Stavanger and the Pulpit Rock.

The city of Stavanger with a population of around 115,000 is known as the oil capital of Norway since the discovery of the black stuff off the coast in the 1960’s. Prior to the oil boom, Stavanger was the canning centre of Norway with at one time over 70 canneries coping with the tonnes of sardines that were locally caught. The city itself is a charming mixture of old wooden houses ,carefully preserved from the 18th century and modern architecture. Although the morning was slightly overcast the journey down the fjord to the city was quite spectacular.

Sylvia and I had visited Stavanger last year on our way towards the North Cape so today decided to take a trip up the Lysefjord to Pulpit Rock. The boat that transported us was a catamaran that normally functions as a fast ferry moving folk from the various villages dotted around the long fjords. The sides of the narrow fjords were mainly barren with a few trees growing from within the crevices.

The first stop along the journey was theVagabond’s Cave, a hiding place historically for those that avoided taxes, which in Norway are very high. The boat made it’s way to the end of a very narrow inlet until the cave was clearly visible and then reversed out.

One of the few animals that can survive such a rugged terrain as this is the mountain goat and one very tame one is fed regularly by the crews of passing ferries. Today was no exception with the goat rapidly making it’s way to the water’s edge to collect his meal, joined on this occasion by a passing flock of seagulls awaiting any scraps.

One of Norway’s most famous tourist attractions is the flat rock high on the valley’s side named Pulpit Rock. Gaining it’s name from a local man who thought that it resembled a church pulpit it can only be reached after a two hour hike across the mountains. Today we viewed it from 1982 feet below from the stillness of the fjord, much more civilised.

The last stop on the trip was at the Hengjane waterfall where a member of the crew gathered a bucket of the clear water for all to taste. Remarkably it tasted of water!!

Returning to our ship for lunch we later walked into the city with Victoria passing the canning museum on our way.

Outside the oil museum there is a playground made of surplus plant and equipment from the oil exploration industry, which proved to be fun for all, young and old.

The weather by this stage had turned a little damp with persistent drizzle so a visit to the appropriately named  St Swithun’s Cathedral was called for. Typical of most Northern European churches the inside was very sparsely decorated with white walls and no adornments. However throughout the cathedral were a number of ornately carved memorials to several local families and a most beautiful carved pulpit of which some of the intricate detail can be seen below.

Stavanger is a lovely city and one that is well worth visiting if you have an opportunity. Tomorrow we will be in Alesund.