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| Perfect sunset |
Very kindly, Deirdre and Rob offered us all a bed for the night which came with the added bonus of endless hot water in a beautiful rainwater shower. We enjoyed the sunshine and their stunning view and all voted to spend the evening at 'home' rather than run around and see the sights of Stavanger.
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| Us and Chinook |
Rob, a Kiwi, and Deirdre, a Canadian, have a house in Canmore which is how they met Kelly and Greg. Deirdre is in Norway on an international work assignment. Little did they know that some dodgy crew from Canmore would blow into their bay aboard a yacht!.What a small world!
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| Wine, nibbles and what a view! We may never leave.... |
Very sadly, it was time for Jo and Ed to head back home and they jumped on the bus to take them back to Bergen and their flight to the UK. Thanks guys for a wonderful visit. We look forward to next time.
Deirdre and Rob took us for a walk around the island then we jumped in the car for a tour of Stavanger.
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| Sooo nice to get off Chinook and do a good, leg-stretching walk! |
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Public art - so simple yet stunning
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The driving part of our tour started with a stop at Sverd i fjell or Swords in Rock. It was at this location that Harald Fairhair combined Norway into one kingdom in 872. It is a very impressive monument.
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| Sverd i fjell (Swords in Rock) |
We then drove into Stavanger and walked around the harbour and through Old Stavanger and its beautiful, white wooden houses. Post WWII, a new city plan for Stavanger included tearing down all the old wooden buildings and replacing them with modern, concrete ones. Fortunately, the City Architect opposed this plan and prevailed.
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| The old harbour. Quite pretty, but also a bustling place in the evenings (and well into the night, we guess). We are happier to be anchored off of Rob and Deidre's back yard! |
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| Many remnants of the old working harbour remain, thankfully. |
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| ... with a bit of edgy street art here and there. |
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| A very pretty shopping district with a pleasant lack of chain stores. |
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| What are we queuing for? |
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| Old Stavanger or Gamle Stavanger |
Gamle Stavanger is beautifully preserved and, remarkably, the houses are lived in with the majority of the building in private ownership.
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| Didn't we time our visit well! Flowers everywhere. |
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| Green and fresh |
We had a yummy dinner at Deirdre and Rob's favourite hole-in-the-wall Thai that you would only ever find if out with the locals, before heading back to their house to stare at that view!
We are tempted to stay and enjoy the whole summer here with our new besties but ... Norway's southern coast beckons!
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Wonderful photos, amazing experiences. At least I can have second hand adventures. Mum xxx
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