This is a guest trip report written by Carol, who sailed on the most recent 10 night cruise to the Norwegian Fjords and Iceland on the Disney Magic on August 16, 2018. You can start the trip report from the beginning by clicking here.
Day 3: Stavanger, Norway
Day three found us in Stavanger and doing our first private excursion of the cruise. We arrived early in Stavanger, about 7 am, so we went to Cabanas for breakfast and then get off the ship. We had arranged to do a Half-Day Lysefjord View Hike with Outdoor Norway, which is a small but upcoming company in Stavanger that does multiple kinds of hikes in and around Stavanger. We really wanted to hike Pulpit Rock, but the excursion through Disney had a lower age limit of 12, and my youngest is 11 and the timing to attempt it on our own was just too tight for our liking. We found this company and this hike sounded like fun, so we chose this option. We were told to meet at 8 am at the Stavanger Tourist Center and since we weren’t sure exactly where this was, we made sure we were off the ship by about 7:30 am. Come to find out, it was about a 2 minute walk from the ship so we were very early. We chose to check out an open souvenir shop to pass some time. Right at 8:00 am, 2 vans with Outdoor Norway on them pulled up to the tourist center – we were apparently not the only ones who had booked them. Right away we were greeted and matched with our guide for the day whose name was Matilda. She was young, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. We got into the van and headed straight for the ferry. She explained on the way that we would need to take a ferry and then drive to get to our hiking spot. The ferry (we also learned that ferries are very common ways to travel in Norway) was one where you drive your car (or in this case van) on and then get out and find a seat inside a very comfortable lounge-type area. There is a place to buy snacks and drinks if you wish and bathrooms on board as well. Our ferry ride was about 30-40 minutes, during which Matilda explained some more about the hike, we filled out the obligatory paperwork and we got to see some beautiful views as well.
Our van in the ferry:
Inside the ferry:
Matilda (our guide) with the family:
Views from the ferry:
Once we were off the ferry we drove for a while and then reached our hiking spot. Matilda gave us walking sticks, which were basically like ski poles, and reviewed a few other safety tips and off we went. While we went to the beginning of the trail, she told us a little about the mountain we were about to climb. It’s called Hatten, because it is shaped like a hat and at the top it overlooks the Lysenfjords.
Then we started our hike. It wasn’t an especially difficult hike, although some parts were narrow and steep. Some parts went through forest and others on rocks. We did have hiking boots and hiking pants, and were prepared for many different kinds of weather. At some points, we would stop to add layers and others stop to take some off. It did rain on and off at times and we would add rain gear then. None of this detracted from the absolutely beautiful views we saw both on the way up and down, and while at the top. We aren’t what I would consider experienced hikers but neither are we novices either. I definitely was tired in some spots, but my kids were having a fantastic time and loved the whole thing. Matilda was amazing – she was very knowledgeable about the area, geography and geology and also had tales of cultures like trolls which kept us entertained during our hike. She seemed to know just when to stop and take a break and when to keep going. The whole hike was excellent and very enjoyable.
These mark the path:
After the hike we took a different drive to another ferry which wasn’t as long, and this time we never got out of the car. Then there was another drive back into Stavanger. Then, Matilda gave us a walking tour of old Stavanger, telling us some of the history of the town. It was very interesting to see the way people in this part of the world used to live.
This is the statue of the three kings. The story is at some point three kings ruled different parts of Norway and had a battle and one finally won – and united Norway as one country. The taller statue is the winning king and the other 2 are the losing kings:
These are the houses and streets of old Stavanger. Matilda said sometimes 2 or 3 families would live in these houses:
This is a mirror placed outside the window. They would have a similar one placed inside the window so if they cracked the window a person could sit inside the window without being seen and by maneuvering the mirrors could see and hear all the gossip on the street:
Dining room:
A bedroom shared by 2 or 3 children:
After touring the city, we said goodbye and great thanks to Matilda for such an amazing day! We checked out the local souvenir shop where we bought some local goodies and then it was time to head back to the ship.
It was Tangled night onboard: on the Magic when they show the Tangled show, they turn O’Gills Pub into the Snuggly Duckling and play games and sing songs – it’s a lot of fun. We headed into O’Gills Pub/The Snuggly Duckling.
Because they were showing Tangled on multiple nights on this sailing, we decided on this night we were going to see “Hector is Magic”, and he was excellent! We love the variety acts on board – they are almost always amazing!
Our dinner that night was at Lumiere’s, which of course is themed after Beauty and the Beast. Dinner was delicious as always, and our server Steve brought out my husband’s dessert on his head…it was amazing and hysterical!!!
My husband and I finished off the night by going to see the adult show of the comedian Don Friesen. He was SO funny it made for a great way to end the evening! Then, off to bed we went because the next day we were pulling into Alesund, yet another port day.
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Up Next: Day 4 – Alesund, Norway
Click here to visit Carol’s blog about her family’s travels all over the world.
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