The trip is complete!

Below, a brief break-down of the short 9 days david a and nancy t were in Rogaland…

The beginning of the trip coincided with the tail end of the “summer weather” in Stavanger. We had two glorious days of dry, radiant sunshine. The rest of the trip was windy, cool, blustery, with the occasional appearance from the sun.

On their first full day in town, all parents met in Stavanger and then went into town to catch the boat to Flor and Fjære. This is the Lynch parents with the Ås parents.

Below, k&e. We got great weather!

We certainly enjoyed the dinner!

Tore, Tisch, Helga and Dave are below.

The next day we drove down to Hå, which is south of Stavanger down the coast. We went to the Gamle Prestegard, and the lighthouse nearby.

The picture of all of the parents above was taken at the top of that light house.

There was also an exhibition on fairy tales going on in the Hå gallery. K&E found their inner trolls!

Other adventures included a hike up Preikestolen (The Priest´s Pulpit), hiking Dalsnuten, various ferry rides and scenic drives, a trip to the Hardangarfjord, to Stord, Ølve, and even Ikea!

Thanks for coming m&d, and we will miss you!!!!!

Preikestolen (or, “Priest´s Pulpit”) is a very famous, popular hike in Rogaland. It´s a steep hike up boulders to the top of a rock mountain that shoots straight down to the Lysefjord below. Dramatic to say the least!

My friends Elizabeth and Anthony just hiked Preikestolen last weekend. You must go and see her travelogue of the experience! It’s true that it’s a rocky, somewhat difficult path, and that people are going fast and trying to pass all the time. I didn’t agree about it not being impressive though; it was bigger and more exciting than I had expected!

Here are a few pics of K and me from our hike up Preikestolen in 2006. Jostein took us while we were visiting from Brussels. I had no idea what I was in store for!

I was not a huge fan of the rocky trail!

Lots of people on this trail were faster than I was.

So sometimes we would stop and let them go by. More often than not, it was a 4 year old in flip flops cruising on past me!

I think we will end up going on Monday, 9 June, in order to avoid the weekend crowds. That will be a nice way to say adieu to your jet lag!

Here we are finally at the top!

The text below is adapted from an article on Stavanger from the Observer newspaper and the planetware website.

The Lysefjord

To the east of Stavanger, beyond the Høgsfjord, lies the Lysefjord, a cleft in the mountains 37km/23mi long, up to 2km/1.25mi wide and up to 457m/1,500ft deep, with bright green water. The fjord is enclosed by sheer walls of rock rising to above 1,000m/3,300ft.

One of the most popular activities is walking up to Kjerag or Preikestolen for jaw-dropping views of the Lysefjord, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Norway. Of the more southerly fjords in Norway, this is considered by many to be the most beautiful. It’s one of the deepest and the granite rocks that rise out of it are extremely pleasing in their variety of formation and colour. Even the journey by boat fromStavanger is spectacular, passing towering islands and water-side villages on the way. Two landmarks of the fjord are the pulpit rock (Preiksestolen)– a huge slab that overhangs the fjord from way above and from where the view is legendary – and the Kjerag Mountain at the end of the fjord. With the gushing waterfalls and the dramatic Nordic light this will be a trip to remember.

This is Kjerag here–>

I’m just imagining mom standing there…

Please look at this webpage for a great overview of area day trips.

K´s mom is from Ølve, which is a small village in the Hardangerfjord on Kvinnherad.

One idea is to go to Stord the Saturday you arrive, spending the night with his parents, and then all doing a car trip through the Hardangarfjord on Sunday, spending the night at the Utne Hotel. Then the day after, Monday, we’d make our way up to Bergen. If I understood their ideas correctly!

That may be too much driving for when you first arrive though. This is still under discussion.

In a dream world we would like to take a Fonna Fly airplane tour of the area. Does that sound like fun to you? It’s not important though. We are planning to stop at a famous church in Rosendal, to the area K’s dad is from, and over to Ølve and see other relatives.

The map below shows you in a bit more detail where all of these places are. Stavanger is just south of Haugasund, to give you some perspective there.

Fish farm in the Hardangarfjord…we drove by this on the way from Stord to Ølve a few months ago. I remember Arlo and Aaron telling me how bad this fish farming stuff is, but it seems to be the only fish we can get in the grocery stores here. I am too squeamish to buy anything but fillets, otherwise I’d buy fish from the fishermen in the harbour!

]]> http://norway2008.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/hardangerfjord-rosendal-olve/feed/ 1 E Hilarious Hardangarfjord image tysnes map of kvinnherard, ølve, hardangarfjorden http://norway2008.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/places-in-stavanger/ http://norway2008.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/places-in-stavanger/#comments Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:42:37 +0000 E http://norway2008.wordpress.com/?p=22 ]]>

Much of this section is adapted from an article on Stavanger from the Observer newspaper…

Old Town Stavanger
Old town, or “Gamle Stavanger”, as it’s known, is built on a hillside to the west of the harbor. The 18th century, regulation-white wooden houses are criss-crossed by cobblestone alleys where we’ll find artist’s shops and studios. There are lovely views across the harbour.

Stavanger Harbor
We can spend a few hours moseying around the harbor, looking at wooden boats, cruise ships,people-watching and exploring the boutiques in the area. The oil museum and Sardine Canning Museum are both in the city centre. The Canning Museum (Øvre Strandgate 88) is apparently quite entertaining, although I’ve never been. Before Stavanger became the Saudi Arabia of the North, the economy was based around its exports of sardines in oil.

The Sardine Canning Museum may be worth a visit!

The Oil Museum might be as well. There is a lovely café we could grab a coffee there at as well.

City Center

Shopping:
The traffic-free city centre, with its narrow streets and open spaces, is where most of the action in Stavanger is, from English-language bookshops and chic interior design boutiques to clothes stores and record shops. But beware: Norway is one of the world’s most expensive countries, so shopaholics should be selective.

Food:

For a bite to eat, there are plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from. We will want to take you to Tango, Stim, Harry Pepper, Ostehuset, Food Story and Sting!

Tango Bar & Kjøkken (Nedre Strandgate 25) is a restaurant we have to try once. By Stavanger standards it´s fancy, as it serves modern cuisine in sleek and minimalist surroundings, and a mean ‘champagne lunch’ on Saturdays. The food menu changes daily.

Other fancypants resto’s include Jans Mat og Vinhus and Craigs Kjøkken og Bar which serves French-inspired dishes that would make a vegetarian squeal with anxiety. I’ve never been to either for lack of penger (money).

There is a new Ostehuset which has just opened near our place. We can definitely check that out for great sandwiches and salads. Yes, it´s expensive, but in the case of eating out in Norway, it´all relative.

Stavanger Dom Kirke

A beautiful church in the Stavanger city centre that you’ll want to check out. It’s perfectly placed by the harbour and pond, between good restaurants and all of the cute shops, overlooking the waterfront.

We might be able to get a hytte (cabin) up in Sirdal for an overnight if you’re game for some wilderness activity! Could make an interesting drive out of it, too…

In the wintertime Sirdal is a ski resort, and in the summer it’s a hiking/camping destination.

Månafossen

Since we´re going to be exploring nature, maybe we could do a daytrip hike to månafossen. It’s a dope waterfall in the area round here someplace.

The waterfall is approximately 100 meter high and it loud! It’s a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. While the start of the hike is rather steep, it’s possible for anyone who can walk to complete the hike.

Or so the brawny Norwegians say…

The fjord region on the west coast of Norway offer some of the most dramatic and beautiful natural beauty on the planet! You are treated to a variety of wilderness, such as mountains, glaciers, national parks, crystal-clear waterfalls, fertile green valleys and hillsides.

The North Sea Cycle Route is a bicycle trip that circles the North Sea and goes through the Shetland Islands (UK) Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

The Cycler Tourer website offers some very good tips on cycling in Norway, including weather conditions, cycling conditions, tips and information on the area, and is well worth checking out.

Here is the official North Sea website! We are thinking it could be fun to take the train to Kristiansand, and then spend some time cycling up the coast to Stavanger. That will probably be a bit too long for everyone, so we could cycle to a smaller city and then hop on the train at a closer destination as well.

With the right weather and equipment it could be a beautiful ride! Here is what the Cycle Tourism Norway website hilariously recommends:

Remember to always fill op your water bottle when you have the chance, so you don’t find it empty just when you realize your thirsty! And always bring a banana or some other high-energy food!

There are other tips and hints on the various websites dedicated towards cycling tourism in Norway. It´s a great place to ride – the cities too!

Flor and Fjære is a garden out in the fjord near Stavanger hosting a lovely wooden restaurant with large windows looking out into the sea.

We have been once before and were impressed with the tour and visit! It started off with a coupe of champagne, and a stroll around the garden to see flowers, trees, and fruit that normally should not be growing in such a windy northerly place. I swear to god we even saw teensy little bananas growing!

If we want to go, we would depart at either 12 or 5pm for lunch or dinner, enjoy a 20 minute cruise to the island, and then tour the garden before we eat.

Here is a view of the main garden. Since the last time we were here, they have been further developing the garden, and if we go this summer, we will see the new plantings and ponds they have developed.

This is a view of the restaurant. You can see the water and islands around it. They are wind-swept and exposed, which makes this garden all the more magical!

Even the King and Queen have visited Flor og Fjære!

Base jumping is a popular sport for daredevils in Norway. Depending on the wind (we don´t want you being smacked against the side of the Preikestolen, afterall) it could be arranged!

If we do decide to do a bit of base jumping, we´ll have to discuss some important life decisions beforehand, as well as undergo some strenuous training and preparations. The Stavanger Base Jumping club recommends that you:

Prepare your family for your BASE jumping career. Explain to them what you are doing and why, make sure they understand your wishes in case of emergency, such as “do not resuscitate” or “donate organs”, and it is also a good idea to have health and life insurance. A living will is also a good idea, so in case the worst happens; your wishes will be known and carried out.

Now with all of the common sense stuff mentioned, here is a video of what I had in mind:

So yeah, that is what it looks like in these parts. Jump or no jump, it will be fun to go!

We all have stereotypes of what people from different places are like. The strongest stereotypes of Norwegians quite arguably come from their Scandinavian neighbours, the Danes and the Swedes.

I have found some interesting descriptions from a website on Scandinavian Stereotypes written by Thomas Hylland Eriksen, which I am copying parts of here.

First a joke!

A Swede, a Dane and a Norwegian are shipwrecked on the proverbial desert island. A genie appears out of thin air, informing them that they can each have a wish granted. The Swede immediately says, “I want to go home to my large and comfortable bungalow with the Volvo, video and slick IKEA furniture.” So he vanishes. The Dane then says, “I want to go back to my cozy little flat in Copenhagen, to sit in my soft sofa, feet on the table, next to my sexy girlfriend and with a sixpack of lagers.” Off he flies. The Norwegian, after giving the problem a bit of thought, then tells the genie, “Cor, I suddenly feel so terribly lonely here, so I guess I wish for my two friends to come back.”

Does that give you any insight into the various stereotypes the Scandinavians have of each other?

The Swede is too posh for his own good, the Dane likes beer and having fun, and the Norwegian is backwards and a bit dumb.

Which brings us to the Norwegian National Identity. Anyone who has attended at 17th of May celebration knows that Norwegians are a very patriotic set. This has to do with Norway’s struggle for independence from the Swedes and Danes at various times throughout history. Norway has more or less been a country since the middle ages, and has spent a lot of time under other countries’ flags.

According to Thomas Hylland,

For historical reasons, Norwegian national identity had to be constructed in contrast to the Danes and the Swedes. The dominant national identity which emerged during the latter half of the 19th century, and which still holds sway in official national symbolism (as witnessed, for example, during the state-funded propaganda campaign before and during the Winter Olympic Games in 1994), emphasises the rural, clean and unspoilt character of Norway. Denmark was associated with the urban bourgeoisie and snobbish mannerisms; Sweden with arrogance and state power.

It is not coincidental that Norwegian national identity should be associated with nature scenery and the rural way of life. Although the country had towns and cities, its scenery and folk traditions were eminently suitable as national symbols since they denoted that Norway had something which Sweden and Denmark lacked. Today, the standard Norwegian image of Sweden associates the eastern neighbour with a bureaucratic rationality, uncompromising Enlightenment ideology, a centralised, authoritarian State, and an air of arrogant overbearance. The omnipresent Norwegian image of the Danes, a more friendly one, depicts the southern neighbours as a lackadaisical and slightly hedonistic but immensely urbane and jovial people.

Being the junior partner in the Scandinavian universe, Norway’s national identity seems stronger and more boisterous than the Danish and Swedish ones. In general, of course, small collective identities are more clearly defined and their incumbents suffer less from “identity problems” than the members of the large collectives that they define themselves in relation to. Estonian identity is more clearly bounded and less ambiguously defined than the Russian identity, and the same could be said of the Scottish–English or Welsh–English, Catalonian–Castilian or Breton–French identity relationships. The cohesiveness of the Norwegian self-identity, which is today being weakened in some segments of the population and strengthened in others due to forces of globalisation, and its origin in an essentially Romantic, culturalist ideology, nevertheless makes the process of integration for immigrants very difficult.

Swedish Stereotypes of Norwegians:

The standard Swedish image of the Norwegian is that of a rustic and unsophisticated fish-eater with lamentable manners and muddy boots, lately supplied with grudging acknowledgement of the Norwegian petroleum wealth. Nothing is more humiliating to the average Swedish man than a Norwegian victory in an international football game between the two countries; just as Norwegian men, in a symmetrical fashion, never cheer more sincerely for their sportsmen than when they fight their big brother.

Danish Stereotypes of Norwegians:

A survey carried out among Danish schoolchildren in the mid-1980s suggested that they regarded the Norwegians as “all right, but a bit rural and very nationalistic”. Current Danish images of Norwegians are still contingent on the loss of Norway in 1814, which was not caused by Norwegian popular rebellion but by geopolitical events. Partly for this reason, the image of Norway is nearly unanimously that of a friend. Images of the friend, while much less studied than enemy images, can nonetheless also contribute to the definition of self. Norwegians are perceived as rustic and simple, but honest and straightforward people who live close to their beautiful and spectacular nature.

The Language:

But just to prime you, a bit of trivia! Did you know that in Norway there are two official names of the country? That´s because there are two official Norwegian languages, and I ain´t talkin´about the Sami Folk here. I mean there are two official versions of Norwegian. A lot of people don´t know that!

I haven´t heard any talk of secession though, so we´re not discussing a Belgian situation here.
But back to the two words for Norway. Choose two from this list:

a) Norge, b) Noreg, c) Norvege, d) Norway

Answer to above question: A and B!

K’s family speaks a dialect of Nynorsk, so really no matter how much you study in a Norwegian book before you come, you won’t understand them. They have different words for most things. Like tired, water, they, we, I… all different words! Vann/Vatn, De/Me, dere/dåke, Jeg,Eg, etc etc etc.

A few key phrases include:

• Takk skal du ha = Thanks
• Tusen Takk= Thanks a lot
• Vær så snill = Please
• Ja/Nei = Yes/ No
• Snakker du Engelsk? = Do you speak English?
• Jeg snakker ikke Norsk= I don’t speak Norwegian

Try to have the old Norwegian folks at the nursing home help you with pronunciation, or we can talk on skype a bit. But keep them in mind in the lead-up to the trip

What sort of stereotypes do you currently have about Norwegians? Have they changed since meeting K? What are you expecting when you visit?

My impressions now living in Norway is that Norwegians as a group are thoughtful and kind, just not right off the bat ‘fake nice’ like. In general, they are really willing to be kind and helpful, very curious to know what you think about them (just like the Americans are!), very nationalistic, great lovers of the outdoors (just like us Northwesterners), proud of the region/city/part of the country they are from, and generally curious about the world around them. And they all look a bit like grown-up babies with their cute little button ski jump noses and scandiblond hair!

That said, depending on where you´re from the Norwegians may seem a bit cold. I imagine those coming from any country near the equator will be feeling a bit left out. No more street harassment or catcalls (much to my relief… that is one thing I don’t miss!) so it makes sense that someone had to write about it to explain things to the new arrivals.

This is a description about Norwegians from a graduate school used to explain a little bit about Norwegians to foreigners arriving on these windy shores. It may sound a bit familiar! Enjoy

Norwegians have a reputation of being somewhat introvert and difficult to get to know. It is not a Norwegian habit to speak to strangers on the bus or at the table next to you in a restaurant.

However, Norwegians can be both welcoming and open minded towards foreigners. If you start a conversation you might notice that Norwegians seem a little reluctant at first, but most are happy when someone else takes the initiative. Norwegians have a direct form of communication and often speak out their opinions.

The nature of Norway is extraordinary and so is its impact on Norwegians. Norwegians have always lived close to, and in harmony with, the nature surrounding them. Hiking is a common Sunday activity and many Norwegian families have a cottage, and some have two – one in the mountains and the other by the ocean.

That was the somewhat friendly description. A funnier one comes from a blogger I can only presume comes from der Vaterland, jaaa!! Here butch3r describes Norwegian habits and stereotypes:

Foreign stereotypes, on the one hand, tend to depict the Norwegians as healthy, enlightened, effective people with strong welfare states, lax rules of sexual morality and an institutionalized yearning for nature and simplicity. On the other hand, for example, the Germans associate Scandinavians with too much alcohol.

As regards the health, the Norwegians are sport addicts. You can’t imagine a Norwegian without a snowboard or skies in winter and without run in park when it is warm. Also these people are very ecology conscious, that’s why Norway is probably one of the cleanest countries in the world.
The main strength of the Norwegians is that they are very kind people. The Global peace index rates Norway as most peaceful nation in the world. Also, Norway is ranked first in the world in life expectancy, literacy, education and standard of living. All while being arguably the most atheist nation on the planet. 85% of Norwegians are members of a church, yet most of them still describe themselves as atheists/agnostics. In Norway, being member of a church is more of a traditional thing, than religious.

The main weakness of the Norwegians is that whole nation is very addicted to alcohol. Everybody think that we have this picture of Scandinavians because they drink so much, when they are tourists, for example, in Germany, since it is so amazingly cheap and easy to get. In Norway once you started drinking here you don’t stop until you’re either unconscious, all bars are closed or you are completely out of money. It’s amazing, how much money they spent on booze and how fast and careless they swallow it down. Even wine, which is really unbelievably expensive (80kr/10€ for the cheapest bottle) gets drunk like water.
And nobody can find out if alcohol-taxes are so ridiculously high, because the Norwegians have always had a drinking problem or if the Norwegians have a drinking problem because that is their kind of protest against their government’s parenting behavior.

I think it’s a funny description of the Norwegians, and not entirely inaccurate. There is a misperception that the wine monopoly was set up to control their drinking. In fact, it was set up by the French to ensure a good distribution of their product throughout Norway. Thanks a lot France.

I find it interesting how hung-up Butch3r is on the way Norwegians drink until they are either unconscious, the bars or closed or they are low on dough. However, according to my personal sources, by the end of the month, and before payday has hit, many Norwegians are flat out broke! I wonder if the two are related.

As a general rule, Norwegians are also very sturdy outdoor people. This is due to the fantastic nature around the country. Jaw-droppingly gorgeous, unbelievably intense fjords,mountains, ocean… I never tire of the natural beauty in this country, and especially in Rogaland. And I can’t wait to show you!

The national saying is ‘There’s no bad weather, just bad clothes’. Which is of course a lie. That is how I discovered everything I owned before coming here was bad!

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