Susanna J. Sturgis: Writer • Editor • Martha's Vineyard

Return to Bloggery

Operahuset/Opera House

December 14, 2010

My plane was scheduled to depart at 1405, aka 2:05 p.m., meaning that I had to be at the airport by noon, but Lynn's 10 a.m. meeting was pushed back to 11, so she suggested that we visit the Opera before she put me on the airport train. Sight-seeing with baggage? I was schlepping two midsized suitcases, Hekate the laptop, and an unnamed tote bag. She hadn't been doing all that swimming for nothing, said Lynn, slinging a suitcase over each shoulder, and besides, the Opera House wasn't all that far from Oslo S, the central rail station. Off we went.

The Opera overlooks both the fjord and, if you stroll up to the roof, downtown Oslo. Its planes and angles fit wonderfully into the site. Here's what it looks like as you approach:

I love this sculpture. It looks like a tangle of tall ships sailing up the fjord. In the photo above it's in the middle distance to the right of the building.

Opera, fjord, and city seen en route to the roof:

The inside is both airy and warm, aspiring and solid, a graceful blend of shapes and textures -- with extra shapes and textures added to celebrate the season. You can see the gingerbread village in the photo on the left, but doesn't it deserve a picture of its own?

And here is Oslo from the roof of the Opera. Shortly thereafter my bags and I were on our way to Gardermoen, the Oslo Airport.

Home - Writing - Editing - About Susanna - Bloggery - Articles - Poems - Contact