Mis Viajes    
 

Principal

Science

Laguna de El Padul

Mis viajes

Espeleología

Enlaces

Trip to Stavanger

I was in Norway when I invited my friends Trond and Tone to paella (Spanish food). Then, Trond proposed me to go to a trip that he had organized to Stavanger for a group of people that he knew because they were with him in a kind of course for medicine students in the Haukeland's hospital. In this course there was people from several countries of Europe, Africa and America.
After thinking on it several days, finally I felt like going with them. So, the day of the trip arrived and we got all together to start the trip. We were from the left to the right me, Elina and Velina from Helsinki (Finland), Charleen from Kalkara (Malta), Abe from London (Ontario, Canada), Andrea from Mosta (Malta), Núria from Vilanova i la Geltrú, Trond (Norway), Fernando from Sao Paulo (Brazil), Abubaker from Khartoum (Sudan), Marcelo from Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Anna from Barcelona that is missing because she is making the photo. Beginning of the trip
Crossing on the ferry

Trond came only to say good bye, because he was leaving to Oslo that day. We got on the bus in the Bergen's terminal at five o'clock and after five hours we would arrive to Stavanger at ten o'clock in the "night". Indeed, Bergen is not far away from Stavanger. The reason of taking so much time is because the rough coast of Norway forces to make several crossings by boat and, fortunately several of these crossings have been removed by means of underwater tunnels and bridges.

In Stavanger, we went to the youth hostel, where stayed most of our fellows. However, Abubaker and me went to the camping that was next to the hostel. It was the first time for Abubaker sleeping in a tent, but it wasn't going to be easy: ¡¡The pegs were missing!! So we had to look for branches to fix the tent to the ground. Otherwise, all was perfect and we slept soon due to we were very tired. Tent fixed with branches
The next day, we were going to make the greater excursion of the trip: to go up to Preikestolen (the Pulpit), that is a famous point set on top of a near fiord called Lysefjord. This is a vertical abyss with more than 600 meters high, reaching the fiord at the base. So we woke up early to have enough time to arrive to the harbour, where we arrived at half past eight in order to take a ferry at nine o'clock. We entered in a departure lounge that was very quiet. Indeed, we were almost alone. There weren't indications of any ferry departing at nine either. When the nine o'clock arrived, we went out and the boat had just gone out from the wharf. Nevertheless, it was not very important, because there was another boat at ten o'clock.
Ferry from Stavanger to Tau

Finally we got on the ferry to Tau, where we took a bus that carried us to the startpoint of the pathway to Preikestolen.

We entered in a shop to take some information and we started the ascent.

Starting the ascent to Preikestolen
Stones on the pathway Norwegian people has a curious way of building pathways using big stones, so you have to walk almost jumping from one stone to another. Fortunately there are also sections with wooden catwalks crossing wetlands. Catwalk crossing wetlands
You could notice the damp in almost all the way, the exuberant vegetation, there was not too hot and the effort of ascending the slopes wasn't too much.
We arrive to a lake and stopped partly to rest and partly to swim. Only Abe, Fernando and me jumped into the water. It was rather warm, even more than the sea and I think that it was above 20 ºC. Jumping into the lake
View of the fiord We carried on and as we advanced, the landscape was more magnificent. We now could see the Lysefjord (the fiord). In addition, we enjoyed the view and sound of a furious torrent that lowered from two blue mountain lakes and hurled over the fiord. At the end it appears the torrent that came out from the lakes
Pathway close to the abyss The landscapes that produce you vertigo started when we moved closer to the fiord. The pathway past very close to the abyss and right away we arrived to Preikestolen. Preikestolen at the end

You were more afraid because of the other's safe than your own safe, because you were looking at people just at the edge of the abyss, and children playing and running close to the more than 600 meters of free fall. In addition of our feeling, the best was the privileged view of this place that allowed us to gaze at kilometres and kilometres of the ancient glaciar valley.

Vantage point of the fiord

Abe made himself this photo, in which he is like touching the void. You can see his legs as floating into the air over the enormous abyss. He was brave making this photo.
Preikestolen from a higher point After spending some time in Preikestolen, I decided going up a little more in order to take some photos from a higher point. Abubaker, Marcelo and Fernando came with me at the beginning, but I carried on up later.
The worst part of this is that I lost the pathway, I entered in a small valley and it took to me too much time to find the exit due to the verticality of the place, so I returned to Preikestolen after I wanted to arrive. Consequently, the others were waiting for me to return to the bus stop. Last image of Preikestolen
In the shop close to the bus stop we found out that the next bus would depart four hours later. So we asked for two taxis that carried us to the harbour of Tau. To tell the truth, they were more or less the same price than the bus. Waiting for the ferry to Stavanger

We arrived to Stavanger, we bought food and went to the hostel. We were tired, ones more than others, but some of us wanted some more party.

At the beginning, Anna and me wanted to go for party to the city, but finally we decided to stay playing cards. We started playing the “liar” and then to “police, killer and bitch”. To tell the truth, we enjoyed a lot. The two brazilians, Abubaker, Anna, Velina and me stood up until two o'clock in the morning. I won't forget the infallibility of Velina killing to all of us when she was the killer.

Old harbour of Stavanger The next day, we went for a walk to the city. We visited a church, the old harbour and the historic city among other things. Finally we went to a pizzeria before taking the bus to return to Bergen. Inside the pizzeria

Historic city of Stavanger

Inside the pizzeria

Last photo with all together

In Bergen we made the last photo in which we appeared all together.

I don't know if I will see my fellows again, but in spite of the goodbyes are always a bit sad moments, you think later on the experiences that you have lived and shared together with them and you realize that it's worth having met them and making friendship with them. Definitely a fantastic and enriching experience that the life gives us as a present from time to time and that we don't have to lose.

 

 

 

Back                                                             Back to top