Scandinavia Cruise 2023 (Oceania Marina)

 Skagen, Denmark Well, we had high winds (44 mph) heading towards Skagen and so the captain made the decision not  to go to Skagen as well as Arendal and instead got to Mandal where we would tender into the city.  This was the one port that I was really looking forward to as it was an art colony during the impressionist era.  I am a particular fan of art during this period and wanted to go to the museum that featured the artist of this time period.  Apparently the lighting in the evening at Skagen was inspirational to many of these talents.  So, here are a few pictures that I enjoyed on line from my research and wanted to see in real. The Skagen painters For 50 years, from the mid-1870s, a colony of artists settled in Skagen, a fishing village situated on the northernmost tip of Denmark. These artists were mostly painters, but the colony expanded to include sculptors, poets, architects, composers and musicians. They were attracted by the scenery and quality...

 Oslo, Norway July 25, 2023 Beautiful docking spot right in the heart of Oslo cultural center.  From the ship we could see the Opera House and Munch Museum as well as the Oslo skyline.  We did have a planned tour today which took us to  1. Oslo City Hall (built  1931 to 1950)  where they award the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10 (Nobel's birthday) each year. 2.  Frogner Park  - a large park located a few minutes' walk away from the city centre. This is the biggest and best-known park in Norway, with a large collection of sculptures by  Gustav Vigeland. 3.  Holmenkollen  ski jump -   the area has been a ski recreation area since the late 19th century, with its famous  ski jumping hill , the  Holmenkollbakken , hosting competitions since 1892.  The jump itself was rebuilt in  again for the 2011 World Championships. Oslo City Hall The exterior  is of oversized red brick and Norwegian marble and de...

 July 24, 2023 Gothenburg, Sweden Sweden turned 500 years old in March 2023 Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm and fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Volvo Cars was founded in Gothenburg in 1927 and is now manufacturing only electric vehicles. Other key companies are Ericsson (telecommunications), SKF (ball bearings manufacturer) and AstraZeneca (who we all know is a pharmaceutical company that helped with vaccines and COVID). We learned that: The city hosts the Gothia Cup, the world's largest youth football tournament, and the Göteborg Basketball Festival, Europe's largest youth basketball tournament, alongside some of the largest annual events in Scandinavia. The Gothenburg Film Festival, held in January since 1979, is the leading Scandinavian film festival, with over 155,000 visitors each year. In summer, a wide variety of music festivals are held in the city, including the popular Way Out West Festival. Ullevi Stadium: One of...