Heading south towards Kristiansand
As we drive south, the topography changes: less dramatic waterfalls and mountains, more rivers and spectacular gorges.
We stopped at a stave church, mainly because a group of teenagers waved at us/the motorhome as we approached. They were having a lecture in the church grounds, and we were looking for somewhere to stop for lunch. Although we couldn´t go into the church, we noticed the outside woodwork had an almost burnt appearance, but it is actually the tar or creosote weather-coating they apply.
We drove down towards the campsite we had seen in the Color Line Ferries campsite book. One of the best value campsites we have seen. 200NOK did not include a shower, but there were all other facilities for free. There is a swimming lake here, which the proprieter told us was 18°C, but it actually felt colder than that. We both had a swim, and used the slide, and the water was beautifully clear.
The next day we went off to find a steam railway centre, advertised in the "Visit Kristiansand 2012" brochure. When we got there, notices everywhere said the service was cancelled for this summer.
We decided on the spur of the moment to go into Lillesand, a little way along the east coast from Kristiansand. When we approached the village, we saw a convenient sign for "Motorhome Parking", and when we found it, it turned out to be an aire on the Marina. It was not in either of our aires books, but a good price, at 175NOK per night, so we decided to stop over. The brochure tells us it is one of the best preserced white painted towns in this region. Indeed, it was very pretty, and very white. In fact we ended up staying two nights there. We took a couple of walks round the village and countryside, and it is quite an idyllic spot. The only downside was the bizarrely huge distance between the aire and the payment machine: it must have been 3/4 of a mile away, over the other side of the bay.
We felt we had to try the local hot dog, as it is on sale everywhere. No sooner had we sat down on benches by the harbourside than at least 100 sparrows came down, and were soon eating the spare crumbs from the roll, out of our hands. It was interesting to be able to observe the distinct pecking order of this bold little creatures, at close quarters.
The next day we drove into Kristainsand, intending to do the town walking tour, also in the brochure, but this soon proved something of a dead loss, as things just did not seem to be open. Not the first time we have experienced this, as it is right at the end of the tourist season, and Norwegian children are already back at school (20th August)
Whilst wandering around the shops, we noticed a tea emporium, and bought some Typhoo Tea bags. A decent cuppa, at last!
Having passed the cathedral when it was not yet open, we returned after 11.00 to have a look round. We noticed there was no pipe organ, and the guide explained that a new one is being built in Germany, weighing 4,5 tons, to arrive in 2013. I mentioned to him that I play the organ, and he pointed to the electronic one they are currently using, and invited me to try. It made quite a big sound, and gave my fingers a bit of exercise.
We drove on to Odderoya, which used to be a military base, fortified to defend the harbour, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars and WWII. We saw some gun emplacements among the rocky landscape, and thought them very well disguised from the sea. Walking back to the motorhome, some children (about 6 years old) on a field trip with their teacher, all started calling out something to as as we passed. We said the the teacher, "Sorry, we are English", and she immediately said "they are asking if you are a cowboy" (because of Geoff´s hat). We had to laugh.
Kristiansand was founded in 1641. The whole town centre fits within one square kilometre: it is Norway´s 5th largest town, and the capital of Southern Norway.