Tuesday, September 19, 2023
We were up at 6:15. Coffee from the Grand Dutch Cafe. We had time again for breakfast in the main dining room as our tour didn’t start until 10:00.
Woke up to rain and cold but the forecast predicted it would stop before our tour was to begin. I wasn’t taking a chance and donned my rain pants and rain jacket again.
Our Segway tour today was an independent one with Fly-N-Hi Segway Tours.
The tour description: The tour starts at Lagmannsholmen 7, at the cruise pier. The tour continues on to the Fish Market, Hartmann’s pier, Sjøhuset, Otterdal Park, the guest harbor, Kristiansand fortress, the City Beach / Aquarama, Tangen, riverside Otra, the Old Town, Wergeland Park, the Cathedral and back to the cruise pier.
Their office was located right outside the cruise security gate. I missed it at first because it was closed, and I didn’t see the small sign. However, the owner showed up about 5 minutes later and started bringing out the Segways. There were two other couples going on this tour. Only three of us had ridden Segways before.
He set up the training course and we were all able to complete it successfully with just a few practice laps. Just as we were putting our earpieces in to test to be sure we could hear him, a hard shower started. We waited about 10 minutes inside the shop. The rain stopped with the sun coming out. The sun would continue to go in and out of the clouds during the ride but at least it didn’t rain again. The ride would not have been as fun if it had been raining.
I liked having the earpiece but there was a lot of static so that issue combined with the guide’s heavy Norwegian accent, I didn’t catch all of the narrative during the ride.
It was an easy ride around and through the town and along the small beach. We really thought the town was cute. We were very surprised to find out that the condos we passed were selling for the equivalent of $800 thousand to over $1 million. Our guide said they don’t come on the market often. If they do, they are not on the market long.
Our first stop was the fountain for photos:
We rode by the small beach and could see the amusement park in the distance.
Our next stop was Posebyen (The old town). According to the guide, Posebyen has one of Northern Europe’s largest collection of low, wooden houses and the town fire in 1892 did not reach here.
We passed the Kristiansand Cathedral but did not have time to enter. The guide said it is the seat of the Bishop of Agder and Telemark in the Church of Norway. It is a Neo-Gothic church completed in 1885 and designed by the architect Henrik Thrap-Meyer. It is the third cathedral built in the town of Kristiansand and one of the largest cathedrals in Norway. It measures 230 ft long and 128 ft wide, with a single 230 ft tower.
Our last stop was The Fish Market area. It was a fish wharf that was redeveloped as a restaurant and shopping area. It was extensively reconstructed in the 1990s, with wood-fronted buildings in an old-fashioned style similar to the warehouses. Our guide said that during the summer months a lot of music festivals are held there on the weekends.
We went inside the market and got to sample some smoked salmon. I was not a fan.
We were back at the dock at noon. We could have walked back into old town to explore more but we decided to go back to the ship. I enjoyed the tour. I’m not sure that we passed all the sites listed in the tour description because I missed some of the narrative through my earpiece but what I saw was interesting. And we always enjoy riding Segways.
After getting my picture made by a random moose statue, we got back on the ship. We decided to skip the crowded Lido and get a slice of pizza at the New York Deli and Pizza place. After finishing it, we thought a soak in the hot tub would be nice.
The afternoon passed quickly, and it was soon time for our Tamarind dinner. We went about 30 minutes prior to our reservation so we could enjoy some cocktails at their bar. I am particularly fond of their Wasabi cocktail and Chuck likes the Cucumber Mojito. He also ordered a flask of sake to go with his dinner.
We had a table by the window, but it was so foggy again there was no view to speak of tonight. Chuck ordered the Wasabi crusted tenderloin, and I ordered the crispy duck. We shared an order of sorbet – mango, lemon, lychee flavors.
We finished our dinner in time to visit the Casino and then listen to the 2nd set of the BB King Band before calling it a night.
Travel Trivia
Kristiansand, Norway
The city is named after the Dano-Norwegian King Christian IV, who founded it on 5 July 1641. The second part of the city’s name, sand, refers to the sandy headland the city was built on.
Christianssands Bryggeri is a producer of beer and soft drinks with a long history in the city. The brewery was established in 1859, and all products are made with spring water from the company’s own spring.
Completed in 1885, the Kristiansand Cathedral was designed by architect Henrik Thrap-Meyer in Neo-Gothic style. One of Norway’s largest cathedrals,
Founded in 1964, the Kristiansand Zoo and Amusement park is Norway’s largest zoo and most popular tourist attraction. The zoo houses more than 800 animals of nearly 100 different species.
