Remembering July 22, 2011 in Oslo
Right after we bought our admission tickets for the Royal Palace tour, we went back to the Karl Johans Gate area. The tour wasn't going to begin until 2 pm that afternoon and so we had more than ample time to wander around the city and explore other areas. We ended up in a section full of government buildings. Some parts were completely boarded up. It turned out it was the site of the July 22 bombing masterminded by a Norwegian national, Anders Behring Breivik, angry at the wave of muslim immigration to Europe and that many of them had been allowed to stay and live in Norway and the rest of the continent.
This stand with newspapers of the day the bombs went off has been serving somewhat of a memorial. It was close to a bus or tram stop which has since been discontinued.
It was then we realized why there were so many people at the Oslo Cathedral. There were TV cameras and reporters plus security for what seemed like a group of VIPs. There was a memorial mass at the cathedral.
Some tourists visiting the Government Quarter and reading the information about what has happened to it since the terrorist bombing of July 22, 2011
It was reported that the two July 22, 2011 lone wolf sequential attacks against the government, the civilian population, and the Workers' Youth League summer camp claimed the lives of 77 people. They were the worst and deadliest attack in Norway since the Second World War.
Some of the government buildings severely affected by the bomb blast. See the boarded up windows?
Back to the more central Karl Johan's Gate area of the city, we managed to visit the Oslo Cathedral after the memorial mass was held. Anyone who was somebody had already left and the cathedral was opened once again to the public. We went in. TV crew from different TV stations were packing up and tourists were clicking away just like us.
This was part of the cathedral's ceiling
A zoomed view of the the round sign in the very center of the cathedral ceiling
Another part of the mosaic cathedral ceiling
Here's another partial view of the ceiling
The box I assume was specifically reserved for Royals and the almost royal inside the Oslo Cathedral. It didn't seem to have been used on this day except as section from where to set up lights and cameras.
The orgain inside the Oslo Cathedral
The pulpit inside the Oslo Cathedral
Candles lit inside the Oslo Cathedral in honor of the victims of the July 22, 2011 Terrorist Bombings
There were memorials both in and out of the cathedral. This was one of them. This heart I bet was made to represent love for all.
A closer look at the heart
The Oslo Cathedral
The Oslo Cathedral