Stavanger

The trip to Stavanger was absolutely gorgeous.  The roads were winding and we crossed two water ways by ferry boat! It was almost like taking the ferry to Seattle =)  Norway, to my understanding, only has one highway!  So, it takes a while to go from one place to the next... However, I appreciated these long trips because, although bumpy and windy, I was able to see the countryside and look at the landscape...  This is something I forget to do when I travel 70mph on the freeways/highways back home.  It was a good reminder to be fully present.  Below are two pictures from the ferry boat...

On the ferry boat

I love being out on the water!

 When we arrived in Stavanger, we went directly to our hotel.  We stayed at an affordable place that happened to be attached to a hospital!  We ended up eating at the cafeteria for the majority of our meals in Stavanger and the food was delicious and super nutritious (rhyme!).  It was also fun to see all of the new born babies; conversely, there were sick people dining too... for me, this provided an opportunity for reflection... I am so grateful for my health and for the opportunities that life (my parents especially) has dealt me...  The refrain I kept saying in my head was,  "I am so lucky... I am so so so lucky... Thank you, God."

The first evening, we had the pleasure to hear a concert by the Stavanger Cathedral Choir.  They performed the same Bach Funeral Motet that we prepared and a string trio brought me to tears.  Music is so incredibly powerful.

The next day, we departed on our Fjord tour!!! We traveled from downtown Stavanger out to and up the Lysefjord--  A Fjord is:

<<Noun A long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs, as in Norway and Iceland, typically formed by submergence of a glaciated valley.>>

Downtown Stavanger

The boat tour to the Lysefjord! (Argosy Cruises, anyone?!)

On the boat ride to the Lysefjord...

Yeah... I'd live here!

Fjord wall.

Mountain goats fighting along the Lysefjord!!!

 Being out on the water was refreshing and seeing the massive cliffs was a dream come true.

That evening, we had our concert at the cathedral.  We sang two pieces with the Cathedral Choir and then afterward, they invited us out to dessert! Naturally, we said, "of course" and high tailed it to a delicious Greek Restaurant a couple of blocks away.  I had some wonderful hummus and a delightful chat with some of the members of the choir.  I love talking with people.  The human experience is so diverse but we all weave our lives out of similar thread...

This is the front of the cathedral!

I wish I could have captured this better, but it was a gorgeous sunset!

 When we left the Greek Restaurant, this overwhelming sunset greeted us.  A perfect ending to our last night in Stavanger.

Cheers,
Hannah