My ten-day visit to Bergen in November 2021 had come to an end, but I wasn’t leaving Norway just yet. I’d decided to split up my long overland journey from Bergen to Berlin with a visit to Stavanger, the third-largest city in the country. My main reason for going there was to visit an old roommate from my exchange semester in Greenland, but I also really wanted to see a bit of southern Norway.
I arrived in Stavanger on a rainy afternoon after a five-hour bus ride. I met up with my friend half an hour later, and together we trotted through the wet streets of Stavanger. We settled down for a burger at a cozy bar before venturing into the streets of Gamle Stavanger, the oldest part of town. We continued along the harbour front, Skagenkaien, which looks like a mini version of Bryggen in Bergen, and up Stavanger’s most famous street, Øvre Holmegaten, which is full of colourful facades with interesting murals.
The next morning, I spent a few hours exploring the city centre in the most glorious weather. I walked by the beautiful lake, Breiavatnet, which was full of swans and geese. On the bank of the lake stands Stavanger Cathedral, which is Norway’s oldest, built in the early 12th century. Sadly, it was under restoration and the entrance was closed.
Instead, I headed to Gamle Stavanger to photograph the picturesque neighbourhood in the soft morning light. It is made up of 173 well-preserved white-painted wooden houses from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The area is really quaint with cobbled streets and intricate floral decorations on the facades.
I walked down to the harbour to see Skagenkaien again. It wasn’t as lively as the night before where there was live music and happy people everywhere; the atmosphere was much more relaxed on this sunny Sunday.
I found a staircase that lead me up above Skagenkaien to the Valberg Tower, an observation tower from the mid-19th century. The tower was closed but the view of the city from the hill was worth the walk up there. I especially loved the view of the white houses of Gamle Stavanger.
Before heading back to my hostel to collect my luggage, I swung by Geoparken, a cool playground full of graffiti and a great view of the Stavanger City Bridge with mountains in the background.
I then caught the train south to Bryne where I met up with my friend again, and also got to meet her little daughter. She showed me around her pretty hometown, Undheim, and drove me to the top of the village where I went for a little hike to a memorial for local author, Arne Garborg. The view was absolutely incredible!
We swung by her home to drop off her daughter, and then set off on a roadtrip to some of her favourite places in the area, which is known as Jæren and is the largest lowland area in Norway. She first took me to Hå Gamle Prestegard, a cultural centre that is beautifully situated by the ocean. We went for a short walk along the shore and then drove to the nearby lighthouse, Obrestad Fyr, which was built in 1873. The lighthouse is home to a small cute chapel, where we left a little note in a guestbook.
With the sun getting ready to set, we were in a rush against time to reach Borestranda, a gorgeous beach with sand dunes, where we wanted to watch the sunset.
We reached the beach a few minutes too late, but it didn’t matter as the most gorgeous post-sunset colours appeared on the sky. We stood for a moment enjoying the view and snapping photos of each other until it got too cold and we had to retreat to the car.
My friend then drove me to the ferry terminal, where it was time to say goodbye and for me to continue my journey towards Berlin. I’m so happy I finally got to see her again, and meet her little family! I don’t doubt that I’ll come back to the area one day, as there’s still a lot left to explore, not least the famous Lysefjord east of Stavanger!
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