Today's port of call was the 5th largest city in Norway, Kristiansand. It is the most southern city in Norway with a population of about 88,000 people (2017 census). And this is the first time we have been here, so it was going to be nice to explore on or own.
Some of the tours offered here were a boat trip to Norway's southern-most lighthouse for $120 for 5 hours. A walk through historic Kristansand was $60 for 3 hours, while Lillesand , the jewel of the past and present was $110 for 3 hours. And we cannot forget the river rafting excursion for $250 for 5 hours. Honestly? Really? Doubt they had many takers today since the temperature was 48 degrees at 9am. Then a trip to Sorlandet was $160 for 4 hours.
We left the ship around 11:30am and dressed right for the chilling wind. Although there was mention of rain, it never did. In fact, eventually the sun did peek out and it warmed up somewhat. The wind remained cold.
It was an easy walk to town and exiting out of the gate where a mounted moose was, we ran into a series of small souvenir shops with an information stand full of local maps. There was also a ho-ho bus available for somewhere around $40 USD for a 1 ½ hour drive. In addition to that, we saw a little train ride that took folks through the small town, which was cheaper. We had run into Mike who was sitting on a bench catching some sun, while his wife Pauline had stayed onboard. He said some of his friends had taken the ho-ho bus and the speaker system was not working properly, so they learned nothing. Following the map, we knew we could cover most of the sights on our own. All aboard was at 4:30pm, giving us plenty of time for exploring and lunch too.
Once out of the cruise dock area (there was no terminal building) we took a right and saw the new Kilden Performing Arts Center. It is built very ultra-modern with architectural and artistical designs with a high quality calendar of events. We walked around the water's edge to see the fish market, one of the town's idyllic spots. Inside the building they had tanks full of live fish and shellfish, however, they were closed today because it was Sunday. There was an outdoor restaurant where they were serving morning food until it was opened for lunch. Crossing the canal, we walked up a hill to get a view of the marina below. There was a white structure on the knoll which we assumed was a restaurant with outdoor tents. Had we continued walking to the peninsula, we would have come across a former naval base called Odderoya. It is surrounded with park area now and has marked nature trails, great views, and a small café.
Back down the hill, we followed the footsteps on the map and stayed near the waterfront. That brought us to a large square with granite fountains called Otterdalsparken, where a tour group was learning about the area from a guide. They were not speaking English, so we assumed they were from the other smaller ship that came into port after we did. The name was Holland Norway, not related to HAL. Directly across the road from this park was a row of highrise apartments facing the harbor and ocean. Further up, we saw the Christiansholm Fortress, built in 1672 to guard the city. Originally on an islet 100 yards from the shore, it is connected to the mainland now. There was a row of old cannons facing the sea, which got us wondering what life was like back in those days. Further up this road was the city beach and the Aquarama, a waterpark with a diving tower, swimming pool, surf wave, and even a climbing wall. A gym and a spa make it perfect for the entire family. What was people-unfriendly was charging for the restrooms. You needed a credit card to open the door, even though the charge was 5 kroner or the equivalent of 50 cents. A man was waiting for his wife to come out, so he could go inside getting a two-for-one stop.
Hiking the streets in the Posebyen district, we saw the several timber-clad houses that were mostly painted white. This part of town is home to one of Northern Europe's largest collections of old lowrise timber houses. By the way, we did notice that this entire city was clean as a whistle. No trash anywhere, especially around the waterfront and in the water.
Before we left our room, we did some research on restaurants….in particular, pizza cafes. We located the same type of café we had lunch yesterday, and decided it was so good, we would try it again today. That is if we could find it and if it was open. The more we walked the streets, the more we noticed that everything was closed. Even the department stores like Mango or Zara. Not open on Sunday. Period. Following the map, we must have been a street off, since we went from the Otra River to the end of the street, passing the cathedral, and still did not find Peppe's Pizza. Perhaps the Google map had the incorrect address. So we went back to see the cathedral which was located in the dead center of the town. It is a Neo-Gothic cathedral built in 1884 and part of the evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. The bell tower is 70 meters high.
And guess what we found right down from the Cathedral? Yep, Peppe's Pizza….right on the square of the church area. It appeared to be closed, but we did try the door and they were open. Perfect. We walked inside and got a table for two. Within minutes we had one tall Carlsburg beer and a Coke Zero. We ordered the same Italian cheese and pepperoni pizza we had yesterday in Oslo, and found it equally as good. It was not crowded, so we enjoyed our stay.
Afterwards, we went to see the cathedral and actually got inside since it was opened for a few hours. This present cathedral is the fourth one here, since the original ones burned down. We did notice there were no candles inside the church itself. This cathedral is host to a number of events as well as being the parish church for outlying districts.
Every café and restaurant in this main square was filled to capacity, and we heard great reports on the food everywhere. We passed by a McDonalds and just for the fun of it , where we went inside to get a picture of their menu. The prices were shocking as a big cheese bacon burger was the equivalent of $14.44 for just the burger, no fries or drink. The place was full of local young folks…..all eating the French fries.
Time to head back, we took the side streets all of the way back to the port area and got back to our room by 4pm. What a nice day we had in this smaller city. And it never did rain and the sun even came out. How lucky was that?
There were two bucket lift vehicles with fellows painting on the port side of the ship. Looking from the bottom of the gangway, we figured they were really close to our room. Sure hope the paint dries quickly as the smell can be off-putting. Guess this kind of work can be scheduled ahead of time, especially when the weather is co-operating like today.
After all of the tour buses came back, the ship left by 5:30pm, sailing out slowly. We watched from the veranda until the chilly wind drove us back inside. Before we knew it, the time for dinner had arrived. We did have reservations in the Pinnacle Grill, but decided the menu had some items we liked and cancelled our time slot in the specialty restaurant. We are running out of "regular" dinner days now that the trip is wrapping up.
We were all present and delighted to share stories of the day. The fish and chips in town were reportedly the best ever, according to both Greg and Heo. They had gone out earlier than us, and probably had morning coffee and pastries at a café. We had taken about the same path they did, after seeing their photos. All of us, except for Barb and Woody who had stayed onboard, agreed that this day-to-day port stop was like going to work with hardly a weekend to recuperate. That time will come on May 6th when the ship heads out across the pond. Unfortunately, that will also be packing time. Thinking ahead, Heo admitted he has been slowly packing some of the clean clothing when it comes back from the laundry nicely pressed and folded. Since they do not get the complimentary luggage shipping, they will bring their luggage with them back to Sydney. We have been thinking about packing, but that is as far as we have gotten…..just thinking about it.
Tomorrow, we will be in another new port for us, Haugesund. Captain Frank has remained very cautious about the possible change in the weather conditions, but so far, all has turned out OK. Sure hope our luck continues.
Bill & Mary Ann
