Yesterday, we were lazy all the afternoon and evening. We went through
Stavanger by ship. That is possible, because Stavanger is divided into many islands.
Stavanger is the fourth biggest city of Norway and profited particularly much from the oil and gas boom. We get a lot of interesting information about the building of and waste management on oil platforms.
Also, it is always one degree warmer around here than elsewhere in Norway. The reason for this is the Gulf Stream coming from England and really giving all it has in this area. That is also why even tomatoes grow here. And many Norwegians spend their summer holidays here in Stavanger.
Besides, it is not so long ago that Stavanger, along with Liverpool, was the Cultural Capitol of Europe.
And then we turn back to the sea towards Oslo. The sun is shining brightly and we enjoy a digestif at the stern.
In the morning in Oslo, we have rain, rain, rain. What to do on a rainy day? You visit the museum. Directly across from the harbour, in front of the city hall, the “public ferry”, line 91 to the museum island, leaves.
First, we went to the Viking museum. That was not bad at all. The big Viking ships were impressive, both because of their dimensions and their beauty.
And then we turned to the Norsk Folkemuseum. Phantastic! Initially, we stayed for quite some time in the open-air museum. Ever since 1892 (!), old farms including implements are conserved and presented in a unique way at this place.
In many of the houses, Norwegians in traditional costumes bake bread or cook coffee the nostalgic way, telling us about the historical background in a very competent manner. The top attraction was a very unobtrusive display of singing and dancing by three Norwegian girls. It was all very simple and natural, just beautiful.
However, the modern modules of the museum, too, are extremely interesting. They are always very well made and documented. And each department has a knowledgeable guide who answers questions patiently and competently. I have never seen the likes of it. This is really a very nice museum. If you ever come to Oslo, you should visit it.
To be sure, Oslo is also a fascinating city in all other respects. Regardless, we manage to be back on board MeinSchiff in time for departure to Kopenhagen.
We continue our journey at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. I will just finish writing the travel journal and then go swimming (I am sure I will be the only one in the pool at a rainy day like this), before warming myself up in the whirlpool. This is going to be our penultimate evening on board ship, and we intend to celebrate it.
As you can see on the map with the red lines, our journey is approaching its end. I took a picture of the map from the big TV screen in our cabin. The ship in now in Oslo, and following the red lines, you can see quite well how deep we went into the interior of the country through the fjords.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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