We could not have asked for a more enjoyable encounter. When I mentioned the bridge, one woman made a face. She was adamant that the bridge wasn't anything special. Thankfully my interest was matched by HTL, who chimed in to summarize a folk tale about one of its statues:
A princess dreamed of a golden wreath, and stumbling upon a white bear in the woods with one, attempted to bargain for it. Unbeknownst to her, this was Kvitebjørn (King Valemon), who after scorning a witch had been transformed into a polar bear. Needing a wife to break the curse, he demanded the princess' hand in marriage for the wreath. Loving it so, she agreed, and despite her father's efforts to keep Valemon at bay, she travelled with the bear to his own castle.
Statue of King Valemon and his princess lover along the Eventyrbrua, which we did eventually find!
After some time, in the candlelight the princess saw the king's true form ("Because he turned back into a man at night", interjects the second lady). Since this violated the witch's rules, he had to be married to her instead. When he left to go to her, the princess jumped on his back to follow him, and with the help of three young girls ("Who turn out to be her daughters!") she defeated the witch and they all lived happily ever after.
I'm jazzed about the folklore of Norway and I'm not even into vikings and Norse gods yet! You best prepare yourselves. This entry is brought to you by too many parentheses and writers-lag. (That's a thing, right?) Farvel!
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