Monday, August 11, 2014

A day in Kristiansand, Norway……..


"God Dag" from Norway.
It was a beautiful, warm sunny day when the ship docked in southern Norway.
The 'capital' of this area is Kristiansand, a pleasant town of 70,000, making it 
the fifth largest town in Norway, and situated at the mouth of the River Otra.
Kristiansand is a thriving port and tourism is expanding as the city has become
a popular Summer resort.


Exploring on foot was easy as distances were not great.
Walking from the dock we passed the colorful fish market, 
shops and restaurants.



The waterside was lively, boating obviously very popular and we were told most 
citizens owned a boat of some type.


Beautiful swan families along the riverbanks………..



Charming architecture and local ladies……….. 


….and this surprise, a McDonald's in an elegant historic building. 
That's definitely taking fast food to another level!


The time here went by much too fast and soon it was time to return to the ship for 
our sail back to home port, Southampton.
Queen Victoria set a south westerly course passing over 'Jutland Bank', famous
from the naval battle of WWII. Later that evening, after transiting the North Sea, 
she joined south west bound traffic lanes to once more pass through the 
Dover Straits in the late evening, en route for an early morning arrival in England.

Crossing the North Sea.

Hard to get back to real life after two weeks of being spoiled, and visiting 
many beautiful places in and around the Baltic. However, with some time ahead 
in my real home, England, before heading back to the States, I was ready to disembark 
and sally forth knowing there were family and friends to see, and new places to visit.

So, next travel story will be about time spent in Bath - hope you will come 
back to share the wonderful visit to an amazing historic city.

14 comments:

  1. Such beautiful pics. The colors are so vibrant! I love how you added the collages too. Thanks for coming over and visiting my
    'pouty' dog. Have a good week,
    Sherry

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  2. The Norwegians have an innate sense of colour - their buildings always look right and compliment their setting so well. The first time I visited Norway I returned home fired up with the idea of using Norwegian colours on my house exterior, but you might guess, it just did not look right at all.

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  3. Another scenic location! Gosh, that fish market looked grand.

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  4. Beautiful photos, Mary. I love the crispness that seems to emanate from Scandinavian air. The colours are fresh and bright yet not garish.

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  5. Beautiful! I always love seeing the colorful buildings in the Scandinavian countries. Pretty girls with blonde hair.
    How lovely to walk the streets and see the sights with you.

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  6. So beautiful and clean looking. Looking forward to your time in England...

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  7. Visiting Kristianssand was a new and most enjoyable experience. I love Norway and its colorful architecture. Thanks.....looking forward to Bath.
    Farm Gal in VA

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  8. I do so enjoy your travel stories and this stop on the Baltic tour was wonderful. Loved the swan parents and all the little cygnets, the McDo premises there are very fancy! Looking forward to revisiting Bath through your lens.

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  9. Norway is beautiful. Love the swan pics and all the colorful buildings on the waterfront!

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  10. So beautiful, and colorful and clean. That's what I miss ... cleanliness .. so lacking in this country. I think it's great that instead of putting a gaudy McDonald's building, they actually located it in an old building, keeping true to their architecture. Much nicer visually. Have a terrific Tuesday. Tammy

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  11. That fish market looks divine! I can just smell the salty air and the fresh catch of the day! I'm sure our kitties would love to live near THAT! Haha :)

    xo Cassie

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  12. In every photo I've ever seen of the Scandinavian countries everything always looks so neat and tidy and clean. I do love all the color they use; it must certainly brighten up their long winters a bit. That McDonald's restaurant was quite a surprise!

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  13. So beautiful. The colors are so vivid. Your photography is outstanding. I'll be back!

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  14. Such bright and bold beauty here, Mary! What fun to have walked these clean and colourful streets of this Scandinavian city, boasting impressive architecture and boosting an American giant to new heights!

    Have a lovely day!

    Poppy

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