Stavanger, Norway
Thursday 15th August.
"Oh No"... Our Last Port of Call...!!!
The very first settlement in the area was an “Iron Age Farm” found outside the city center in, 872 AD Viking, King Harold the Fair-Hair... triumphed in a battle at nearby Hafrsfjord and became... King of Norway thus uniting all the parties together.
However... Stavanger was not officially founded until the year 1100, when King Sigurd Jorsalfar, established a “Bishopric” in the town and in doing so invited the Bishop of Winchester England, to build a Cathedral for him in 1125.
The black death was brought to Bergen aboard visiting ships in the 14th century.
With a loss of two thirds of the population. Norway joined the Kalmar Union soon after, consisting of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In 1536, the country came under Danish rule.
On the 9th April 1940... The city fell to German occupation and remained so for the next 5 years. After W.W. II. all industry declined and the city suffered economic depression. The discovery of the oil in the North Sea in the 1960‘s brought about tremendous changes and Stavanger.
Oslo; then became the Norwegian Residence of Danish Royalty. The city developed and in the 19th century Stavanger became the “Sardine Capital” of the world simply for it's sheer abundance of fishing boats and fishermen who made there living this way!
The following five pictures need no words at all... you will see why!
Stavanger the fourth largest city in Norway... Situated in a region called Rogaland; on the south western coast. Being the principle city of the area, it is the seat of the Rogaland Government. With a population of some 100,000 inhabitants.
Stavanger is now Norway's “Oil Capital” after construction of off-shore drilling rigs moved from Bergen to Stavanger. Stavanger... houses the head quarters of the Norwegian State Oil Company, known as ... Stat-oil, along side at least 10 other oil companies.
Old Stavanger hold on to it’s attractive wooden framed houses dating from the 17th & 18th centuries. with the beautifully preserved “Cobbled Streets” being the icing on the cake!
Today the city attracts thousands of visitors with it’s “oldie worlde” charm along with a mild climate and exceptional beaches, on this “Riviera of Norway”
The old town is well kept and attention to detail is quite obvious wherever you happen to look... the whole place shout "We are Proud" and we are happy to be sharing it here with you...!!!
Yes... a couple more random statues...!!!
The art work in the sculptures is exceptional.
Hi ya, Doll Face... fancy meeting you here! It was quite a climb up to the old part of town, so we had a little sit down just to catch some rays you understand...!!! The sunshine on this cruise has been very sparing to say the least... But the lack of it has not tainted a single moment! "We would do it again in a heartbeat"
I am looking very serious with myself... Probably because this is our last stop and its nearly time to get back on board the ship. Once we do that however... the next stop is Southampton...!!!
There are times in my life when I wish I had super magic powers; So I could just click my fingers and make great times like this happen all over again...!!!
A great shot of the Lake in the center of Stavanger... Beautiful.
Lovely Church at the top of the hill in Stavanger {again...???}
This one was closed for refurbishments, so no pictures from inside, Sorry!
Yes you are right... it is stuck to the wall, How I don't know I could not see the join...???
The cobbled streets of the Old Town and Wooden shops/buildings... Mixed in with some, more up to date and contemporary styling.
A very welcoming and warm feeling surrounds you as you walk through the town.
Below is a good example of "Old & New" mixed together with the authentic wooden buildings on the left... and some stone built structures on the right, It does work quite well... Nothing looks out of place or odd.
One thing that struck me was the fact that the town was so clean... It is a credit to all the local people!
Above... A Stainless Steel Sculpture of a Viking ship...!!!
Below... Our Ship...!!!
This is the only time in the last two weeks that I am not looking forward to getting back on-board our amazing ship... because I know that it is taking us back home...!!!
I can only describe this ship as an "Awesome" piece of futuristic engineering.
{It has been an epic adventure} to have traveled upon such a magnificent ship. Our best wishes go to all the people that we had the pleasure to meet and to talk with while sailing!
So as we sail off into the homeward Sunset and back to Southampton... It's time to thank all the staff and crew on The Celebrity Eclipse... for all there hospitality kindness, service and friendship that we have shared for the passed two weeks!
"Click here" for next page!
The very first settlement in the area was an “Iron Age Farm” found outside the city center in, 872 AD Viking, King Harold the Fair-Hair... triumphed in a battle at nearby Hafrsfjord and became... King of Norway thus uniting all the parties together.
However... Stavanger was not officially founded until the year 1100, when King Sigurd Jorsalfar, established a “Bishopric” in the town and in doing so invited the Bishop of Winchester England, to build a Cathedral for him in 1125.
The black death was brought to Bergen aboard visiting ships in the 14th century.
With a loss of two thirds of the population. Norway joined the Kalmar Union soon after, consisting of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. In 1536, the country came under Danish rule.
On the 9th April 1940... The city fell to German occupation and remained so for the next 5 years. After W.W. II. all industry declined and the city suffered economic depression. The discovery of the oil in the North Sea in the 1960‘s brought about tremendous changes and Stavanger.
Oslo; then became the Norwegian Residence of Danish Royalty. The city developed and in the 19th century Stavanger became the “Sardine Capital” of the world simply for it's sheer abundance of fishing boats and fishermen who made there living this way!
The following five pictures need no words at all... you will see why!
Stavanger is now Norway's “Oil Capital” after construction of off-shore drilling rigs moved from Bergen to Stavanger. Stavanger... houses the head quarters of the Norwegian State Oil Company, known as ... Stat-oil, along side at least 10 other oil companies.
With 8% of the employees in Stat-oil coming from 80 different countries, this gives Stavanger a very cosmopolitan atmosphere. The city holds a good contrast, with the new area dominated by prosperity and development.
Today the city attracts thousands of visitors with it’s “oldie worlde” charm along with a mild climate and exceptional beaches, on this “Riviera of Norway”
The old town is well kept and attention to detail is quite obvious wherever you happen to look... the whole place shout "We are Proud" and we are happy to be sharing it here with you...!!!
Yes... a couple more random statues...!!!
The art work in the sculptures is exceptional.
Hi ya, Doll Face... fancy meeting you here! It was quite a climb up to the old part of town, so we had a little sit down just to catch some rays you understand...!!! The sunshine on this cruise has been very sparing to say the least... But the lack of it has not tainted a single moment! "We would do it again in a heartbeat"
There are times in my life when I wish I had super magic powers; So I could just click my fingers and make great times like this happen all over again...!!!
A great shot of the Lake in the center of Stavanger... Beautiful.
Lovely Church at the top of the hill in Stavanger {again...???}
This one was closed for refurbishments, so no pictures from inside, Sorry!
Yes you are right... it is stuck to the wall, How I don't know I could not see the join...???
The cobbled streets of the Old Town and Wooden shops/buildings... Mixed in with some, more up to date and contemporary styling.
A very welcoming and warm feeling surrounds you as you walk through the town.
Below is a good example of "Old & New" mixed together with the authentic wooden buildings on the left... and some stone built structures on the right, It does work quite well... Nothing looks out of place or odd.
Well we are nearly back to the ship now and we will soon be setting sail... 17:00 hrs
One thing that struck me was the fact that the town was so clean... It is a credit to all the local people!
Above... A Stainless Steel Sculpture of a Viking ship...!!!
Below... Our Ship...!!!
I can only describe this ship as an "Awesome" piece of futuristic engineering.
{It has been an epic adventure} to have traveled upon such a magnificent ship. Our best wishes go to all the people that we had the pleasure to meet and to talk with while sailing!
So as we sail off into the homeward Sunset and back to Southampton... It's time to thank all the staff and crew on The Celebrity Eclipse... for all there hospitality kindness, service and friendship that we have shared for the passed two weeks!
"Click here" for next page!
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