OSLO, Norway -- Call it the bridge of happy babel. The joyous crowd thronging across the wide stone arch seem to speak a dozen languages. In addition to Norwegian, I detect snatches of German, English, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese and several other tongues about which I have no clue. Bermuda clad tourists capturing images, old couples walking hand in hand, babies dozing in strollers, older kids towing their parents, svelte roller-bladers showing off their tattoos, all enjoying the soft, sunny afternoon. But we are also under the spell of the dozens of granite and bronze statues atop the bridge's balustrades. Grouped in mini-tableaux of twos and threes, the ample figures portray people of all ages, with an abundance of children. Each grouping expresses a relationship, between men and women, between adults and children, between the old and young. Some are elated, others subdued, but all exuding an essential humanity. On the bridge's far end, the basin of an enormous fountain is supported by heroic humans twined around tree-like structures, and beyond twin staircases ascend a terraced slope to a plateau on which a tall obelisk soars up from a granite gray platform. From top to bottom, it is a celebration of humanity, both the quick and the quiet.Welcome to Vigeland Park, Oslo's unique sculpture garden and arguably Norway's most visited attraction. We were in Norway's capital for a quick visit en route to board a cruise ship in the port of Tromso, 1,000 miles farther to the north. Situated at the upper end of the 60-mile fjord that penetrates Norway's southeastern corner, Oslo is defined by its harbor and the surrounding hills. Scandinavia's oldest city, it was established as a safe harbor in 1048 A.D. by the Viking boatmen whose epic exploits changed the face and faces of Europe and Britain. Despite its early start, the settlement remained something of a backwater until the kings of Norway settled there 250 years later. The Black Death decimated Oslo's population in 1349, and Norway itself fell under the control of Denmark later that century.The city gained a degree of prosperity and position from trade, fishing and ship-building in the 18th and 19th centuries, sprouting large green parks, long vistas and wide promenades lined with elegant stone facades. But even after Norway gained its independence in 1905 and Oslo became its capital, the city retained a somewhat dour air, lovely in summer when the sun can shine 20 hours a day, but frigid and foreboding during winter's long and dark nights. Although Oslo's city limits incorporate hundreds of square miles of forests, fields and fjord, its urban center covers a relatively compact area, which makes for easy exploration by foot or its excellent transportation network of buses, streetcars, subways and shuttle boats. Over the past 40 years, Norway and Oslo have seen dramatic developments, fueled in great part by oil pumped from the vast North Sea oil fields off its rugged coastlines. Channeled into civic coffers, that oil wealth has helped foster a prosperous and egalitarian nation and a vibrant, cosmopolitan city, with plenty of culture, art and civic virtues, along with a deep appreciation for nature and environment. Since we were in town for just three days, we treated ourselves to a room at the elegant Hotel Continental, the grand and venerable hostelry in the heart of the city, across from the National Theater. It was a wonderful base from which to explore. Here are quick sketches of some sights we managed to see. Ibsen Museum - Housed in the elegant apartment the playwright and his wife inhabited for the last decade of their lives, the understated museum (only the study is preserved as it was a century ago) provides a capsule summary of Ibsen's life and his importance to both the then emerging nation of Norway as well as the greater world of theater. Munch Museum - Best known for "The Scream," Edvard Munch was a pioneer in the Expressionist movement. When he died in 1944, he deeded his remaining collection to the city of Oslo, including thousands of his paintings, prints, drawings, engravings and photographs. The collection was housed in a handsome gallery built just east of the city center near the lovely gardens of the Natural History Museum. Security has been greatly enhanced since the museum suffered a robbery three years ago, but the major works are on permanent display.Oslo's ocean-going history is evident everywhere in the city, from the harbor area with Akershus Slott, the hulking fortress on the left side of the harbor, to Aker Brygge, the modernistic steel and glass, multi-use complex rising on the harbor's former shipyards, which are becoming a center of upscale restaurants and nightlife. A 20-minute ferry ride across the harbor, takes you to The Frammuseet, which houses the Fram, the historic vessel used for the great polar expeditions of Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912. The original ship is on display, along with hundreds of expedition images and artifacts. Next door is the Kon-Tiki Museum displaying the original vessels from Thor Heyerdahl who in 1948 with a crew of five navigated a balsawood raft across the Pacific Ocean from Peru for 101 days, demonstrating how early South Americans might have migrating west to islands of Polynesia. E-mail David Bear at dbear(at)post-gazette.com. (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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