BACK FROM STAVANGER, southwestern coast and fjords

 

 

Wow, our five-day trip was worth it indeed!

Stavanger, the Petroleum Capital of Norway, is no city of concrete (pas du tout une ville de béton) but is a lively and nice-looking place of about 200,000 people (126,000 for the inner city - or harbour area). The old centre and all the islands north and northeast of the harbour are quite picturesque. 

The city boasts loads of intimate or bucolic places along the fjords

(peut s'enorgueillir de beaucoup de lieux plus intimes ou plus bucoliques dans les fjords - avancées de la mer dans les vallées glaciaires)

 

 

 

                    (Hafrsfjord)

                         and historic places

( the SWORDS IN THE ROCK Monument commemorates the battle of Hafrsfjord, in 872, after which King Harald Fair Hair (Harald à la Belle Chevelure) united the three districts of western Norway to make one single kingdom)

 

        and crystal-clear waters in the 'ocean,' as they call it (= the North Sea)

 with soft sandy beaches,

                               plus mountains for hikers,

 

   (Mark the green roof for eco-friendly insulation)
   (here, a Preikestolen hytte)

   Below: on our way to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)

 

 

 

  It was ever so windy ! I had never seen such a thing !  We had to crawl our way to the edge and hold tight!   But what a reward!

And the two-hours' hike up there is varied and sporty!

 

 

 

           There are also facilities for children on small beaches along fjords.

Sea-food is their everyday treat  (les produits de la mer sont leur régal de tous les jours)

            (fresh shrimps)

 

but the traditional meal (repas traditionnel) consists in meat balls and vegetables + mashed chick peas (purée de pois cassés) or green peas, with lingonberry jam! (avec de la confiture d'airelles rouges)

People are very welcoming and friendly. We met someone in the harbour who offered us to take a seat on his boat (a lovely old wooden boat)

 

and on another occasion our host borrowed a towel from a posh hotel nearby so that I could dry myself and get changed after a swim in the North Sea !  No way they would have done that in France !  

(la réception d'un hôtel très chic nous a  prêté une serviette de bain pour que je puisse me sécher et me changer après avoir été nager !)

We were able to visit the Oil Museum (Musée du Pétrole)

which looks out onto the sea

 

 

and even stands above the waves.

 

I also visited Hetland Secondary School further south

and met the French class who should be penpalling with my own pupils !

 

But time to leave was drawing near -

Farewell, rowan trees  (adieu, sorbiers)

 

and Norway !

 

 

 

... Perhaps my pupils themselves

will be able to see all this

some day in Stavanger, won't you ?!

*************

In the meantime (entretemps)

we'll send you pictures of our own school in Nice

under the heading 'TRIPS' (rubrique "voyages")

and articles from the community of pupils/students

should give our Blog a new lease of life !

(devraient donner une nouvelle vie à notre blog !)