# A Short Trip Down the SW Coast of Norway



## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

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.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Wow Mike 
What a wonderful tour and great photos a trim I'll never be able to make . I love the whole thing this well serve as my vaction this year .


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## BritBoxmaker (Feb 1, 2010)

Some good pictures there, Mike. Another place I've seen. Albeit though someone else's eyes and experience. Which is an experience I find very valuable.


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## Dennisgrosen (Nov 14, 2009)

thank´s Mike for this wonderfull tour
just brought a lot of memery´s back to me
have a very niiiiice summer up there

Dennis


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Beautiful scenery and nice history lesson.

Thank you, Mike!


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

What a great tour…and what beautiful scenes. Never got to go to that part of the world. Uncle Sam liked to keep me in the jungles in the pacific. Pictures from that part of the world always facinate me. Thanks Mike


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks all. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

*Dave* The heavy water facility was at Norsk Hydro's plant in Rjukan. A very daring piece of work. Pitch dark, dangerous steep mountains, much ice and snow, approach on skis then some extremely risky climbing, getting past German security who thought it impossible that anyone could possibly get in from the mountain side. Destroyed what had to be destroyed, got out without losing a single man. Very capable heroic men.

*Gary* I spent some time there myself over a 4 year period while in the Navy. Every place has it's upsides and downsides I guess, but I cope better with cold and rain than hot and humid.


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## degoose (Mar 20, 2009)

Thanks for the heads up Mike… I may have missed this… nice travelogue and pics… thanks again…


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

mike ,
thanks for the great tour .
you live in beautiful country .

a favor though please ,
on of those houses across the water had some nice trim on it ,
could you get some closeups ?
if it's not to much trouble (LOL) !


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

If you are serious David (which seems not to be the case), I sure can with my telescopic lens. I had it with me, but I didn't use it as I wanted more of a panorama shot there.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

not to worry , mike .
just pulling your leg .

it sure is nice there ,
and you got to get out and about .

thanks for thinking of us ,
great pictures .


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

Thanks Mike. This is one place Sherie has on me, for she traveled to Norway on an expedition for her yarn shop years ago (Dale of Norway is the yarn). She still teaches knitting from Dale patterns, although she is mostly into quilting these days. The quilt shop also sells yarn, and talked her into teaching knitting for them. I think she enjoys teaching others, and appears to be good at it. She helps people who knit at the clinic all the time. She gets spread a little thin at times.

Your pictures were great, no apologies accepted. I have a question though. I remember traveling to northern Denmark and stopped for lunch. Not much english spoken there. Everything seemed to be fish on the menu. What should I expect in Egersund? Sherie is not a great fish freak, I am more accepting…...meaning I eat sardines, pickled herring, and anchovies without a thought. Since my heritage is mostly Danish, that came with living. I thought you couldn't play cribbage on a Sunday afternoon without pickled herring, sardines, blue cheese, sharp cheddar, etc (my Dad and I played a lot of cribbage). Didn't play much for many years until my trip to the orient and mideast last year on an extended cruise. I thought we were playing the game wrong because the snacks weren't right…........(-:

When we traveled through Wisconsin, coming home from visiting my grandfather, who emigrated at age 14 from Copenhagen, my Dad would stop at a 'cheese factory' out in the country. No signs, no store, Just some concrete buildings. He'd buy big blocks of the best blue cheese, oldest cheddar, limburger(never got into that stuff), and we'd have a stash for months for the cribbage games. For those who don't know, I grew up in northern Minnesota.

Thanks for the travelogue. I zoomed up my browser and got a good look at your photos.

Having trouble getting much shop time lately. Have two shop projects going, hopefully finish them this weekend, but don't hold your breath.

Jim


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

By the way, just looking at the water scenes, reminds me of northern Minnesota. Big glacial lakes up there. Similar terrain to the area you photographed. No mountains of course, but lots of hills and long rock shored lakes. Although the ocean scenes could have been from Lake Superior, just 60 miles from where I was raised. Lots of Scandinavian folk up there, also quite a few Finnish in northern Minnesota.

Thanks again for the effort, most enjoyable.

Jim


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

*DaveR*

Haven't tasted limburger for a long time, my wife wouldn't come within a stones throw of the stuff. Probably now, it would seem different. You were in Madison as I recall, did you ever go out to Paoli. Great market there.

You should be able to find that stuff down near Rochester, I would think. But nothing like the old Wisconsin cheese. I don't know how much you get up north, but all of the water scenes could have come from the big lakes in the Arrowhead country, and Lake Superior, don't you think? Didn't you canoe up there?

Jim


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Mike those are some nice pictures.


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

*DaveR*

When I was in Paoli it was still somewhat rural, but you could see the trend (1970-1973). Would drive out there in my used 1967 BMW 1600 and just fit in with the rest of the Madison crowd on my paltry medical resident's income…..(-:

I was into the car, not the panache…....(-: (-:

Good memories. Beautiful day here in Anchorage. Clear blue sky except for a contrail or two. Sherie is out working in the flower garden, temperature 68 deg at 1600 hrs, about 19 plus hours of daylight, the rest is dusk. No need for headlights 24 hours a day. Think I'll go out and take some garden pictures…......and view the planter stands from a week ago, in action. Do a blog followup….....

Thanks Dave…...........

Jim


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## Junji (Feb 20, 2009)

Mike,

Beautiful photos! They just made me think that your country just became #1 dream for me to visit! Well… I think I should start saving some yen for the trip.

Junji


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

oh these are just grand mike…thank you so much for the tour and i think great pictures…i loved the history you taught…so many lessons to be learned from our history…and what your wife remembers i hope is written down in a journal of some kind…what she and so many others experienced wont happen like that again..we hope..thanks again mike..oh and you can count me out on the limburger cheese….ive got a very intolerant palet when it comes to strong cheese…you could ask my sisters on that one…lol….oh i wanted to ask…do you have any bears in that lake country you were in….grizzman


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

For those who aren't into geography, Mike is at the same latitude that we are in Anchorage…......so he is all daylight also…....

Alaska Jim


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks for all those nice and interesting comments everyone. Norway is a lot better than my photos show, but I'm trying to show it from my perspective rather than what you might see in a travel brochure. After all these years I'm still amazed at what a beautiful and interesting place this is. Unfortunately I haven't been traveling much recently. I do hope to get out more this summer though, so I will probably be posting more as I would like to share it with you if you don't find it too ho hum.

*Jim* I was in fact born and partly raised in Superior Wisc. and my grandparents had a farm near Onamia Minn. (near Milacs lake) where I lived during the war when my Dad was in the army. Though I lived most of my young life in California, I remember Wisconsin and Minnesota fairly well. I have often said that Minnesota is a kind of flat Norway with it's 10,000 lakes. I especially remember all the mosquitoes in the summer!

Fresh fish is fairly abundant here, but you don't see a lot of folks ordering it in the restaurants unless they specialize in it. They do still like to swallow whole herrings in Holland though. I personally like Salmon prepared in different ways, shrimp, and of course pickled herring. I have a herring burger almost every day for lunch. It's fried like a Salmon burger. In the last few years prepared and junk food has become very popular, and the waistlines show it. When I first arrived in Norway in 1971 it was almost impossible to find anyone overweight. That, sadly is not true today. I've been up and down in weight all my life so I'm not attacking anyone here. luckily, in my old age I've gained better control over it and feel much better for the effort. Another thing I've done is to stop using table salt. That resulted in my blood pressure going from 160/80 down to 140/80 in about 3 months time. I'm trying to stay alive long enough to get some value from all my tool purchases!


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

*Mike*
The resemblance of the northern Minnesota lakes to the landscape on your trip is striking. Glad to hear I could buy something besides fish for lunch…......(-: Don't eat must fast food or prepared, food, even when I am home alone. I tend to cook everything from scratch.

Have a good day, fun pictures, beautiful country…..........

Jim


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## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

Absolutely fabulous scenery. Why my great grand parents left there for the deserts of the four corners is beyond me. But I'm glad they did so I could be here to see this. lol How do you get any time in the shop with trips like this available to you? It would be nice to visit and actually find some cousins. Great travel log Mike. Thank you for sharing. Next best thing to being there. Rand


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

*Mario* an additional benefit is that there is no danger of being eaten by a Lion during a trip. Lol.

*Rand* Many left Norway for opportunities not available to them here at the time and to feel more free. I went in the other direction and found opportunities because of my particular background and as luck will have it, the advent of the oil industry which provided me with a good career. There is still a lot more opportunity there than here for most folks. I'm sure you would enjoy visiting here and meeting some of your family at the same time. Just pray it doesn't rain too much when you do come.


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## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

Mike, Mario always brings his own lions. Makes him feel at home no matter where he is. lol You know how it is when you are big enough to go lion hunting with a switch. lol Rand


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## antmjr (Sep 7, 2009)

Wonderful pics Mike! (btw, Mike, please! be aware there may be lions out there too!!!...escaped from some zoos or from some private farm!!! please pay attention: if you hear a a big yawn, don't turn back, but start running instead!!!  )
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The fact is you are American & Norwegian at the same time, I guess it's a strange condition; you - as many of us maybe - have lots of roots (or you haven't one anymore, don't know what you prefer  ).


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

I guess we do have some bobcats her Antonio, but I'm a lot more afraid of the wife than any wild animals!

I don't have any Norwegian blood, but I think that's one of the few I lack. I do occasionally get homesick, but all in all I have had a wonderful life here. I guess it is all about adapting, which was fairly easy for me because I have always had my very capable cultural adviser (my Norwegian wife) at my side. To be honest I hadn't even considered moving away from California before I met her.

BTW my oldest son will be in italy sometime this summer to make a an advertising film. I can't remember where that will be. They had a holiday just up the coast from Rimini a couple of years ago and they really enjoyed it. There was a hail storm there with golf ball sized hail stones it destroyed his new car. It cost a small fortune to fix it, but luckily they were able to drive it home and it was fully covered by insurance.

I am a huge fan of Italian cooking and even have a regional foods cookbook on the subject (which I use). I would love to take a trip down there someday, but I'm waiting to win the lotto so I won't have to do it on the cheap! Lol.


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## antmjr (Sep 7, 2009)

hail storm, maybe in the middle of summer? we must thank our ozone hole and its crazy weather then…
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Some time ago, maybe in the same period, we had a storm here, sort of little tornado, something absolutely unseen before. See these microscopic pics of uprooted trees in my garden:
























Rimini, you wrote: frankly I don't like the sea of Rimini, I mean it's not true sea, if I may joke. NorthEuropeans, especially Germans, like Rimini a lot though, don't know why . 
Ask your son if he went and saw Sassocorvaro (near San Marino, near Rimini). It's a stronghold with the form of a huge turtle, built around 1500, one of the most beautiful and stranger thing I have ever seen in my life.
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edited to add: to reply I had to look for the word "uprooted" in my dictionary, and , well, maybe it's your word, isn't it?  Think of the native Americans: where they fixed a pole in the ground, there the center of the universe was, tht's to say home ))


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

What an easy way to get free wood Antonio. With your command of English it seems you might have spent some time in England or America yourself, or maybe you're just a lot better with languages than me.

Yes, my son and his family did visit a place like you mentioned. I forget all he told me about it, but it was run like a little country of it's own if I remember correctly. He said there were some very unruly aggressive youths there too. Does that sound like the place?


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## antmjr (Sep 7, 2009)

Thank you Mike
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very unruly aggressive youths? well, obviously I cannot say anything for sure, but Sassocorvaro doesn't belong to a metropolitan area (where maybe it's easier to find such people) nor to mass touristic zones. It's a little village









(The stronghold isn't visible from this point of view)

Maybe your son was just unluckily. I recall an episode of the famous "Italienische Reise" (travel through Italy) by Goethe. He, too, met some very rude Italians near Lago di Como, who accused him to be a spy (!) just because he was drawing the landscape around the village, but eventually they become friends and have dinner together; so please believe only half of what you were told


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## Sawdust2 (Mar 18, 2007)

Enjoyed the photos.
I've been to Oslo.
Ate reindeer. Not too good. I do not drink anymore and Norway has wine and beer with zero alcohol so that was a treat. 
My paternal grandparents came from a small town near Bergen

Lee Storesund


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Well, I guess most youths are a bit unruly and aggressive anyway *Antonio*, so no harm done. I'm going to my son's for a BBQ in about an hour, so I'll ask him if this was the place.

Almost everyone from the colder European countries including Germany and Scandinavia travel a lot to warmer places, so no surprise there *Mario*. I'm sure you would enjoy Norway, but the iffy part is the weather, and that is hard to predict for any given time here. Last summer it rained and rained. We didn't even BBQ once, though we could have squeezed in a few, but lost our zeal. Besides, on the few dry days, I had to be out taking care of the garden and other outdoor maintenance work. This year has been cool, but with clear skies and lots of sunshine. It's 17C today and real nice.

Glad you enjoyed your visit *Lee*. We live just south of Bergen near Stavanger. I have spent a lot of time in Bergen when I had to work for a living (now I just have to work). Good fish restaurants.

I'm hoping to see the game between England vs Slovenia and America vs Algeria (delayed broadcast here) at my sons' place.


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## antmjr (Sep 7, 2009)

*Mario*, the Po (the greatest Italian river) flows into the Adriatic Sea there, and because of the constant floods of the sea, the fresh water turns southwards and produces a sort of barrier, 100km long, between the salt water near the beach and the salt water of the open sea. They cannot mix together. The enclosed water near the beach becomes warmer and warmer, and maybe dirty too, because there is no easy change, unless the sea is stormy. Moreover the sea isn't deep there, and if your idea of the sea is Homeric, I mean something majestic and powerful, the sea of Rimini will look a sort of puddle to your eyes - well, full of shocking girls though.

Mike, go and watch the match, because there is a gorgeous happy end for USA


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks Antonio I will. Unfortunately I already knew the result, but a win is a win. Good luck with your always outstanding team. I always enjoy seeing them play. I do hope the U.S. gets a chance to beat them though.


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## Roz (Jan 13, 2008)

Beautiful, I want to come see it.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

I hope you can Terry. Let me know if you do.


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