May Knitting

There was a fabulous knitting shop in Kristiansand. I needed new needles. There is such a wide selection of many fine yarns, many being wools that you might use for a fine sweater.  In the US most of our yarns are a lot thicker. I think everyone must knit here !

Buttons in tubes

Wide selection

sample projects

huge store

Sun May 29 - great lunch, dinner- Country costumes, Knitting, tour war museum

Karsten and Grete had us over for lunch at their home for a fabulous Norwegian treat- shrimp salad or salmon sandwiches. In the afternoon we visited a gardens, historic buildings and a war museum.
Grete showed me her country costume which is worn on special occasions such as independance days, graduations, christmas, etc. She taught me how to knit the Norwegian way which is faster. She can re-create a pattern just by looking at it. I think she has been knitting for a long time and is very talented.

One of Grete's beautiful works of art!

Part of her country costume for special occasions. Each village has a different designs all hand embroidered.

Embellishments of buttons and embroidery.

Grete has three thick books with pictures of country costumes.

A sample of country costumes in the downtown store.

A men's costume

Childrens costumes

We did the resistance museum in Oslo quickly before it closed. There are stories of Germans infiltrating Norwegian society and how citizens would keep information from them to protect their countrymen.

These are the shells from a huge gun that the German's manned when occupying Norway.  A Sunday visit for families so no one forgets the war.

Uniform display.

Many lovely gardens out in bloom.

This general put aside his land for a garden.

The Garden has a lovely water feature.

Thur May 26 and 27th to Oslo by bus

We planned on visiting our sailing friends from Norway that we met last year in Reykjavik to return Norway Cruising guides they had lent us. We saw them last in November during their pass through Annapolis as they were completing their sailing westward including Greenland, Maine and down to the Bahamas.     Sue wanted to see Oslo and Charles has been here repeatedly but many times in colder weather. We stayed at the Thon Opera Hotel which was accessible from the bus and train stations and centrally located in Oslo.
 We saw our friends Jorgen and Aina the first night. They took us around the harbor and in for a pub crawl in the city ending up with dinner. It was fun.  We were happy to return their cruising guides and glad that Firefly was safe in Puerto Rico and coming home soon.

Sue really liked the public transportation system in Oslo. At most bus stops there were electronic boards that told you when the next bus was coming. The buses and train cars must have transmitters to keep it so accurate. You can get a bus pass online or at places. Tickets are read at electronic readers on the vehicles, and not really handled much as the honor system works pretty well.  They assume you have a ticket.There are spot checks and heavy fines when violating. Jorgen said he had only been spot checked about twice in a year's time.  Pull the stop as needed. The onboard electronic billboard shows you three stops at a time. It makes for quicker entry and exit from the double buses used. Hop on hop off.

stops listed

validate your pass and request a stop

The reception area in the Thon Opera Hotel 

lounge

Costumes in the revolving door.

Hotel accommodations

Norwegian Maritime museum very old Viking style boats

A carriage probably used for a funeral procession

interesting carvings

Carvings so old and delicate most have wire supports underneath.

Next we visited the Fram Museum which housed articles from   the Fram was the first ship especially built in Norway for polar research.

 http://www.frammuseum.no/Visit-the-Museum/Fram.aspx

the Fram Wheel

The Mast under cover of course.

the rudder

May 23rd Kristiansand till June 2cnd

We arrived in Kristiansand at 1000 and were met on the dock by Karsten Meling an old friend of mine from work days.  Kristiansand guest harbor is open to the South but has good floating pontoons with mooring buoys a good distance from them.  With the invaluable help of Karsten we tied a very long stern line to a buoy behind the pontoon and secured ourselves with two bow lines; it almost looked as if we knew what we were doing.  We stayed in Kristiansand for ten days catching up on a lot of small boat items as well as a three day visit to Oslo and a haircut. Several UK boats came in to Kristiansand while we were there and we entertained some of the crew on Ariel for cocktails.  

We finally left on June 2nd for Kirkehamn a small fishing town around Lindesnes Point on the West coast.  Gregers and I stopped at Kirkehamn last year on our way South and had really enjoyed the restaurant there.  This time the floating docks were completely taken up by a very large Australian catamaran who had left no room for anyone else.  We moved around the corner to the fish dock and the owner very kindly allowed us to stay there.  Sue and I enjoyed a very nice 9th wedding aniversary dinner at the same restaurant.  We left early the next morning for Inverness in a good southerly breeze and sailed most of the way on a beam reach arriving Inverness Marina at 1300 on June 5th.    

  

Typical Norwegian lunch of shrimp salad the first day we arrived in town. Salmon is the favorite with Charles.0 

In the town "touristy" area this statue was in front of the Italian restaurant.0

There are a series of walk bridges around town leading to many shops and restaurants.

A building a block from the harbor done up Indian style.

One of our dockmates in his wooden boat.

His carved chest

Another beautiful Norwegian boat docked near us.

The entrance Lighthouse to Kristiansand

Great restaurant

By a marina

Enjoyed a nice meal here too dockside.

Ariel moored at the dock. pick up the buoy and extend a LONG line back to the boat, while tying bow up port and starboard. The passarell that Charles made came in very handy.

Upon return from Oslo there was a boat show in the marina.

When we returned from Oslo there was a crowd on the dock. The Kiwanis put on a fund raiser there in the form of a boat show. There is no entry fee to visitors. So you get to see products, buy things, check out boats and buy booth food. They make their money selling ice cream at their stand. Everything from New Cars, boating equipment to smaller motor boats on display.  We got English meat pies of pork and cheese or lamb from one vendor. It was quite good.  A special boat hook was purchased which we have found invaluable. It hooks onto a ring and then puts the loop of your dock line through the ring making mooring easier.