Amy with Askerhus castle in the background. I'm sure it's important, but it was too yucky to try and get over to it.
Viking Ship Museum!! This was the most important stop of the day.
The actual viking ships were fantastic. Around 80 ft. long and 15 ft. wide, they looked like regular full size ships. Now, not necessarily something I'd cross the ocean in, but much larger than I'd always imagined. The 2 main ships Gokstad and Oseberg were patched up a bit and in mint condition. They were both burial ships found buried in the late 1800s with a chief in one and a high ranking woman in another. The ships had holes for 32 oarsmen and they only 2-3 boards stuck above the water line- so it must have been a pretty wet affair to ride in one of these.
This is one of the burial shelters found in the middle of the Gokstad. it had the 3 sleds and many other artifacts (see below) underneath it.
This wagon was really neat.
Here are a few photos the city centre. A bit drab with the rain. The church is the central Dom Kirke in Oslo.
The actual viking ships were fantastic. Around 80 ft. long and 15 ft. wide, they looked like regular full size ships. Now, not necessarily something I'd cross the ocean in, but much larger than I'd always imagined. The 2 main ships Gokstad and Oseberg were patched up a bit and in mint condition. They were both burial ships found buried in the late 1800s with a chief in one and a high ranking woman in another. The ships had holes for 32 oarsmen and they only 2-3 boards stuck above the water line- so it must have been a pretty wet affair to ride in one of these.
I don't know how well it shows up, but they set planks across the main ship to sit on, and stored goods and weapons underneath.
This is one of the burial shelters found in the middle of the Gokstad. it had the 3 sleds and many other artifacts (see below) underneath it.
The artifacts they found inside the burial ships were fantastic. Again, it showed what fantastic craftsmen they were. Not just war-hungry barbarians living in caves. This was a very intricate and high-level civilization...which happened to find it easier to gain wealth by raiding their neighbors.
This is a horse bridle and each of those squares are silver crafted in intricate designs.
This wagon was really neat.
Three of these sleds were found in the Gokstad ship full of all sorts of goodies to help the chief on his way while dead. Again, just amazing craftsmanship.
The oldest known horse saddle, and some chain 'rattles'. They don't know if the rattles were baby toys or had some religious significance. There isn't much Viking writing that has survived, as they didn't inscribe much in stone. Again, if you're building a civilization and you want it to be well understood centuries later- use stone. (I think they're baby toys)
Here are a few photos the city centre. A bit drab with the rain. The church is the central Dom Kirke in Oslo.
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