My wife and I took a 1 hour drive down the coast today from where we live in Kleppe (Stavanger area) south down to Egersund, which is still a very busy seaport and in fact is the largest in Norway in terms of fish hauls landed in their harbor. I've found a few interesting historical facts about the city which I will include above the photos. But first things first. The general region is called 'Jaeren' which is Norways largest agricultural area producing dairy, vegetables, sheep (lamb and wool), pigs, chickens, grains, and beef. Of course we also have lots of oil/gas being produced by offshore platforms out in the North Sea. The oil is the big cornerstone industry that has brought much prosperity to Norway. People don't get anything for nothing here though, and they still have to work for a living, except for myself of course, since I'm retired. Lol.
We stopped along the road just to give you a view of the rocky North Sea coastline and I was also able to snap a picture of the Denmark ferry returning to Stavanger. It is a really huge ship and can take about 400 cars onboard and i think 2500 passengers. It is an overnight journey. They have nice accommodations and great restaurants aboard.
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We took this picture of Kvassheim light house and the small fishing boat harbor adjacent to it. The lighthouse is a textbook example of lighthouse restoration, how NOT to do it. Very disappointing. It's easy to see that a local committee has full control and probably very little money. The 3rd and 4th pics are just to show you the rocky coastline. Many ships have been wrecked in this area during some really ferocious storms.
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The first shot is parallel with the highway. Off to the right is the sea. The line of rocks you see are called "Hitlers Teeth". They were placed there during WWll by the Germans as tank traps to withstand potential enemy landings from the sea, which is unseen to the right of the pic. These were just rocks, but a little further along are more rows of them made from cement. The 2nd photo is the entrance to a German bunker. there are lots of these along the coast, but not really too noticeable.
My wife was born in 1940 and so remembers the German occupation pretty well. Her family's home was confiscated by the Germans and they had to relocate. Their rented apartment on top of a two story house was next to the areas grammar school which the German forces used as a prison camp for Russian prisoners. My wife and her family put as much food through the fence to the starving prisoners as they could, though they had little themselves. They were constantly being searched by the Germans holding flashlights in the middle of the night. A bad memory for my wife.
The prisoners were able to get small pieces of wood from rubble in the camp and they somehow made small animals out of them. They traded these with the children for bits of food. My wife got some, but here mother made her throw them away because so many of the prisoners had TB and she was worried it could be infectious. The most tragic thing is that almost all of these prisoners were stamped as traitors by the Russians because they had surrendered to the Germans. After being freed in Norway and being returned to Russia, most were either executed or sent to Siberia from where they never returned.
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Here is a not so good photo of what the general terrain looks like as we get a little closer to Egersund. Unfortunately The were repaving the road where I could have gotten some great photos. The smooth rocky terrain was caused by glaciers grinding over them during the last ice age.
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According to my MIL this mountain of white 'whatever it is' is used in toothpaste. I haven't a clue. Maybe a geologist out there knows? I just included it to show you that the white cliffs of dover have nothing over us!
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Two photos of the Tengs river. This is the place you Salmon fishermen want to be in-season. Very little water right now due to lack of rain. The 2nd photo is the river draining out to the sea. Usually a torrent pouring through there. The little houses on the other side are rented to fishermen and there is also a campground there. I think my son fly fishes there sometimes. Personally I like eating it more than catching it.
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Ok, we finally made it to Egersund. The following street scenes are typical for the town. it's a mix of old and new, but they have protected the older buildings and tried to keep the place quaint without turning the place into a museum. It's nice to have lunch there and do a little shopping. I don't know the age of the various buildings pictured here, but I'm sure some are at least 150 years old.
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Just a reminder that although Egersund is a port town, agriculture is still very important for the local economy.
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Now a stroll down to the harbor. The first few pics are Egersund church. Originally St. Maria church built in 1292, but demolished to build the one you see here in 1623. I had hoped to take you inside, but it was locked up. There is a very old model ship hanging from the ceiling in there, and the pews are painted with the names of the families who paid to have them reserved for themselves. they are all rose painted from way back when. Sorry I couldn't get in to show it to you. The next photos are from the different sides and the last one is the really unusual and very old front doors.
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An old boat, 1930s? A newer model viking ship aka coast guard, some older restored warehouses along the quay and finally the yacht harbor. Not a wooden boat in site. Horrors! Maybe next time.
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Time to get out of town and head back home. An anchor to weigh up the pig statue. This is a real anchor and it has had a lot of rust removed. I thought the coopered top part which has been restored was interesting.
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This is where the aforementioned river Tengs emptys into. this is salt water and part of the sea. It's not connected with the main harbor though. The houses pictured across the water are summer homes and you have to take a boat from where I'm taking the photos to get there.
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This is just a shot on the road home using the inland route. There are a lot of lakes like this along the route and farms too. The lakes all have trout in them. It's actually like this for many miles.
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I'm not all to happy with these photos, but my wife and grandson were with and I think all the starting and stopping got a little on their nerves, so I didn't have time to obsess on the shots and the locations. In spite of that I hope it gives you a small idea of what of Norway is like from my personal viewpoint, and I hope you enjoyed it.
We stopped along the road just to give you a view of the rocky North Sea coastline and I was also able to snap a picture of the Denmark ferry returning to Stavanger. It is a really huge ship and can take about 400 cars onboard and i think 2500 passengers. It is an overnight journey. They have nice accommodations and great restaurants aboard.
""
We took this picture of Kvassheim light house and the small fishing boat harbor adjacent to it. The lighthouse is a textbook example of lighthouse restoration, how NOT to do it. Very disappointing. It's easy to see that a local committee has full control and probably very little money. The 3rd and 4th pics are just to show you the rocky coastline. Many ships have been wrecked in this area during some really ferocious storms.
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""
""
The first shot is parallel with the highway. Off to the right is the sea. The line of rocks you see are called "Hitlers Teeth". They were placed there during WWll by the Germans as tank traps to withstand potential enemy landings from the sea, which is unseen to the right of the pic. These were just rocks, but a little further along are more rows of them made from cement. The 2nd photo is the entrance to a German bunker. there are lots of these along the coast, but not really too noticeable.
My wife was born in 1940 and so remembers the German occupation pretty well. Her family's home was confiscated by the Germans and they had to relocate. Their rented apartment on top of a two story house was next to the areas grammar school which the German forces used as a prison camp for Russian prisoners. My wife and her family put as much food through the fence to the starving prisoners as they could, though they had little themselves. They were constantly being searched by the Germans holding flashlights in the middle of the night. A bad memory for my wife.
The prisoners were able to get small pieces of wood from rubble in the camp and they somehow made small animals out of them. They traded these with the children for bits of food. My wife got some, but here mother made her throw them away because so many of the prisoners had TB and she was worried it could be infectious. The most tragic thing is that almost all of these prisoners were stamped as traitors by the Russians because they had surrendered to the Germans. After being freed in Norway and being returned to Russia, most were either executed or sent to Siberia from where they never returned.
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Here is a not so good photo of what the general terrain looks like as we get a little closer to Egersund. Unfortunately The were repaving the road where I could have gotten some great photos. The smooth rocky terrain was caused by glaciers grinding over them during the last ice age.
""
According to my MIL this mountain of white 'whatever it is' is used in toothpaste. I haven't a clue. Maybe a geologist out there knows? I just included it to show you that the white cliffs of dover have nothing over us!
""
Two photos of the Tengs river. This is the place you Salmon fishermen want to be in-season. Very little water right now due to lack of rain. The 2nd photo is the river draining out to the sea. Usually a torrent pouring through there. The little houses on the other side are rented to fishermen and there is also a campground there. I think my son fly fishes there sometimes. Personally I like eating it more than catching it.
""
""
Ok, we finally made it to Egersund. The following street scenes are typical for the town. it's a mix of old and new, but they have protected the older buildings and tried to keep the place quaint without turning the place into a museum. It's nice to have lunch there and do a little shopping. I don't know the age of the various buildings pictured here, but I'm sure some are at least 150 years old.
""
""
""
""
Just a reminder that although Egersund is a port town, agriculture is still very important for the local economy.
""
Now a stroll down to the harbor. The first few pics are Egersund church. Originally St. Maria church built in 1292, but demolished to build the one you see here in 1623. I had hoped to take you inside, but it was locked up. There is a very old model ship hanging from the ceiling in there, and the pews are painted with the names of the families who paid to have them reserved for themselves. they are all rose painted from way back when. Sorry I couldn't get in to show it to you. The next photos are from the different sides and the last one is the really unusual and very old front doors.
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""
""
An old boat, 1930s? A newer model viking ship aka coast guard, some older restored warehouses along the quay and finally the yacht harbor. Not a wooden boat in site. Horrors! Maybe next time.
""
""
""
""
Time to get out of town and head back home. An anchor to weigh up the pig statue. This is a real anchor and it has had a lot of rust removed. I thought the coopered top part which has been restored was interesting.
""
This is where the aforementioned river Tengs emptys into. this is salt water and part of the sea. It's not connected with the main harbor though. The houses pictured across the water are summer homes and you have to take a boat from where I'm taking the photos to get there.
""
""
""
""
This is just a shot on the road home using the inland route. There are a lot of lakes like this along the route and farms too. The lakes all have trout in them. It's actually like this for many miles.
""
I'm not all to happy with these photos, but my wife and grandson were with and I think all the starting and stopping got a little on their nerves, so I didn't have time to obsess on the shots and the locations. In spite of that I hope it gives you a small idea of what of Norway is like from my personal viewpoint, and I hope you enjoyed it.