Superb adventure in Oslo City!

Saturday we ventured into Oslo city center for a day of exploring. We stumbled upon so many interesting sights! Among them, we ended up in the City Hall for National Naming Day (a secular christening ceremony) and were surrounded by families in the national Norwegian attire carrying babies and marching up the stairs to the ceremony room.

Then we found ourselves in the middle of a festival (the Humanitarian Day Festival, in celebration of the Prince and Princess' 5 year anniversary) where we got free soup and listened to some live music. Then we came upon a flea market in the middle of a cute little park. Finally we ended up at our sole destination - the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The sky was full of dramatic colorful puffy clouds and the air was warm. The Sculpture Garden was amazing - it seems to be a tribute to family love and freedom - and we spent a few hours there.
One of the many sculptures at VigelandOutstanding clouds above the Royal Palace

Some other highlights were seeing the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace, a lady walking a pig, a man wearing a crotch-high nurse's dress and carrying a sign and a bucket for donations, a circle of kids aged about 5-15 holding hands and playing a chasing game just on the sidewalk (where have you seen that in the US any time recently?!), and numerous play structures in public areas that kids were playing on. I am so excited that we get to raise Rhiannon in such a kid-friendly place! How I wish my own country was this sensible and caring about the importance of family.
Marching up the stairs for the Naming ceremony at City Hall
Lady walking her pig
Playing on the sidewalk
Super cool play structure right on the waterfront! Rhiannon doesn't know how lucky she is!