Norwegian Would

From Southampton on the Queen Mary 2 again, this time sailing north to Norway to sample the delights of the fjords. 

There was some angst about what to pack – from 26 degrees to 8 degrees is sartorially worlds away, and naturally we turned to layers. Walking boots as well as strappy evening sandals, padded gilets alongside sequinned black gowns. Once aboard, however, it was reassuringly familiar with formal (even if dress was informal) dinner, eating enough for two people and overpriced wine. 

Stavanger was delightful; a mix of old town and new, harbour-side eateries charging extortionate prices for coffee and beer, although we found out that the prices were extortionate regardless of the view. 

Fiona, about to keel over from the prices

Stavanger Harbour

Stavanger Domkirche

The people seemed a bit wary. While perfectly polite, the friendliness was edged with reserve, I thought. But the sun shone on the dark jade water and we relaxed, enjoying the clean air.

The cathedral seemed modest for a cathedral, although with DH Lawrence’s “perfect arches”. The country is Protestant (if the people are anything) and their churches have a spare, toned-down look about them, a welcome change from the gilt rococo madness of Naples and Italy earlier this year. 

The Old Town is lovely. Cobbled streets wind upwards, framed by perfect white clapboard houses with well-kept gardens full of flowers we recognise from England – lobelia, roses, daisies, foxgloves all inside white picket fences. The houses have slanting red tiled roofs and tiny windows are square, round, diamond, triangular.

We visited the Canning Museum, watched a 1904 film about the industry and marvelled that sardines were packed into tins by hand – although of course they would have been. Grainy black and white faces stare out of the past, heaving nets of silver, jumping fish. The labels of the cans tell their own story – some even part of the Nazi propaganda machine. Lovely ladies wearing wisps of gauze tempt you to sardines for tea while hale and hearty sailors draw attention to the freshness of the product.

Fiona by Breiavatnet

Stavanger has a lake, Breiavatnet, in the centre of town, surrounded by green spaces and other white clapboard houses. The whole area has a family-friendly feel, calm, happy until we are dive-bombed by a flock of seagulls being thrown bread by an unwary and seemingly fearless family of immigrants. 

Street art - one example of many

More modern bits of town are adorned with street art, and even the meanest of roads is scrupulously clean, litter noticeable by its absence.

The docks behind the main inlet are modest, and boats have to pay to ‘park’. We see couples sitting on the boats, reading, drinking coffee or just staring out to sea. The nautical equivalent of having a picnic by the M40, possibly.

 

 Norway is beautiful in a way which seems very different from other places we’ve been. The people seem to be few. Stavanger used to be the capital of Norway and is the third largest city in the country with a population of just 210,000 in 71 square kilometres. 

When we arrive (on a Saturday at the height of the tourist season), the shops appear to close for the afternoon and although there was supposed to be a street food fair on during our visit, only the tents appeared. 

We left Stavanger at quarter past eleven in the evening – it was still light, and remained so for as long as we looked. Although we’re not quite in the land of the midnight sun – we’re very close.