On my first day of arrival in Oslo, Eric asked what I wanted for dinner.  When I replied "salmon?," they immediately dashed me to a local market where I was agog to see a truckload of newly caught wild salmon that just got off-loaded.

Before dinner, we headed to Vigeland Park.  The  above photo that I took of the Monolith (Monolitten) is just a sampling of over 200 bronze and granite sculptures with more than 600 figures created by Gustav Berg Vigeland.  This center piece is circled with thirty-six figure grouping that symbolizes a “circle of life” message. 

The Monolith was created from one solid block of granite weighing several hundred tons brought to the site from a stone quarry in Halden.  It took 14 years and three stone carvers to complete the center piece.  The 46.32 feet high totem comprises 121 human figures which symbolize man’s desires, aspirations, travails and struggles as it try to reach the heavens. Some of the figures show one helping another while some, in a sign of selfishness, attempts to pull another down.

It was such a mesmerizing experience to walk around, touch and feel the sculptured figures of human life as Eric gave me a one-on-one tour that included his deep interpretation of the symbolism and meanings of the work of art.  We then sat down quietly as if in meditation as the sun began to set.  We met up with Ulla and a baby Christian then and went back to their home and prepared and had the salmon dinner.

Most of the photos I took from Norway were made with slide film. I need time to be able to scan the hundreds of slides in high resolution however.  So, please stay tuned.