My Trip to NORWAY: Day in OSLO 3: The Fram, Viking, National Gallery Museums

April 29, 2017

We visited the Akerhus University Hospital (or Ahus for short) in the morning. We were met by an RN in charge of these hospital visits who gave us an overview of the hospital, which was inaugurated in 1961. We also heard a talk by the MD in charge of infection control. After these short lectures, we were toured around the hospital proper. 

Ahus Exterior View

Ahus Interior View

The interiors of this hospital were also marked by the use of glass sheets and wood panels in their design, much like the airport and the opera house.  They used a number of robotic platforms in the transport of laundry and supplies, which were amazing to observe. They used robotic arms to move specimens in the laboratory. Their laundry system for the white coats used by the staff was also very impressive. 

Aker Brygge

For lunch we went to Sorgenfri, a restaurant in another section of the Aker Brygge wharf area, to dine. Like the other Oslo restaurants we ate in before, this restaurant also had ornate designs inside with a number of unusual bric-a-brac (including some pretty creepy dolls and mannequins) decorating its walls and ceilings. The salmon steak we ate here was exceptionally tasty.

Interior of Sorgenfri

In the afternoon, we returned to Bygdoy to visit two more museums there. The first one was the Fram Museum. Inside, we can see the Fram, a ship used in expeditions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by Norwegian explorers Nansen, Sverdrup, and Amundsen between 1893 and 1912. According to its plaque, it is said to have sailed farther north and farther south than any other conventional sea vessel. In another section of the museum, they displayed the Gjøa, the ship used by Amundsen when he and his crew of six traversed the Northwest Passage (through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago) in 1906.

The second museum we visited was the Viking Ship Museum. It was exciting to see actual Viking ships there, along with a number of genuine Viking articles. However, there was little else to see in this place. There were not much display detailing about the Vikings themselves, how they looked like and how they lived.

After this, while the other members of our tour group were brought to the shopping district, I went on my own to a place I really wanted to visit -- the National Gallery. It was only about a three-minute walk from our hotel. The entrance fee to this museum is 100 NOK, similar to the other museums we visited today.  (This museum is actually free on Thursdays, but I did not want to take the risk of missing this chance of going there.)

Exterior of the National Gallery

All the paintings were only on the second floor, which was divided into 24 galleries, color coded according to period. The red rooms were for artworks from antiquity to the 17th century Baroque. The light blue rooms were about 19th century European Romanticism. It was in these rooms that I was astounded by the masterful realistic landscapes of Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1857).

"Shipwreck On the Coast of Norway", 1832

"Hellefossen Near Hokksund", 1838

The dark blue rooms displayed the works from the late 19th century Impressionists. Of course the main highlight of the museum were the works of Edvard Munch in Gallery #19, which includes his two masterpieces: the unsettling "Scream" (1893) and the mesmerizing "Madonna" (1895). The yellow rooms were for Modern Art from the 20th century to 1950, which included three Picasso pieces. 

I went through the entire collection three times during the one hour that I stayed inside. There were also a couple of dramatic Gustav Vigeland sculptures ("The Dance" 1896 and "Mother and Child" 1907) I also liked very much. 

Our dinner this night was at the Egon restaurant near the Oslo Central Train Station. This place had a multi-level interiors, ornately decorated with musical instruments of all kinds. I realized that this area was the end of Karl Johans Gate street where a lot of shops were located, actually walking distance from our hotel about 15 minutes away by foot. The Opera House was just across another street from the train station.

Plaza Outside Oslo Central Train Station

One End of Karl Johans Gate

My Trip to NORWAY: Day in OSLO 1: Holmenkollen, Frogner Park

April 28, 2017

Upon arrival in the airport of Oslo, Norway, it is very refreshing to see a lot of glass and wood paneling in their interior design. This is a recurring motif I would note in several of their newer buildings in the next few days that I was there.

Our tour guide is a guy named Luka (a middle-aged American man with no Norwegian blood), and he can really hold our attention with his commanding voice and interesting stories about this country we will be visiting. Norway is the second richest country in the world, with the money mostly came from their oil industry. He said Norwegians do not work and they actually get by with government pension. 

Norway is very proud to be a lover of its environment. Water is very clean and you can drink off any faucet. They are eventually going to do away with cars using diesel and gasoline. According to our guide, Norway is a very peaceful country with only 10 cases of murder since after World War II (although he did clarify on Day 4 that this statistic did not include the Utoya tragedy). 

When we first alit from the bus in Oslo city proper, it was really very cold. It was a bitter kind of cold that gave me chills, and this was despite our coats. It gave us an idea of how to layer up more to keep warm in the next few days. 

Christiana Restaurant

The first restaurant we ate in was called Christiana, named after the old name of Oslo.  The interior of this restaurant had Old World elegance, but it also contained a lot of unusual knickknacks on its walls. This was also a motif that we will see repeated in many restaurants we would visit next. The soup was a tasty salmon chowder and main course was a very tender duck entree -- an excellent introduction to Norwegian cuisine.

After lunch, Luka took us for a drive up to the highest point in the city called Holmenkollen where you can see the whole city in an overview. One of the remarkable sights there was the Holmenkollbakken ski jump, the site of multiple skiing competitions (including one Winter Olympics in 1952) since it began operations in 1892, continually being rebuilt and improved over the years. We saw a guest doing a zipline there, which looked really exciting.

Scandic Hotel atop Holmenkollen

The Ski Jump at Holmenkollen

The next place we visited was a park called Frogner Park, which was also known as Vigelandsparken, a park conceptualized and actualized by artist Gustav Vigeland. It is the biggest park in Oslo, and it is special because it was made to promote and perpetuate the value of family in Norway. According to Luka, it had been nominated several times to be included in the UN World Heritage List, but Norway had always declined the honor.

The Sprawling Grounds of Frogner Park

The most striking sculpture in the park is the towering (46 ft) Monolith of solid granite upon which was carved 121 distinct human figures. The original design was by Vigeland in 1927, but took three masons 14 years to complete. The plateau upon which the monolith was built contained 36 other statues all representing the theme of family relationships. 

Vigeland's Monolith

An impressive ring-like Wheel of Life sculpture was located at the northern end of the park. There was also a bridge connecting the main gate with the fountain area which had 58 more sculptures along its sides.  Two of the more memorable statues along the bridge is that of a Father with four babies, and the most popular one -- Angry Child. The vast expanse of this park and the fascinating statues make it a must-visit destination in Oslo.

Only after all these activities were we able to go and check into our hotel, the Scandic St. Olavsplass. Finally we get to lie down and freshen up after our long grueling trip, but not for long though. After an hour, we had to get to get up and walk to our dinner place, which was the Brasserie 45, for some chicken pasta. After that, we were given time to walk around the nearby streets before heading back to the hotel to call it a day.

National Theater

Fountain along Karl Johans Gate

Going back to the hotel about 9 pm

OUR VISITA IGLESIA 2017: 7 CHURCHES IN RIZAL PROVINCE

April 14, 2017

Yesterday, we went on our yearly family Visita Iglesia in observance of Maundy Thursday. In previous years, we visited churches in Metro Manila. Last year, we went around Caloocan City and Malabon. In 2015, we visited churches in Bulacan province (LINK). This year, I decided to take the family to visit churches in relatively nearby Rizal province. Despite being familiar with their names, I believe this is the first time I am actually to be in these towns. 

1. OUR LADY OF LIGHT PARISH - CAINTA


The stone church of Cainta was first built in 1707 and completed in 1716. In 1727, Our Lady of Light was chosen as its new patroness. The church was burned down during the Filipino-American war. It was left in ruins for more than 60 years until it was rebuilt in 1966 with its original facade. When you enter the churchyard from the main road, you only see the side entrance near the altar. You have to go into the church and go out the front door in order to see its beautiful stone facade.

2. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH - TAYTAY

Built from 1599 to 1601, the original church at this site was considered to be the first church built by the Jesuits out of stone outside Manila. That old church was damaged by typhoons, fire and the Philippine-American War, but was rebuilt and expanded after each disaster. It is interesting to note that St. Pedro Calungsod served as an altar boy in Taytay in 1666, serving as assistant to Blessed Fr. Diego Luis San Vitores, who was also martyred with Calungsod in the Marianas in 1672.

3. ST. CLEMENT PARISH - ANGONO

This church had humble beginnings as a chapel of a hacienda in 1751. In 1784, a big copper church bell was brought to Angono by the Hacendero Josep Blanco Bermudez. That bell is still in use at the belfry of the present church in Angono. The building of this present church began in 1877 and completed in 1930.

4. STA. URSULA PARISH - BINANGONAN

Google Maps seemed to be confused about the location of this church within the narrow streets of this town. It gave us wrong directions so we just followed the other cars going to the church. It was located near the busy marketplace area, but there were officials manning the traffic into and out of the churchyard. This church building with its elegant stone facade was first built from 1792–1800.

5. STO. ROSARIO PARISH - CARDONA

This was a small church along the main road. It had no churchyard it seemed, so people were just parking along the road, but local officials there were efficiently assisting pilgrims. This church was being totally renovated during this visit, both outside and inside. A point of interest is the park across the street dedicated to the heroes of various wars.

6. ST. JEROME PARISH - MORONG

There seemed to be only one entrance and exit into the churchyard which was up on a hill so traffic was backed up. I decided to just park along the street and we just walked up. The church frontispiece and belfry (built by Bartolome Palatino of Paete between 1850 and 1853) was absolutely imposing and intricately detailed. 

7. SAN ILDEFONSO del TOLEDO PARISH - TANAY

We were supposed to visit St. Joseph Parish Church in Baras town next, but we could not find the turn and totally missed it. So we decided to go further on along the road to the next town, Tanay. The traffic around the church was very well organized by the community. No parking within the church grounds, but there was enough parking in the streets around it. This magnificent old church was completed in 1783. The altar backdrop was the grandest among the churches we saw today, all in gold trim with three tiers of saintly statues on it.

On the way back to Manila, we drove through the zigzags of Antipolo and wanted to pass by the Antipolo Cathedral for a visit. However, the vehicular traffic in the area is already very heavy, with people parking in streets quite a distance away from the church. On our way back to the city along Ortigas Ave. that afternoon, we were already encountering the devotees who were doing their yearly trek up to Antipolo on foot. 

Our Trip to XI'AN: TERRACOTTA WARRIORS, BIG GOOSE PAGODA , MUSLIM STREET, CITY WALL (Mar. 26-27, 2015)

May 30, 2015

The tour provider I booked, Catherine Lu Tours, had been very helpful during the planning of our visit to Beijing. I really wanted to see Xi'an and was excited that she had a itinerary going there from Beijing. 

DAY 1:

Our sleeper train arrived safely in the Xi'an train station promptly at 7 am. We made our way outside into the cold nippy air, looking out for our tour guide Kathy. Fortunately, it did not take long to find her. Our first taste of Xi'an was that busy city square with a beautiful huge ancient wall surrounding. I am very excited to see more.

The Xi'an City Square

Before we went to the van, we bought breakfast meals take out, where else but McDonalds! Haha! I bought their unique Red Bean Pie to taste, and it was quite good. The drive out to our first destination took about two hours, while Kathy was telling us more about her hometown Xi'an. The roads were so wide and clean. The architecture was solid and imposing. I love it here already.

Xi'an (西安) is the capital of Shaanxi province, located in the northwest part of China. Xi'an was known as Chang'an before the Ming dynasty. It was the capital city of China under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, namely Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang. Xi'an was at par with Cairo, Athens and Rome as one of the cradles of ancient human civilization. Currently, Xi'an is recognized as an important educational centre, being the home to several universities, second only to Beijing. It is also the site of facilities for research in the areas of national security and space exploration. 

For tourists, Xi'an is most well-known as the home to the Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the united China. In 1974, farmers found the terracotta figures in a field when they were digging a well. Since then, four huge pits of terracotta figures consisting of warriors, chariots and horses have been unearthed. If I understood our guide correctly, they have stopped excavations currently until they can discover a process to prevent the colors of the figures from disintegrating upon exposure to air.

The site of Terracotta Army pits is now developed into a huge tourist complex. We first walk through a town center with several shops and restaurants. After the guide got our tickets from the main gate, there is still another long walk through a beautiful garden with cherry blossoms. Admittedly, seeing these cherry blossoms here in Xi'an was a most unexpected exciting surprise for us all. We had a field day taking photos among these delicate white and pink flowers.

Pink Cherry Blossoms Up Close

The first thing we did there was to watch an informative film showed in a 360-degree theater area. There was a gift shop outside the theater with souvenirs and books. One of the original farmers who found the terracotta warriors was in the shop that day to sign autographs for the coffee-table books being sold there. After looking around the shop, we proceeded to visit all the pits and the museum.

Pit 1 is 230 m. long and 62 m. wide divided into 11 corridors, containing the main army of more than 6,000 figures.  I have seen some warriors when they visited Manila when I was a child. I had seen a warrior in the Johnson and Johnson booth in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics. But these cannot compare to the most awesome view of seeing all these warriors in their glory in Pit 1. Pit two has cavalry and infantry units as well as war chariots and is thought to represent a military guard. Pit three is the command post, with high-ranking officers and a war chariot.

The museum contained the metallic chariots which were really spectacular to see up close behind their glass cases. We also saw individual warriors closer up, one from each rank or position. There were really a big crowd gathered around these exhibits so it was not too easy to take pictures. 

We had a sumptuous lunch in the dining room of the museum. Our guide wisely brought us up to lunch at 11:30 before the rest of the tourist horde came in at around 12nn. The restaurant was already very noisy and crowded by then. After lunch, we left the Terracotta Complex to head back into the city.

Our first stop back in the city proper is the Big Goose Pagoda. Honestly, when I read this destination in our itinerary, I was not really too excited about it. However, when we actually got to that area, I was so wrong with my expectations! It was a most picturesque and interesting place. The landscape of the park around the pagoda had been designed to be so modern and spectacular, in sharp contrast with the ancient pagoda itself.

It was not part of the tour, but the kids wanted to go up the pagoda. My wife begged off from this exercise, so I went in with them. There was nothing much to see inside. But we certainly got a much better birds-eye view of the beautiful park around the pagoda. I wanted to stay in this place longer, but our guide still had to check us into our hotel.

 

Our hotel was the Citadines, located very near the Bell Tower and the Muslim Street. After resting our weary legs, we walked towards Muslim Street to have our dinner there. The lights illuminating the Bell Tower and the whole stretch of Muslim Street itself were so unexpectedly amazing to look at, again exceeding all my expectations. 

Bell Tower

Muslim Street by Night

We had dinner at a local noodle house. I have to say that the taste needs getting used to. After eating, we walked around the busy night market. My expert bargain hunter wife was able to buy me a set of model terracotta warriors for a fraction of the initial price quoted. We walked back to the hotel and had a good night's sleep.

DAY 2:

After breakfast, Kathy met us at the hotel, and we checked out already. We spent the rest of the morning going around Muslim Street for more shopping. The lights we saw last night were still lit up even during the morning and the atmosphere of the place was just as frenetic. We ate lunch at a special dumplings place, which was very very busy. 

The Drum Tower

Muslim Street by Day

After lunch, we decided to forego visiting inside the Bell and Drum Towers as we already admired them from the street. The kids were not really interested in looking inside another temple-like building anymore. I requested if we could go back to the beautiful water garden which we saw behind the Big Goose Pagoda. Kathy acceded to our request. As a credit to this tour group, she returned to me the money that was for the towers tickets. I found this a very fine gesture indeed from the company we really appreciated. 

We had fun taking pictures in the picturesque park. It was just too bad that we were not able to see the musical water fountain show in this area at night. The previous night, I tried to find out how to get here from our hotel, and we had to take two or three buses! We did not want to take that risk anymore.

For our final attraction in Xian, we went up the City Wall. I never thought I would find this to be my absolute favorite place to be. The area on the wall was vast -- so much bigger and expansive than anything I was expecting. The guide told us that an international marathon was held ON the wall every year! You can rent a bicycle (or a tandem bike) and ride all around the wall. Too bad we did not have enough time to do that anymore. I really love this place. I wanted to stay there for the rest of the day.

Photo with our guide Kathy

Unfortunately, we had a train to catch. On our way back to Beijing, we were booked on a "Speedy" Train. We had a smooth comfortable ride. The stations along the way all look very neat and clean. We brought our burgers to eat on the train, but we just slept most of the way. We reached Beijing at around 10pm. Our driver was there to pick us up and bring us back to our lodgings. What a memorable side trip this was! I want to go back to Xi'an someday.