Early excursion today to tour the countryside around Kristiansand and visit the lighthouse at Lindesnes. This the southernmost lighthouse in Norway, at the end of the "South Cape". Now this lighthouse is more like it! Looks very much like the ones we're used to on the Oregon coast.
It was a 1 3/4 hour ride through beautiful, rural countryside with views of the ocean and many small lakes. It reminds us of NH and Maine. The roads are very good, although pretty narrow and it makes for tense moments as trucks and RVs and our coach meet! Our tour guide today was great. She spoke excellent English, with a sexy accent, of course, and had lots of good information. We also had a docent at the lighthouse who told us the history of the place. After we climbed around on the rocks, we were treated to coffee and apple cake.
Upon our return to Kristiansand we were directed to the "shopping street", Markensgate. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, lots of people in the square, cafes everywhere. We checked out the Kristiansand Cathedral then settled on the "Montana Grill" for an order of poutine.
After lunch we walked around the square and tried to find our way back to our ship. We got "lost"! Its a maze of alleyways and security sensitive areas around the port and the container yard. We finally came across a friendly looking local and asked for directions. Turns out, he's the owner of the Sorlandet, the three master we saw at the pier. He could not be more helpful. He finally decided "you can't there from here" and drove us over in his car! He was a life saver!! The Sorlandet is a the oldest three masted sailing ship in operation. It used for charters and a "sailing school".
Our entertainment tonight was an encore performance by the "Pianist with the Hair". He is so talented and a riot!
Weather today was incredible! Never a cloud; temp up to 73.
What we learned today about Norwegians is that they are generally well off; they "all" have boats and summer cabins. They love outdoor activities like hiking, cross country skiing and "being in nature".
Our cruise is almost at an end! Tomorrow we'll be in Arhus, Denmark.
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