I just returned from a visit to Oslo, the capitol of Norway, and, at first glance, Oslo is like many other modern European cities. Although the prices are a bit high (I paid $23 US dollars for a 12-inch pizza in an Italian restaurant!) the city is sparking clean, the people are extremely friendly, and there are the usual statues and tourist attractions. In fact, I set a record at one of those tourist attractions, the famous Bislet stadium, where so many running world records have been set. But what makes Olso unique is that it is the place where the Nobel Peace Prize is decided and awarded.
I just returned from a visit to Oslo, the capitol of Norway, and, at first glance, Oslo is like many other modern European cities. Although the prices are a bit high (I paid $23 US dollars for a 12-inch pizza in an Italian restaurant!) the city is sparking clean, the people are extremely friendly, and there are the usual statues and tourist attractions. In fact, I set a record at one of those tourist attractions, the famous Bislet stadium, where so many running world records have been set. But what makes Olso unique is that it is the place where the Nobel Peace Prize is decided and awarded.
When Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, died in 1896, he bequeathed much of his wealth to establish annual prizes to honor people who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of chemistry, physics, literature, medicine and peace. All of these prizes are decided in Sweden but, for some reason, Nobel stipulated that the Peace Prize be determined by the Norwegian Nobel Committee which is appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. And, believe me, the Norwegians are extremely proud of this distinction. For the past decade, the Peace Prize has been awarded at the Oslo City Hall and, while I was in Norway, some friends and I were fortunate enough to get a tour of the prestigious City Hall by the Deputy Mayor of Oslo.
Although the building features high ceilings, marble staircases and massive works of art on the walls, and feels like an ancient castle, there is a significant difference. Instead of the usual heavy warlike atmosphere, the entire structure emanates peace and tranquility. Just to give you an idea of how peaceful the place is, ever since I did a yodeling record many years ago, I have been constantly on the lookout for good places to yodel. I’ve yodeled in dozens of significant structures around the world including the Pyramids, the U.S. Capitol, and the Louvre. However, despite the excellent acoustics at the Olso City Hall, I was too calm to even utter a peep!
During my few days in Oslo, I visited a couple of other places dedicated to peace including the Nobel Peace Center and the Eternal Peace Flame located on the harbor. The Eternal Peace Flame was dedicated by my spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy, and is maintained by some of my Norwegian friends. It seems that the Peace Flame has become a popular tourist attraction and the guest book gets so quickly filled with comments that it has to be changed on a regular basis. However, my friends told me about something strange that happened recently. On two separate occasions, when they went to check on the guest book, they discovered that it had been stolen!
This would not be an unusual occurrence in New York City but, in Oslo, it’s unthinkable. My friend, Susameepan, speculated that maybe some of the kids who skateboard near the harbor might be playing a prank or that possibly someone was trying to make a political statement of some kind. So, Susameepan parked his car within view of the Peace Flame, put out a new guestbook, mentally prepared himself for an unpleasant confrontation, and dug in for a long wait. However, much to his surprise, he didn’t have to wait long at all.
Within minutes the culprit appeared and grabbed the guestbook. But the thief turned out to be someone that my friend would never have suspected in a million years – it was a seagull! The gull had the book in its beak and was slowly backing away from the harbor towards the water with its prize. Susameepan, trying to control his laughter, sprung into action. He flung open the car door, rushed to the bird and rescued the book just in the nick of time! Which just demonstrates what I have been saying all along – Oslo is so into peace that even the birds are trying to get involved!
