Hello Norway - Stavanger
We arrived in Stavanger around 8 AM and enjoyed room service breakfast on our balcony. It was a nice start to the day. Our excursion started near the ship at 10AM so we were able to sit and enjoy our coffee on this beautiful day before heading out.
t was a short walk to the electric boat that took us out to Pulpit Rock, one of the most popular sites to visit near Stavanger. The ride took about an hour. As we passed areas that had been used for sardine and mussel fishing we learned about the role fishing has played in Norway’s history. Fishing is mostly gone but there are still a few mussel farms. As we traveled through the beautiful Lysefjord we stopped at a cave etched high in the rocks called Vagabond’s cave where, as the story goes, tax evaders hid out from tax collectors.
This is the Hengjanefossen waterfall. Our boat stopped to let everyone get a good view
Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) is the rock formation high above the water that most people on the excursion came to see. There is a hike that takes you to the top We opted for the boat ride. All of the scenery is pretty spectacular and we were fortunate that the sun just began to come out as we approached Pulpit Rock.
These are some of the other sites we encountered along the fjord.
Back in Stavanger we walked around the town. Being Sunday, most of the shops were closed but there were interesting sites to see and it was a beautiful day for a walk.
. We did stop at the Stavanger Cathedral which dates back to the Middle Ages. It is a strange mix of simplicity and highly ornate. The beautiful stained glass window is a fairly recent addition added in 1957.
There was a sports fair going on in the town and we stopped to watch some Special Olympians complete in wheel chair hickey. There was also a soccer like game that was competed in kayaks. There were also lots of activities for kids so it was nice to be able to see so many local residents out enjoying the day.
