Haugesund, Norway, is a small compact town with an urban feel about it. It is the regional center for the surrounding cities and villages. The total population is about 110,000 hearty folks that have jobs in fishing, shipping, and oil-related industries. Haugesund is located off of Smedasundet Sound with the North Sea to the west. It is surrounded by many islands and rocky outcroppings. This town, like many others in this part of the world, was built on the herring fisheries in the 1800's.
The ship docked by 8am at the cruise terminal at Risoy Island, not too far from the center of town, but that would be as the crow flies. We have to add it was the coldest port yet with temps in the 40's. The wind was so chilly it was cutting. Even with our arctic jackets, it was still a penetrating coldness. The skies were heavily overcast, and we thought it might rain or even snow. We never expected to see any sun today, but eventually, it did. It was a miracle, as this was not expected.
Excursions here today were scenic Skudenshavn for $130 for 3 ¼ hours or Medieval church and Viking village for $170 and 3 ½ hours. Ryvarden lighthouse walk was $140 for 3 hours, while a helicopter ride to Pulpit Rock and the surrounding area was $720 for 1 ½ hours. They did have at least one taker on that one.
Getting off of the ship, we walked to a little shop which was selling trinkets as well as warm jackets and wool hats and gloves. They had some city maps too which we picked up. Directly across from this building was a shuttle bus with a line of mostly crew members boarding. Since we missed the port talk on Haugesund, we did not know there was a shuttle as it wasn't mentioned in today's Daily Program. We soon learned there was a charge to this bus like about 8 euro or $8 USD. And that might have been one way….we are not sure. We decided to walk after talking to some guests that had gone over and come back already. In addition to the shuttle, there was a city train sight-seeing ride that took folks to the major sights on both islands, and the downtown area of this town. The cost was the equivalent of $28 USD. You could not get off at any stops, and you could not re-join the train like you can on a ho-ho bus. We did not see many takers for this tour.
There was a bit of a hike to get from Risoy Island to the Risoy Bridge that crossed over the sound below. The hard part was hiking up and over the high bridge to the center of town. It was quite scenic so stopping along the way worked out well to take many photos. At the end of this bridge, we looked down on the waterfront of the sound, and noticed several restaurants along the marina walkway. None of them were opened yet for lunch since it was only 11:30am. It seemed like the town was just waking up.
Studying the map, we realized that the city's central district was laid out in a rectangle with a pedestrian only shopping street in the center called Haraldsgata. Most of the sights to see were in this grid and up the side streets. Our first stop was at the information center which was loaded with many brochures, booklets, and maps. Excellent choice for a small town, as you can never have enough info or maps.
The main street had many stores, shops, and cafes, but most of the cafes were not opened until 2pm. Pizza places were on most every corner, even a Dolly Dimples Pizza like we saw yesterday. They would not be opened until 2pm. If we stayed long enough, we might make it for that time, but it never happened. Our first stop was at the Church called Our Savior's Church. We could only admire it from the outside since it was also closed. Across the street was their library, which had originally been repurposed from a shoe factory. Eventually the factory was destroyed, and the new library was built here. These days it is considered one of the finest examples of Scandinavian modernism in Norway. And they had free restrooms, something you have trouble finding in most of the cities.
On the way back down to the main street, we passed a striking home painted a soft green with typical Norwegian decorations on it. The name is Wrangellhuset and was the home of H.M. Wrangell, a herring salter, shipowner, politician, and Danish consul. This historic house is now part of the museum group. The famous Fishermen Statue reflects the town's history of the herring fisheries, a reminder that the town was built on herring bones, so to speak.
By going the other direction, somehow we missed the town hall and surrounding square which is a park and a marketplace. We also did not see the statue of Marilyn Monroe, the actress whose father is said to have come from Haugesund. It is located on the quay, but on the opposite side that we had crossed the bridge. Greg and Heo did see her statue, because they found a nice restaurant opened on the quay after 2pm.
Passing many small shops and some larger department stores, we headed towards the Byparken Park, with a nice pavilion and many benches surrounding a gazebo and fountain. It dates back to 1923 and it appears that concerts are held here in the warmer months. Another church was up the road apiece, so we hiked up there to find Skare Church, known as the cultural church. It was completed in 1858 and also has the town's oldest cemetery across the street. It was elevated from the street level, and you had to walk up steep steps to see the grave markers that were flat on the ground.
This area also had the nicest and largest of the homes which were built by the wealthy Haugesunders that made their fortunes by the fishing and shipping industries during World War I. Back to the main part of town, we ducked in and out of the shops. We did see only one souvenir shop that carried the Dale of Norway sweaters, but they sure do not look and feel like the ones we bought 30 years ago. They are not 100% wool, but have some polyester added, which makes them thinner and lighter in weight. The prices were quite high and it was difficult to find sweaters with their signature pewter hooks used in place of the buttons or zippers. That makes them unique we guess.
Time to hike back, we never did find a good place for lunch today. Despite the fact that the sun did peek out, the wind was still chilly, especially down on the quay below the bridge. We had hoped some of the sound-facing restaurants had opened, but we did not see any. Of course, we were looking at only one side, and did not see where the guys had gone. Oh well, a hot bowl of soup sounded better than anything at this point.
We got back to the ship by 2:30pm and stayed in the room enjoying a nice lunch of a salad, hot soup, and sandwiches. Adding a couple of chocolate cookies, we were happy campers. Before we knew it, the ship left after 5:30pm, and we were off for some scenic sailing out of Haugesund, traveling out of the sound, and heading out to sea. Our next stop will be Eidfjord, located all the way up Hardangerfjord which we entered by dinnertime. During his late PM talk, the Captain said to be prepared for some really cold weather, the coldest of this entire trip.
Dinner was really good with the Club Orange main of a veal chop. Several Norwegian starters and entrees were on this menu as well. One of the popular mains was a bowl of mussels, which was passed around after dinner because they must have had a ton of them. A nice surprise for Barb was crème Brulee for dessert, although a different chef must have added something different such as cardamom instead of cinnamon.
Looking forward to a small town tomorrow where we might get in some scenic walking.
Bill & Mary Ann
