Norway - Part 1

It sure does rain a lot in Norway. We sloshed around Oslo, jumping on ferry boats and subways in rain soaked jeans and sneakers to see all the sights. At the Hollenkomm Ski Museum, a glass elevator takes you to the top of the ski jump where the Olympics were held. The jump is impossibly vertical and I got dizzy just thinking about skiing. I pictured myself pushing off from the jump, pitching forward and tumbling head over heels, crash landing with body parts in various locations. OK, enough of that. Great view of the city from up there though. The museum has a breathtaking video of skiers being dropped off by helicopter on top of craggy, steep Norwegian mountains, where they happily strap narrow boards on their feet and jump off the peaks, free falling until their feet land in the snow. It can't possibly be real but it is. The Norwegian Resistance Museum depicted a proud and defiant nation when Hitler invaded their country. The Norwegian king refused to give up power until he was forced out and defiant school teachers refused to teach what they didn't believe in. Many paid the ultimate price with their lives. The Nobel Peace Museum had a mesmerizing fiberoptic light display with plaques honoring the award winners, dating back to the early 1900's. Kyle almost destroyed the whole thing while he was messing around with the fiberoptic chords.(!) There were also videos of American soldiers experiencing battle in Afghanistan which were hard to watch because they were so emotional. Also a video of an American actress dressed as an Afghani woman while driving a car through the city. The video shows the hostile stares and reactions of the local men who don't think women should be driving a car, I guess. We took shelter from the thunder, lightening and deluge in the Hard Rock Cafe to enjoy some good old fashioned American food and drinks. Next stop: the Norwegian Fjords. Stay tuned for my heart stopping account of how I messed up and turned a wonderful day into utter chaos.