Discovering Stavanger, Norway
End the day with dinner at Timbuktu, a hip and delicious downtown restaurant right on the Vågen. There are also a bunch of nightclubs around, booze is expensive in Norway and the locals will show up in packs of already tipsy hipsters (who loaded up before leaving home—but fear not, they used public transport). Norwegians are friendly and you’ll have no trouble striking up a conversation, since nearly everyone speaks English throughout the country.
Not to be missed is a hike up Priekestolen, a famous local rock formation jutting out from a cliff overlooking the magnificent Lysefjord. This is a day trip since it takes about an hour to get to the parking area below the hiking trail, and about 4 hours to the top of the mountain. Four hours well worth it. Views like this are not found in many places on this globe of ours. And the photo-op is the biggest payoff.
There are a number of ways, or combinations of ways to get to and from Priekestolen. You can rent a car and drive, or take a ferry, or do both (one way each). Hardcore hikers should also check out Kjerag another hike with dramatic scenery nearby.
If you’re not up for a hike, no worries, you can still experience the views of Lysefjord via a relaxing ferry cruise. It’s a three-hour round trip and tickets aren’t very pricey.
Pick up some sandwiches for a packed lunch and fire up a rental car the next day to hit the beach at Solastranden, a 2 kilometer stretch of luxury. Also be sure to visit Sola’s charming hidden ancient church overlooking the North Sea, where all the locals get married. It was badly damaged in World War II and when restoring it, the Norwegians used glass block to replace missing stones. It makes for a bright and airy feeling in what would normally be dark and traditional.
On your way back to Stavanger, make a couple of detours. The first is at the Sverd i Fjell (Three Swords) monument commemorating the Viking battle of Hafrsfjord a thousand years ago. It makes for a great photo. Then scramble a view nearby rocks in a Norwegian person’s garden to see Bronze Age carvings in some huge stones at Fluberget Revheim. Don’t worry, there’s no such thing as ‘trespassing’ in Norway, there’s literally a law allowing people to pass through anyone’s yard (or even camp on one’s land). But don’t worry again…the crime rate is so low that they look at you funny when you ask if that’s dangerous.
Get cleaned up at the hotel and make this truly unique destination unforgettable with a hearty traditional Norwegian dinner beneath rustic timbers in Flor & Fjære, on the private garden island of Sør-Hidle. Only reachable by a 20-minute boat ride, the lush island boasts the nation's only palm trees – imported of course. It is a vivid example of the industriousness and hospitality of Norwegian people. The proprietor gives a tour of the island before dinner and tells interesting little stories about the island-dwellers of Norway. The social-networking by rowboat, and the grass-topped roofs.
Norway isn’t the cheapest of destinations, but with careful planning it can be done even on a tight budget. Stavanger is a place full of wonderful memories just waiting to be made and should not be missed. You'll never be the same. ■
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Kim Mance 
