Arctic heroes – Amundsen, Heyerdahl and Nansen

Today is my last day in Oslo, so has been designated ‘catch up on museums day’, focusing on the Norwegian and Arctic heroes – Amundsen, Heyerdahil and Nansen. The Kon-Tiki, Fram and Viking Museum are all in the same area. The easiest way to get there is either one of the hop-on hop-off buses (about $AUD40 for a 24 hour pass), or the local bus (Number 30, much cheaper).

The Kon-Tiki museum

Thor Heyerdahl was a 20th century Norwegian hero, along with the members of his crew, who sailed a reed raft (the Kon-Tiki) across the Pacific in 1947, to prove that ancient cultures were capable of undertaking long sea voyages. He also constructed other reed craft, replicas of which are also on display in the museum.

The replica of the Kon-Tiki, however,  is the centrepiece of the museum, and all of the exhibits are carefully cultivated in multiple languages. The exterior of the museum is pretty non-descript, as are the other three museums I visit in the area.

The Fram museum

The Fram museum is a showpiece for the impressive Fram, the farthest ship south in the Antarctic expeditions of the early twentieth century. It’s actually possible to board the Fram and see the quite spacious conditions of the interior of the ship. There are extensive exhibits relating to Amundsen’s and Nansen’s polar explorations.

The Norway Maritime Museum

A stone’s throw from the Fram and Kon-Tiki museums is the Maritime museum. This is a quite disappointing museum – the highlight is the 20 minute video on the coast of Norway (which is edited in quite a strange way), and the scale models of ships from the last two thousand years – from the Vikings to the latest oil rig. There is a passing reference to artifacts found during the construction of the new Opera House, which would have been really interesting to learn more about.

The Viking Museum

This is a small museum dedicated to the display of three Viking ships, and the artifacts that were discovered with them. It’s an interesting museum, but sheer tourist hell with multiple tour buses disgorging hundreds of people at once. It might be better to go closer to closing time.

This evening there is a reception for the start of the Arctic expedition. The expedition crew are far more patient with the questions that they have to field than I would be. Yes, we’re leaving at 5.30am. You might get fed on the plane during the 3 hour flight to Svalbard. You won’t get on the ship until 4pm. Get over it. Think of Amundsen who died in a plane crash off Svalbard in 1928 looking for survivors of an airship. You’ll be on a comfortable modern aircraft. Get over it.