I love the great outdoors. Find me a forest and l am one happy girl. So when I read that Eckenberg Park has sculptures in a forest, I am intrigued. It is a beautiful sunny day in Oslo and it is unusually warm for the season ……so it seems like a great way to spend the day.

We start at the small museum and visitor center. Outside ate sculptures by Renoir and Dali. Inside we learn the history of the park from its days as a farm, a public playground. a Nazi cemetery, a hide out for drugs and prostitution, and finally back to a public playground. Now it holds miles of hiking trails and public art.

In the museum yard, I take a ride on the small zip line. Then we start a hike to over 60 sculptures throughout the park. Some are beautiful. Others are strange. A few are almost obscene. Each has a message if you slow enough to notice.

We stop in the old Nazi cemetery. The bodies have long been removed and the symbols of Nazi power torn down. The open parkland is full of playful dogs. People sit on wooden platforms interspersed with art. The sculptures are all faces and forms of death. Not exactly a cheery spot for relaxation. Wooden stairs mark the entrance. A panel informs guests of the park’s ignoble past.

At the top of the park, families enjoy a petting zoo. Several take riding lessons on a trail ride through the park. Horses stand stoically, waiting for a rider. A large barn is full of giggling children.

We walk on by, opting for mini-golf. 36 holes of fun. Well, mostly fun. The mole hills are no fun. But my licorice icecream is wonderful. It almost takes away the sting of defeat. He wins again.

A leisurely walk down hill takes us past a snowflake forest full of colorful lights. Another grove of trees is lined with under wear. There are sculptures of tourists and whimsical mobiles. Towards the end of the walk, we stumble upon a statue of a woman defecating on communism. There are strange things in these woods.

We end our day at the Radisson Blu Sky Bar. A window seat fifty stories high gives us great aerial views of Oslo. For the cost of an appetizer, we have the best seat in the house. Everyday should be a walk in the park. Today was that and more.