Oslo - two days to go....

Oslo is a fairly 'laid back' city!

In two days time they will host the World Skiing Championships, and yet whilst they appear as though they will be ready...they appear as though they will be ready in about a weeks time - i.e. About 5 days late!

We went to Oslo's new ski-jump at Holmenkollen today. The most modern ski-jump in the world. Built with a budget of NOK 500 million...and a cost of NOK 2 billion!

We were able to walk around the site and view the areas being prepared without being questioned or stopped, despite not having the seemingly obligatory security passes that everyone else seemed to be wearing. But then maybe we just have honest faces.

So much seemed to need doing to make the area both safe and secure and despite this there were very few people around doing anything at all. However, no doubt it will all be done - just in time, and the rest of the world will never know.

Back in the City we did see the first of the medal ceremonies where a rather short, bespectacled and - apologies for the following inappropriate but actually accurate description - somewhat "tubby" old woman- apparently from Russia, was presented with the Gold medal for the downhill skiing.

It was at this point that we realised that this was only a trial run of the medal ceremony, although that being said, for all I know the aforementioned lady may in fact be probably the best female downhill skier in the world!

After witnessing this "mock" presentation we went on to visit Oslo's City Hall where each December the Nobel Peace Prize is presented.

In 2009, after running a campaign where the people of the world were asked "Can we possibly award the Nobel Peace Prize to somebody who has not achieved peace anywhere yet?" (Even if that is only because he hasn't been in the job long enough) the answer came "Yes we can!" and Barak Obama rather sheepishly accepted the prize, and a large number of people mocked!

Having finished our sightseeing for the day, we headed back to the hotel, passing a restaurant that served a 'Vera Lynn' special.

"...Whale meat again, don't know where, don't know when...."

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