Oslo, Norway
Karl Johansgate is Oslo's spinal cord. The street connects the train station at one end of town with the Royal Palace at the other.
The street has long been a favorite spot for musicians and other street performers. On this particular day, something unusual is happening. Dozens -- maybe a hundred -- musicians in black tuxedos or gowns have taken over a four-block stretch of sidewalk. There are French horns and flutes, violins and clarinets, even an electric cello. The musicians are standing only a couple of feet apart from each other, but each one is playing a different tune -- everything from Beethoven to the Beatles.
The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra is on strike.
They want more money, and that is fine. But their slogan strikes me as ineffective. "Do we really need more street musicians?" it says on signs that hang from every music stand.
In my opinion, yes. These guys are good, and far less annoying than the statue people.
When sanitation workers, or airline pilots, or teachers go on strike, society suffers and we hope for a quick resolution. But free classical music as I stroll through Oslo is hardly a hardship.
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