On September 8, Tom left for a ten day business trip in Stavanger, Norway. This was his fourth trip, and also the first time he was in Norway for an entire weekend-- so this time he was able to get out into the country and do some sightseeing.
In Stavanger, Tom noticed a few things that were very different from Canada. For starters, there are barely any traffic lights. For the most part, intersections are governed by traffic circles that Norwegians maneuver through aggressively. Second, pedestrians will walk into the street without looking both ways for traffic-- they expect drivers to stop for them.
Another difference is that many Norwegians have weekend cottages outside the city. The cabins might be small or large, but they are very common. Statoil even owns a set of beachside cottages.
Statoil beachside cottages.
One of Tom's co-workers, Rainer, recently moved to Stavanger, so he was happy to have someone to hang out with during the week and on the weekend. One evening, they went to check out some of the beaches in the area. I don't know about you, but I really didn't imagine Norwegian beaches would look as pictured below. I thought they would be rocky and storm-blown looking.
Norwegian beach.
One of the interesting sights Tom saw was a World War II bunker in the side of a hill. You could go inside the bunker, and also see the remnants of bedrock trenches that connected bunker to bunker.
World War II bunker.
World War II trenches connecting bunkers.
On Saturday, Tom took a short hike where he encountered some "stupid sheep" and break in the rainy weather. He also took a seven kilometer walk through the Jattaflaten area.
Jattaflaten area.
Norwegian sheep.
On Sunday, Tom and Rainer took a ferry so they could hike up to Preikestolen, which translates to Preacher's Pulpit or Pulpit Rock. It is one of the most visited Norwegian tourist attractions, and is basically a giant cliff over the Lysefjord.
Foggy view from the ferry.
Normally I really hate it when Tom takes pictures of signs. I wonder, "Will either of us ever read this sign again?" But in this case, I was happy to see an elevation map of his hike, with distances and landmarks. I also noticed that the sign says (in English), "Remember proper footwear, warm clothes, food and something to drink, 2 hours walk each way. Have a nice walk."
Preikestolen information sign.
It was another dreary and rainy day, but there were plenty of people out hiking. Tom said he noticed that there was no apparent hiking etiquette. People would pass you and cut you off without a second thought.
Forest vegetation.
Preikestolen scenery.
More scenery.
Sweeping views.
The Preacher's Pulpit.
Tom has never been a fan of heights, so he didn't get to close to the edge of the cliff-- but he said there were people who were getting down on their bellies and crawling out to the edge to snap a few pictures.
A view down on Preikestolen.
Tom at Preikestolen.
Tom is home now, safe and sound. No sooner is he home and back on Mountain Standard Time, he's now heading out of town for another work field trip! He's become a real jetsetter...
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