Diary of an Edinburgher

By LadyMarchmont

Norway Day Six

Another epic breakfast to start the day. This morning I spied a rare sight - not the big hairy Viking, but the proper coffee machine! A couple of cheese sandwiches were stuffed in our pockets for lunch. We don't feel guilty, as most people eat SO much. Today there were blanched snow peas on offer with the cut up fruit.

Our group was to have a two hour guided tour of the old town, then the cathedral. I knew I couldn't keep up with that, so we did a wander (at my pace) round the old town again (where the locals seemed to be dressed for a party) then met up with the group at the cathedral later.

We went to the 'Armoury' also known as the 'Resistance Museum'. It was very interesting - we spent ages there, as we knew nothing about Norway's WW2. I now know the origins of 'quizling', a word I first heard during the (often heated) Scottish Independence Referendum and had to look it up. Vidkun Quisling was, in fact, the leader of the Norwegian Fascist Party modelled on the Nazi Party - a traitor.

We noticed three little brass plates - stumbling blocks. We recognised them from our visit to Berlin. They are quite a recent addition to mark the house where the resident Jews had been sent off to concentration camps.

We sat in the cathedral cafe and had our delicious sandwiches and coffee (free refills) and waited for the others to arrive.

The cathedral is pretty spectacular, with the whole front adorned with statues, with red-gowned students conducting guided tours.

We have an early start tomorrow, with several short train journeys. No worries - the men in the group rush to deal with my suitcase. Brilliant.

Extras: Cathedral (check out how good the zoom is on my iPhone7 Plus, (though not taken from the same spot!); the ornate manhole covers in the Old Town.

PS Archie has been having a wonderful time - we get regular WhatsApps from him.

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