V i k i n g s !

I?d read in the paper that the viking ship "Åsa" had arrived in Oslo (as opposed to the olden days when surprise was part of their tactics....) The boat, a near replica of the Oseberg ship, has curves to be envied by man or ship....

Down by the harbour at Bygdøy peninsula I walked around and about to get the perfect shot. The captain and owner, Per Bjørkum, had placed himself nicely at the stem of the boat. I am shy, I dared not approach him. Instead I shot up in the air and down by the water.

Then I collected some mental courage from the portraits of IngunnInOslo. I used her tactics :-) , the talking, the asking.

He was proud of his ship and told me the stories. He then gave me his permission to blip him and his boat.

I made sure to include other important aspects of Norwegian maritime history. To the left (the red, green, black striped boat, restored on land) is "Gjøa", the boat used by Roald Amundsen to navigate the Northwest Passage (1903-1906). Amundsen was also the first man to reach the South Pole (1911). The triangular building at the back houses "Fram" used by Fritjof Nansen, the the world's foremost polar explorer. To the right, outside of the picture, are "Kon Tiki" and "Ra", rafts used by the ocean explorer Thor Heyerdahl.


Thank you Ingunn, you are most definitely my inspiration for this shot!