Norway – First Impressions

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Arriving in Norway on May first is cause for celebration. The locals were out in force to greet us too.

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Having lived for ten years in Ojai, California, with a local Hell’s Angels chapter situated nearby, the biker parade made us feel right at home.

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Lots of “HOGs” in this chapter too. And then groups of “Detroit Iron” including early Corvettes, Mustangs, and a variety of muscle cars.

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OK, maybe the intro as a little over the top, and there is a softer side to Stavanger on May Day. Blonde is common, and the kids are especially cute.

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And for those of you tracking fashions, tights, boots, and mini dresses or skirts are the rage.

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Checking in is not easy. We asked VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) for the proceedure and they suggested the Harbor Master. But being May Day the office seemed to be closed. So we got directions to the local police station, and trundled off bearing our array of documents. This kind officer took a quick look, and wrote us a note on scratch paper that we had seen him. Welcome to Norway.

The vibes are definitely different than the UK. More space, fewer people, and a more laid back approach to everything.

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The harbor is surrounded with hotels, bars, a small plaza, and a variety of eateries including Burger King next to Seven Eleven which abuts a Mexican restaurant.

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Starvanger’s economy is based on a thriving offshore oil service industry. A block from the waterfront are a lovely array of shops old and new, including several phone stores, one of which sold us a SIM card for our UK mobile phone.

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There is also an open air market, and lots of Norwegian sweaters in evidence.

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The fee for a night’s stay comes to 210 Kroner, or about US$30.00.

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Meanwhile, back at the plaza, there is a May Day parade. There were folks supporting Bolivarian Revolution, fans of the Cuban system (above), and Tamil Liberation movement boosters all with banners. We didn’t ask if they were serious, or just liked the colors. But coming from a country which cherishes its freedom we suspect the latter.

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There are a variety of fascinating ships around the harbor, most of which are associated with the oil business. There are tractor vessels which pull plows in the sea bottom in which pipes are buried, others which dump gravel over the pipe, along with supply and anchor handling vessels.

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Norwegian is not an easy language to assimilate. Many of the signs are confusing to us. But we think we understand this one.

Speaking of confusion, there are something like 50,000 miles of coastline in Norway. Thousands of islands, towns and villages too numerous to visit, and just a summer to get a feel for it all. Trying to decide where to go is proving a bit of a challenge. So many choices, so little time.

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So after a day in Stavanger we find ourselves currently in the much smaller Haugesund. We’ll try and get our Telenor (local phone company) Internet service going here, and then push on north.

A final word on weather. Lovely conditions have followed us from the UK. Dry, sunny, and warm (as long as you are away from the water). Considering that we are at the latitude of Haines and Skagway, Alaska, and that this is normal for spring, you can see why Gulf Stream is appreciated.


Posted by Steve Dashew  (May 3, 2009)



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