Norlandia Algard Hotel Stavanger

I went to Stavanger in june to attend the beach volleyball world tour, but when I got there I <br>fund so much else to do that I didnt find the time to watch the volleyball. Its was insane, and <br>the best part is that everything is so close that you can do alot in one day. I spendt 10 days there <br>and it is without doubt the best vacation I have ever been on.<br><br>I live in Amsterdam and ...

Hei Mennesker! (Hello Folks)<br><br>Norway has alot of rain. So much and so often...even for brief periods of simply minutes each day....that one cannot make plans based on a weather report. One simply must do! (And bring a raincoat!)<br><br>And with this premise we left last Sunday for the famous Lysefjord Cruise! This is a 4 hour trip return from Stavanger (although....we only went up halfway.....unbeknownst to us!) Now that I am reading Norwegian.....we won't get ...

Another couple mad train rides from Bergen to Oslo and then over to Stavanger took us to small oil town, from where we would make our way to the beautiful lyseford. The fjord is quite deep, and we came to take the hike up to the Preikestolen, high above the fjord. The hike was great, and though we were soaked by rain upon arriving in Stavanger, it wasn't too bad during the 2 hour trek up.

... kids to see our stuff from Syria which was shipped directly here. There is just something comforting about having your own stuff again. Things like.....the blankets that Audrey made for us all......our Persian carpets we selected with such care.....my books.....our pics from Africa on the wall......I can go on and on. It is such a comfort to have your own things around you. <br><br>Tomorrow Grace and I are going to downtown Stavanger to take in a ...

... joined us. HAL service requires 3 months on and then 3 off for its Captains and most senior crew. He has his wife on board with him. He retired from a Harbor Master Job in Holland before joining HAL. Not a bad gig, and he said so, since he can spend time with his wife while working. We caught the tail end of the show and then finished the evening in the Piano Bar. Some of the other regulars gave me grief when we left fairly early...

... got to try Rommegrot, a Norwegian sour cream soup. It was rather nice...no, it didn't have sour cream in it, but it did remind me of beef soup with lots of onions and carrots. A bit bland with not much spices except black pepper. It was a brothy kind of soup. We also tried the well-known, apple cake. And it was delicious!! It was like having a coffee cake with those sugar ...

... you did a jig just because you could in the space of the bathroom. Rolled up little towels allowed you to dry your hands and if you needed a little shave there were razors and creams for you to use. Hand lotions, soaps, tissues- all with easy access and amazing convenience. There were two windows as well so you could gaze out at the clouds while doing your business-it was light and roomy and absolutely one of the best bathroom experiences I have ever had. HOW CAN I EVER GO BACK?

... the others all sleep in, I figure I'd just get out of the city. The stuff I really want to see is outside the city, accessible by hiking, and this just isn't the season for that. But I really want to come back someday and hike to the Kjeragbolten boulder. Just look it up and you'll see why. I get another scenic train ride out, but fail to take pictures of the beautiful scenery (see camera comment above). Ya, I'm a bad tourist this trip.

... can be a successful vendor of BASE jumping equipment these days. The word crazy doesn't really give the guys any justice. Looking over the edge of the cliff I could feel the gravitational pull of the sun, the moon, the earth and the bombshell of a ticket saleswoman on the car ferry down in Lysefjorden all at the same time. With the g-forces in our favour, it was time to head back down to the fjord. Lets take the detour I suggested, surely she can wait. And then we had some beers...

... by the water). Watching the parade on Norway's birthday was also fun, and meeting friends of friends around Stavanger. I learned many things about Norway's customs and traditions (involving school-skipping crazy teenage-graduaters, traditional clothing, and vikings). Norway is definately a place I'd like to visit again, preferably when I have more cash to spend.