Stavanger, Days 1 and 2

I did not have time to blog yesterday, due to several flights and car rides. We have made it safely to Stavanger, Norway after a flight from London to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to Stavanger. These flights only took 40 and 90 minutes, respectively. So short! I felt as if the plane landed right after we took off. 

To board the city hopper plane from Amsterdam to Stavanger, we had to ride a bus to the plane and climb up the stairs:

Though I couldn’t really eat anything on the flights, the good news is that I was able to eat the Danish biscuit filled with caramel. And, no, it was not like our biscuits, but more like a mix between a cracker and a wafer. Yum. :)

Fun fact: On our plane from Amsterdam to Stavanger, there were several really tall Dutch men on their way to a volleyball tournament. Check out this sign in the Stavanger airport: 

Gaute and Jennifer Juveth greeted us with smiling faces. It was great to see them after 6 months. They are graciously allowing us to stay with them. In fact, when Gaute came home from work yesterday, we made our way to Pulpit Rock, otherwise known as Preikestolen. I noticed that all of the roofs have ladder rungs. Apparently, it's required so that chimney sweeps don't get injured on the job. 

On the way, we saw a geopark, a park made out of recycled oil materials. It was really awesome! 

To get to Pulpit Rock, we drove to the ferry, which carried our car across the fjord. Check out that view!

Then we continued our drive and proceeded to hike up the mountain. Let me tell you— Pulpit Rock ain’t no Stone Mountain. I couldn’t look up from the trail because I didn’t think humans hiked up things like this. It's amazing how mental the battle is; I started thinking, "What would happen if I fell?", and I started slipping. To correct the problem, I quickly pictured myself safely hiking back down the mountain. It takes around 2 hours up and 2 hours down, but the view was well worth it! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:

People stack rocks like this along the way. It reminded me of two cities in the VeggieTales episode, "The Story of Flibber-o-loo".

The flat part of the trail!

We thought we had arrived, and this rock was it, but it wasn't!

Now, we're at the top! (And yes, that's me up there.)

What a message: we have to take risks. A lot of people would be scared to go on the ledge, but if you stay farther back,  you don’t see as good of a view. Taking a risks pays off! 

I totally climbed in my xeroshoes. :) 

These pictures really do not do this justice at all! It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen--even better than fall in the North Georgia mountains1

Sweaty and exhausted, I showered and went to bed. This morning we woke up at 9:30! So nice. The pace here in Norway seems to be much slower than back home. People do not see work as the center of all life, so they come home and relax. I really like that philosophy. Next semester, I am going to try to have the weekends off, working hard throughout the week. Let’s face it: stress isn’t fun anyway! Who needs it? ;)

This morning/afternoon, Jennifer, Dad, and I took the bus to downtown Stavanger. As I mentioned earlier, there is a volleyball tournament happening here, with players from around the world, so we sat and watched for a little while. We also walked through the Old Town portion of the city, viewing houses built in the 1800s. Actually, we stumbled upon a house that allows you to walk through it for free. The bottom floor was decorated from the 1800's, and the top floor was decorated from the 1960's:

We also passed a beautiful church and many souvenir shops set up for tourists from cruise ships that dock in the port. 

Norwegians have an affinity for trolls. Isn't he cute?

Oh, and side note: the bus company is called Kolumbus- a little taste of home!

We came home and ate a late lunch, and I read a book for a little while. When Gaute came home from work, we ate curry for dinner and headed to their old house to run an errand. An observation: they recycle everything in Europe, including compost. There are trashcans for "organic trash", and there are ventilation holes in the bin. Just incase you were wondering about Norwegian trash...

Afterwards, we drove to the Juveth's church to look around, which is in the bottom floor of a 20-story building. We then took a glass elevator up to the top floor to see a view around the city. Quite beautiful! When in the stores earlier today, we saw a postcard of a really neat monument which happens to be very close by. So, of course, we drove there!

The monument is called "Sverd i Fjell", or The Three Swords Monument. According to stavangertravel.com, 

"This monument was unveiled by King Olav in 1983 and commemorates the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872, after which King Harald Fair Hair united the three districts of Norway into one kingdom.The crowns on the swords represent the different districts which took part in the battle."

Random tidbit: There is a robot lawn mower that mows the Juveth's lawn. It mows pretty much all day, every day. I find it mildly hilarious. Take a look:

We have one more full day in Stavanger before we take the train to Oslo.

Until tomorrow!
Amy