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Friday I took the train from Stavanger to Kristiansand. It rained hard, downpour-hard, almost all of the way. The trains are clean, cozy and efficient; the countryside is beautiful and yes, most beautiful of all, it rained—snakes and snails and puppy dog tails or, as my Norwegian dad always said, it’s raining pitchforks and ax handles! Of course I took pictures the entire three hours. Because when will I ever see this… Read More
Having family in Norway and Sweden is possibly the nicest thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve now visited often enough so that the country of Norway and my Norwegian cousins feel like they must have been part of my life always. With my newly discovered Swedish cousins it just gets even better. I’ve mentioned before pondering all of the reasons this extended family pleases me so very much and there are… Read More
Yesterday was photographer heaven. A sunrise to make you believe all’s right with the world and a day’s rain to confirm that. A sunrise outside my Stavanger window so incredibly beautiful I wanted to shed a tear or two from sheer joy or the fear that our determination to wrest every natural instance from the environment will block out rose-colored sunrises forever. So here’s 5:30/6:00 on a Norwegian early autumn morning. A… Read More
Cruise Ship Mania; 7:30am: I pulled the thick dark curtains shut when I went to bed last night. Now I stumble forth to draw them open upon a new day and… Voila! A massive take-over-the-world-cruise-ship (Independence of the Seas, registered in the Bahamas, capacity 4,370 passengers) has landed and the occupants are disembarking. My imagination is not that active—it’s why I cannot write fiction—but Leviathan was the word that immediately sprung to… Read More
Morning: I took the MS Nordnorge from Trondheim to Bergen; I spent a not very satisfying day in Bergen being a tourist (not a traveler—and there is a big difference in my mind). Now it’s the morning of September 1st and the second phase of this trip begins. In about two hours I will take a taxi to the central bus station and a big fast comfortable bus to Stavanger where I… Read More
Teresa’s gone on her own adventure to Pulpit Rock by car, ferry, bus, and foot. I have only a touch of FOMO staying here in the hotel with Surfy (my Surface laptop) and books; some raisin buns and Argentinian Sauvignon Blanc for lunch; and a sunny balcony from which to contemplate “the moral imperative of travel.” We’ve had more and less active days on this trip but today is my first time… Read More
Forgive the lack of order in when these little stories and albums were posted. So much depended on when I could get photos sorted and had time to post. Just enjoy. We’ve crossed the mountains from Neset Camping today, down to Lysefjord, then up and over to this small oil-based city on Norway’s west coast. Stavanger, where around 872 King Harold finally planted his sword after many bloody battles and declared Norway united…. Read More
I lied about last night’s post with Stavanger photos being the last. I just have a few more from that pleasant and pretty town before I get to today and museums and wine and gelato and public transportation and my first splurge. Stavanger again. Enjoy. We must leave for sure this time.
One more photo album of the rest of Norway before I focus on Oslo and points EAST. In a bit it’s down the hall to breakfast, typical Scandinavian with lots of tasty sliced meats and cheeses, some fruit and veggies, various caviar/fishy spreads, heavy brown bread, real (salty) butter, etc. Then off to museums and an ART day. Meanwhile here’s Stavanger.