Last Thursday night, we joined many others in Oslo in celebrating the autumnal equinox by walking the path that meanders through the city parallel to the Akers River. The walkway was lit by thousands of votive candles and many varied lighting displays. Punctuating the route were performances by local solo instrumentalists and singers, vocal and instrumental ensembles, gymnasts, and dramatists. As Sten would say, a display of civil society. At various points, one could purchase hot drinks and snacks. The weather was mild, and the evening was magical. Hand-held camera photos aren't the best (okay, they're not good at all), but I hope you'll get an idea of what we experienced that night anyway. Here's a bit of the river walk.
Sten's holding one of a display of light colored umbrellas lit from underneath and placed on the grass. They created a beautiful effect.
Here's one of the many groups performing music -- this time it's accordions and a guitar.
These two women were telling traditional stories.
This amazing instrument is a carillon on a truck. Notice the size of the bells on the lower left of the instrument. The "keyboard" allows one person to play all the bells of a bell choir. It was fun to watch. In this photo the keyboard looks like you would play it like a normal piano or organ; however, it requires much more force on the part of the performer.
One of the displays of colored lights along the river walk.
We couldn't resist the aroma coming from this stand selling hot-off-the-iron Norwegian waffles with raspberry preserves.
People entered or left the walk at any spot along the way, and there was no charge for the event. After an hour and a half, we decided it was time to head home. When we got on the bus, we were shocked to discover that we had walked from the end of the bus line to only two stops from the central train station. It was truly a delightful evening!
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