All change - rock and roll to Kristiansand

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11th November - on board Aurora

Embarking Southampton our erstwhile Captain informs us that we are already subject to a change of itinerary.



Low pressure has been forming over Scotland and are forecast to hit the west coast of Norway on Sunday and Monday.



This has meant our scheduled call to Andalsnes has been cancelled as the entrance to the Fjord makes it tricky to access in high winds.

It's a shame because Aldalsnes would have been our first introduction to a Norwegian fjord.

Apparently it is a typical fjord community surrounded by dramatic peaks and its painted houses give it a picture postcard charm with a backdrop of snow snow capped mountains.



So our first port of call will be Kristiansand, which lies on the south coast of Norway in the Skaggerak Sea.

This a lot further south than Andalsnes and really we are going to be sheltering here on Sunday (12th) whilst the west coast bears the brunt of the storm (so the captain says)



Obviously not having researched this call we can only go by what we are fed by the tour office on board ship.

We are calling out of season and on a Sunday so we can be neither surprised or disappointed with our welcome.



Kristiansand is particularly popular as a summer resort and is the capital of southern Norway. The town is set to in a grid pattern and seems that distances are not that great although being a Sunday we will find out what's open or not.

Kristiansand

We arrived on a beautiful crisp sunny Sunday morning with blue skies reflecting on cold waters of Kristiansand Havn.





A walk took us through the harbour basin past the fish market and what would have been a bustling Sunday with loads of cafes closed for the winter.

There was some activity a bit further on but I don't think the population here were early risers.

Ending up in the district of Posebyen for a glimpse of the past, walking through Europes largest collection of white, wooden houses.

This has become a bit of an artists haven.





Walking back into the town you come to the Cathedral, the third largest church in Norway - it can seat nearly 2000 people, that's more than number of passengers on board Aurora!!!





The cathedral is Neo-Gothic circa 1884 but the earliest church on the site dates back to 1685.

There is a 220ft tower which offers great views across the city.

As with all these buildings restoration is ongoing and there was plenty of scaffolding around the Cathedral.





Being the closed season for tourists there seemed to be lots of preparation in the town square for the up and coming festivities (Xmas) with trees and lights going up.

No different than home then!!

Well it's been a beautiful day with glorious sunshine so back out into the Norwegian Sea and a bumpy ride up to Tromso - The Gateway to the Arctic





Brrr!!!!

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