Oslo :4

  

Of course, this photograph is not taken by me. To have such a type of view, one requires a vantage point, that too situated at a distance and at a higher level. But the one below is definitely taken by me and it too shows the grandeur of Oslo Opera House.

Comparisons are odious but I could not help to compare it with Sydney Opera House. The concept is definitely lifted from the Sydney Opera house. [ My observation was not taken well by the tour guide. Afterwards. Naturally, he was proud of HIS opera house more ! ] Both are on the bays, built-in white marble with copious use of glass. But Sydney Opera house is 8th wonder of the new world while Oslo Opera house represents the architecture of the new era which mostly is in rectangles and is DRAB! It is based on the concept of an iceberg, rising from the water so they have this floating structure in the glass just next to the opera house in Oslo-Fjord. Does it look like an iceberg? I sprained my neck in different positions but hardly saw iceberg in it!

Exteriors are half glass, half marble and white granite. It reflects the light so much if you are on the rooftop ,it makes impossible to laze around without shades! The tiles have dots which initially we thought as inscriptions in Braille script, but it turned out, they represented the punching cards of the workers who worked on the building site. The entrance is far from opulent mostly functional.

View from the top, I always like. Panoramic view of any city gives you a rough idea about how the city is laid out. 

This is the Holmenkollen Ski tower as seen from the rooftops of the opera house.

Sharp at the stipulated time we were let in. The ambience was just wonderful. While exteriors are in marble and glass, interiors are mostly in wood that gave golden hue to the entire foyer. The staircase that led to higher balconies is much talked about and is really a piece of woodcraft. The tour was extensive and the guide well-versed expert on the subject. The first bit of information he gave itself was intriguing.   

Entire staff, the maintenance of the building, overall general management is looked after by the Government, rather its agency and it works with clockwork precision. More than 400 people are employed as permanent workers which include all backstage workers, like set makers, carpenters, dress designers and tailors along with the normal, electricians and plumbers. The more surprising fact was that all the events staged at the opera, including even the commercial ones are sponsored by the agency either partly or fully depending on the product. Part may go up to seventy per cent! I pitied our Marathi theatre, its producers, backstage artists and in general everything! The entire economics of the Marathi theatre in comparison with only this one venture looked like peanuts. But I am still proud of it, as, in spite of these and many other innumerable shortcomings Marathi theatre thrived and is still thriving and is an institution to reckon with! All the figures were really mind-boggling. It has three stages and the main one is big enough to accommodate Shivaji Mandir and Bal Gandharva put together! The sitting capacity too is more than 1300. Interesting to note is, even the royals have to buy the tickets like commoners and are not given any special preference, they have to watch the opera along with the common patrons! Acoustics, Seat arrangements, entrance fees, blah blah blah so much of information, my hard disc refused to store more! We were not allowed to take the snaps of the inside, of course, so I am pasting a one from an official site just to have the idea of how majestic it is.

The tour was really extensive so left me tired and exhausted. But as I have already said before, I had another lease of life after completing the round, around the circle of life, so these momentary interludes were not going to count. Oslo here I come! Again!
The next stops were far from the opera but we had a day pass for Tram so it was not a problem. Oslo Cathedral is just near the station and near the tram stop. Much farther away was Ice Palace. Here I loved being backpackers. Going through the maps, then finding the correct route of Tram, the exact location of the place, chances of missing it, making mistakes, all parts I find extremely interesting and enjoyable! 'Get Down, enjoy the monument, Get back to the Bus' type of conducted tours bore me to the hilt!



The Oslo Cathedral is the official Cathedral of the Norwegian Royal Family and dates back to 1600. It's used by the present Government also, for the official public functions. Rather than what it practices, I have always enjoyed the architecture of the churches. Very high ceilings almost reaching the skies, big organs behind the sanctum sanctorum, huge glass panels with murals, everything is just so good to look at. This too had all those things, nothing less, nothing more!

The Ice palace turned out to be in the hind lanes of the University. We had to search a little, but in the end, after wasting 30 minutes we found it. It was so because it was situated in a very obscure building and it was a nondescript enterprise on a very small scale. But it was an experience far beyond expectations. One has to wear thick Snow coats, caps and gloves before venturing in. A smallish hall was cooled well

below-freezing temperatures for ice sculptures to stay.  It was really beautiful once you go in. All the furniture, compartments are made of ice and there is a smallish exhibition of ice sculptures. They serve you a peg of wine on the house but in a glass made of ice. Wine at that juncture you desire the most, but to take the sip with frozen lips is a different task altogether. It was difficult for me to stay there even for more than a few minutes because though the body was well taken care of, it was extremely chilled air that hampered the breath!

Before anything serious could happen, we left the palace to say adieu to Oslo. Whatever days we spent in Oslo were worth more than a thousand words, here I have tried to capture them in the best way I could. Ta-Da!