AN OLD CITY GATE

 Ancient Gate

            When visiting old cities in Europe it is not uncommon to see and pass through ancient city gates as many have been preserved. Many times the old gates lead one into pedestrian malls/areas.

            The old city gate in Kiev, Ukraine was built 1017-24 by Prince Yaroslavl to underline his country’s power. We spent some time here as our local guide told us, “Under Yaroslavl’s rule the city increased tenfold.  Nomadic tribes never could penetrate the main gate to the city. During the 16^th and 17^th centuries the gate deteriorated and in the 18^th century it was covered with earth. In 1832 archeologists discovered the ruins and a portion of the gate was restored and protected behind an iron fence.”

At one end of the small park surrounding the gate stands a bronze statue of a little cat.  His ears and tail are shiny from the many rubbings they have received---a sign of good luck. Years ago the little cat smelled smoke and scratched the security people to warn its owners of a fire. The cat acted in time for everyone to make it to safety. But in all the confusion the little cat was forgotten and died of smoke inhalation. A hero cat!

NORWAY’S VIKING MUSEUM

                   VIKING MUSEUM

In Oslo, we visited the Viking Museum which is located on the Bygdey (sounds like big day) Peninsula. It is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo. Three 9^th century ships  are surrounded by artifacts from days of plunder. The Tune Ship was found and excavated in 1867, Gokstad Ship was excavated in the summer of 1880, and the Oseberg Ship was found and excavated in1904.

Made of oak, the ships were buried in blue clay which preserved them well. The boats were used as tombs for the nobility. Things needed for their journey to the ‘other world’ including jewelry, furniture, and food were buried with the bodies, as well as unique treasures such as wagons, horses and especially textiles which are seldom preserved from the Viking era. The three ships, found in the Oslo fjord, are the best preserved Viking ships known.

The ships were stored in various locations, and in 1913 Professor Gabriel Gustafson, who had led the excavation of the Oseberg Ship, proposed the building of a Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy. The artifacts and archeological finds are also displayed in the museum. The museum is not large, but is well done and the contents are awesome.