Visit to Oslo

Oslo is still in mourning after attacks by an anti-immigration zealot killed 77 people on July 22. Anders Behring Breivik detonated a car bomb in Oslo and shot young people at a Labour Party camp on Utoeya island outside the city.

Oslo Cathedral, close to Hotel Rico, where I stayed for three nights, is still surrounded by tributes to the dead. I went past it each day I was there. One day I saw a boy place a single red rose in the railing by the doorway.

This graffiti of a child's face was on the wall of a lane leading to a driveway.

One of the most amazing things about Oslo is this neon sign advertising Freia chocolate.

It is very difficult to photograph, but a good shot worth a lot to the soul.

I caught this blue image at night and the one below during the day when the lights were off.

In general, Oslo is spectacular for its light and colour.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Oslo shares northern iconography with Canada.

Except that we do not have Viking hats in Canada.

I was lucky enough to have had a friend, Dean, who took me all over the city.

One place we visited was Vigeland Park, which is amazingly green and has the most incredible sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland made of bronze, granite and iron.

We went to the Viking Ship Museum, which houses Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune ships, and other Viking finds. The ships were found in royal burial mounds in the Oslo fjord. They were to carry the dead into another world and contained various treasures, which are on show in the museum.

We took the bus to the museum, and the ferry back to central Oslo.

We walked past the parliament and the building where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each year.

The night I arrived we had Indian food in Groenland, the second night we went to an Italian restaurant called Olive for pizza and the final night we ate Norwegian cuisine at the Grand Hotel.

I had the best dessert -- rhubarb and strawberry soup -- at the Grand Hotel.

After dinner we went for a walk to look at the opera house.

On my final day, I went to the national art gallery. I saw Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" -- which I have seen before in New York -- in a room dedicated to his work.

Cat outtake from "Rest time in the Garden" by Pierre Bonnard.

Part of "Struggle for Survival" (Christian Krogh, 1889)

I might add more pictures.

Visit to Stockholm

I was sent to Stockholm to cover World Water Week for work. It was a fantastic visit. I had never been to Scandinavia before, but had always wanted to go. I was very curious.

On the flight to Stockholm from London I was seated next to a Danish man who lives in England.

Coincidentally, he had attended University of Toronto (where I also studied) as an engineering student and had lived on the same street as my parents, so we found we had a lot to talk about.

He kindly drove me to Gamla Stan in his rental car after we arrived in Stockholm and I treated him to a Swedish supper at Restaurant CC, on Skraddargrand in Gamla Stan.

We each had a grilled shrimp appetizer, he had meatballs and I had salmon as a main dish.

Over a four-day period, I conducted about 20 interviews from which I produced 15 videos and several stories. I also met and spoke with many people among the 2,600 at the event, which was held at the Stockholmsmassan convention centre in Alvsjo.

I took a bit of time to hang out with the folks at the WaterCube.tv booth, which was definitely a highlight. WaterCube.tv is sort of like an online speakers' corner, where interviews with delegates are edited and then published online. Fortunately, the two video interviews they did with me do not seem to have made it to the web.

On the first night of the convention a buffet was held at the City Hall, which is where the Nobel awards ceremony is held each year (all except the peace prize, which is awarded in Oslo). It is a spectacular building and a sumptuous Swedish feast was laid out in the Blue and Golden Halls.

I had a bit of almost everything: poached salmon, marinated salmon, potatoes, salad.

I also had a glass of wine, which in my state of fatigue was a bit of a mistake because I was somewhat delirious afterwards and had to crash when I got back to the hotel.

I also made time to wander about in Gamla Stan, the beautiful old part of Stockholm, near my hotel, the First Hotel Riesen.

On my final morning there, I went on a tour around the archepelago that makes up the area. It was a disappointing tour because I had no idea where we were, but quite beautiful scenery. I also took a look in the museum, the palace and the cathedral.

I found Stockholm residents to be very attractive, helpful and friendly.

Stockholm bird

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Southwark Bridge

Here's a view of Southwark Bridge with the partially built Shard building, designed by Renzo Piano, looming over Southwark Cathedral.


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