Norwegian Cruising Adventure - Stavanger - Day 6
The coldest winter I ever experienced was July in Norway. It is 55°f and raining. The winds are blowing 30+ from the NW. The majority of todays activities are indoors.
Over night we bounced along in 4 - 6 footers. Several passengers were complaining of sea sickness but from our point of view it was reasonably flat. I was not in a bunk hanging from a lee cloth at 30°. That would be rolly.
We docked in Sandnes which is a port just south of Stavanger. Our bus departed at 8:00 am to take us to our first stop at the Swords in Rock. This is a monument commemorating the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872. King Harald was victorious and defeated the rival chieftains resulting in the unification of Norway for the first time. King Harald’s incentive to unite Norway was the result of being turned down by Gyda the daughter of Erik, king of Hordaland, the woman he wanted to marry. She told Harald she would only marry him if he could unite Norway. He took the challenge to heart. They did marry. He also refused to cut his hair until he united Norway. His name became Harald Fairhair..
The Swords in Rock.
Our next stop was an Iron Age farm. The farm dates back to the time of the Vikings. The original long houses were reconstructed. Woman had an important role in Viking government. If their husband died and they took over the farm they had an equal vote to all men. The farm had a great view of the harbor as well as good farm land. It remained untouched for centuries because the Norwegians believed the ground was haunted. No one knows how the inhabitants died. That allowed the site to be excavated without having been built over.
Iron Age long house. The family lived in the long house with the animals.
The final stop was the Petroleum Museum. Norway is incredibly wealthy following the discovery of oil in the North Sea in 1973. The country has established a multi-billion dollar trust from the oil revenues. The money will be used to fund health and education for future generations. The museum chronicles the development of the technology used to drill for the oil.
The oil platforms were designed as models before being built. This identified any design flaws.
We were back on the ship by noon and soon underway. Our destination is Lysefjord and a view of Preikestolen which translate to Pulpit Rock. With its unique shape as a pulpit it rises 1,800’ above the fjord. It is a very popular hiking destination.
The beauty of Pulpit Rock. No railings or guard rails. Norway believes in Darwinism.
A waterfall across from Pulpit Rock on Lysefjord.
Every time our ship docks the crew places these metal circles on the dock lines. The metal circles are designed to keep rodents from climbing up the dock lines to get onto the ship.
Our itinerary has changed due to the presence of the cruise ship Iona. We are a small ship with 140 passengers. Iona carries 5,600 souls. We do not want to arrive in the same port as Iona on the same day. We will track her movements and arrive in port a day ahead or behind her.
The Iona and her 5,600 passengers is our nemesis.
Our itinerary has also changed due to a low pressure zone just north of our location. Winds are forecast at 30 to 40 mph. Waves are forecast at 12 - 15’. The captain wisely chose the inside passage. We will be protected from the worst of the seas by the safety of the fjords. Let us see if we can keep our ship flat tonight.