Destination Norway- III

The third day was spent at the conference. The venue was Norwegian Trade Fairs at Lillestrom, the closest station to the airport on the local train. The conference venue was truly massive and very very spacious. The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Mr Prithviraj Chauhan, Minister of Science. He spoke big words about India's role in the scheme of things at the pole. He was in Norway for his trip to the Indian Arctic Station, Himadri. The purpose of his visit to the Arctic and to the conference is still unclear to me. The conference was finally declared open by Prince Albert II of Monaco, the latest entrant to the Antarctic Treaty.

Multiple programs were on simultaneously. Polar cinema, reindeer herders' conference, multiple oral presentations, poster presentations, polar exhibitions……. All on at the same time. A diverse range of scientific disciplines were on display. Most of the program was latin and greek to me. Polar cinema was the most engrossing, with movies (mostly documentaries and short clips) from all over the arctic. There was very limited material presented from the Antarctic. The conference got over at about 4 pm. Then I went to Oslo central station, spent some time exploring the place, tasting local delicacies and then I went to meet Paresh, an online friend who happened to be in Oslo. It was nice to spend time with him and his wife and have good Indian food in Oslo. He was very hospitable and guided me about what to see in Oslo. It was now time to go back for some good conversation at the youth hostel, and a good sleep.

The next day was again conference time. But I had plans to explore the forests around Oslo as well. So I left the conference early and went to Sognsvann by metro. By the time I reached Sognsvann, it was raining pretty heavily. Luckily, I was carrying an umbrella. That's mandatory in Oslo, as it is in Bombay. Inspite of the rain, I went for a short hike into the forests. It was all coniferous vegetation. The surroundings reminded me of my treks to the Himalayas. Everything was quite similar, except for the terrain. Unfortunately, I did not take pics here because of the rain. Then I went back to Sognsvann and explored the area. It was a nice, quiet area with neat houses and pretty gardens. Not many people could be seen. This being the spring season, lot of flowers could be seen all around. It was a nice, easy and relaxing walk.

This evening, the conference organizers had organized a party at the Fram museum. The Fram museum was located at Bygdoy that was accessible most easily by ferry from the Aker Brygge. The attraction was the museum and not the party. The Fram is the ship that during its time sailed to the highest latitudes north and south. It was also the ship that carried the first man on the South Pole, Roald Amundsen to Antarctica. Therefore, it has a prominent place in the annals of polar exploration. The museum was built around the ship. The Fram was a wooden ship, like all ships made in that era, but had a reinforced, rounded hull, to be able to withstand sea ice. Numerous artifacts were from the expedition were on display there… clothes, food, rifles, skis, rations, so on and so forth…. I explored the ship from inside as well… rooms of all the occupants, including Amundsen. This museum took me back to Antarctica. I could relate to what his experiences would have been like, having experienced Antarctica myself.

The day finally ended at 10 pm, and I retired to my room. The next day was some big adventure… a cycle ride to Drobak, a small town 50 km away.