Arrival in Stavanger (Sta – vahn – air) Norway

The plane to Stavanger was short and boring, it was so cloudy outside and the windows so dirty you couldn’t see much. It wasn’t until we were 10 min out that something exciting happened, HAIL. Tons of hail pelting the plane mixed with rough winds made it quite a bumpy ride. On landing I realized why the plane was so dirty, the moment the wheels touched down loads of muddy slush sloshed over the windows of the plane. I knew right then that my plan to walk to Bergen from Odda (well known for its avalanches) was going to suck. Customs was a breeze, it was quite literally hello here is my Canadian passport and poof I was in.
I spent about an hour taking my 3 bags (2 check and one carry on) and packing them into one big bag that I could carry. Once this was done I quickly realized how much I underestimated the weight and bulk of the bag, it was a chore to walk for 10 min let alone 7 days from Odda to Bergen. It was already 1pm their time and the airport was 20km from the city so I decided I would take a bus to Stavanger knowing I would not make it there until at least 10-11pm walking. On the bus I met a Frenchman working for an oil company in Stavanger. He was nice enough but completely un-interested in talking to me. I also met 2 German guys Felix and Timo, about my age travelling to meet a friend who was also German living in Stavanger. We chatted it up for a bit, laughing at how none of us could read or speak a work of Norwegian. When we made it to Stavanger where their friend Enke (ank – uh) met us. I asked her if she knew of any cheap hostels in the area and was met with a bust of laughter. She said id be better off staying the night with them, so that’s what I did (again its all in the smile  )
We spent the night talking about cultural differences between Germany and Canada and found that they enjoy all north American entertainment and almost no German arts. They listen to all out top hits and watch all out movies. I was kinda disappointed, I was hoping for a bit more of a culture shock. This group came from an area in Germany close to the Netherlands, they in-fact do not eat a lot of sausage and do not like to drink to much, but they were really nice and really funny none the less. I found that the houses in Norway are all small and cozy looking and are all made out of horizontal wood siding and painted bright colours making them look like nice old style cottages you would find in ski towns back in Canada. We went for a walk through the neighborhood and were amazed at the views, Enke was close to the water with a view of the mountains, amazing. I convinced them to try some of the spicy beef jerky I brought (they had never seen jerky before and were quite taken aback by it). I have some good pics of their faces after trying the hot texas style ones, all I can say about those is that they were hot and messy going in and even hotter and messier going out (should have listened to your warning mark)
After viewing the terrain and experiencing the everything weather, and I mean everything from sun, rain, hail, hot cold ALL IN ONE DAY and having to walk to Enke’s with the pack (which was ridiculously hard) I decided against the walk from Odda to Bergen and to take a bus direct instead. 4pm the next day and 470 NOK later I was on 5 hour bus to Bergen. I left short half my jerky and 200NOK for dinner for the other 3 in payment for me stay there, but up a few places to stay in Germany when I backpack across Europe. Danke Shune (excuse my spealing) my 3 friends from Germany.


Check out the pics at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonmader/sets/72157622976683797/detail/