At last, an attractive Norwegian town!
Overskyet again today, with rain developing in the afternoon. The old town or Gammel Stravanger comprises small white wooden houses, around 250 years old. You could see them clearly from our balcony.
Simon had organized a walking tour starting at 10 am, but at 9 he got a message to say we needed to start at 11 because the recent storm Amy, that caused us so much trouble over the weekend, had damaged a bridge which was closed until 10 am.
Our guide was a lovely Norwegian woman called Elektra. Stravanger started out as a fishing town, including a cannery, but in recent years oil and gas has become its main source of income. It gets lots of cruise ships because it has a deep harbour right in the middle of town, but it doesn’t generate much revenue for the locals so they aren’t particularly fond of them. Look how our ship dominates the harbour, and they often get ones four times the size in summer.
We had a look inside one of the old buildings, which has been converted into a maritime museum. It was originally a shipping company headquarters and many of the original rooms have been preserved as they were, including the living areas.
The shopping area is pedestrianized and very cute. Norwegians like thrift stores; I know my daughters would love browsing through them.
In summary, two thumbs up for Stravanger, and a great way to finish our time in Norway. I got to practice my Norwegian, which was great, but I’ve decided not to continue with it now. I’ll probably go back to French. I’d love to do Māori, it’s a shame it’s not available on Duolingo. I’ll investigate the options when I get back to NZ. I must admit to an ulterior motive, as I can earn CPD points doing it.
After our tour we went back to the ship, and are now back up in our usual spot in the Commodore Club, drinking cocktails, listening to piano music and watching the little islands around Stravanger go past in the evening gloom and drizzle as we head back out to sea. Back to England now.