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The navigational aspect of my trip started badly. I set out from Oslo at 8.40 and was soon 20km past the turning for the E314 that I should have taken. As usual, there was a toll booth around to take advantage of my random wanderings. Thirty minutes and forty Kroner later I was on my way!
I'm typing this while sitting outside Peppe's Pizza in the centre of Stavanger - just so you know I made it okay. Every couple of minutes the waitress walks by with a delicious pizza and my stomach gets excited. While I wait I will tell you something about the journey here.
After a couple of hours' driving I was well and truly into Amazing Norwegian Scenery territory, and thouroughly enjoying the ride. The road was becoming twistier and more mountainous all the time. By midday I was zig-zagging down a series of steep straights separated by hairpin bends. When I could look away from the road, the view looked out over a fjord with a small marina at the bottom. This marina also had a picnic area and hotdog stall, making it a perfect stop for lunch.
The road continued back up the other side of the fjord - my poor car having to carry me up a similar series of steep switchbacks. The terrain soon flattened off somewhat, but became more rocky. For long stretches this mountain road was a single track. Flocks of sheep appeared - they seemed to find the cars that passed by very interesting, one stuck its head through the (open) window of my car as I stopped to take a photograph.
Despite having to make a few turns, I made it into Stavanger without getting lost by around half past five. I even found the youth hostel where I have reserved a bed for three nights; Mosvangen Vandrerhjem. I checked in and met my room-mates - two Danes and a German travelling by motorbike. After a brief rest I headed into town.
Stavanger is full of life this weekend, thanks in part to the volleyball championships that are going on. I arrived to find the small brygge (or quay) teeming with people, who bustled about or ate outside the many restaurants and al fresco marquees, listening to the live music that filled the air. Just around the corner was a square, where I found my pizza place. At the opposite side of the square sat many people watching a crane that would periodically launch someone skywards on a bungee.
Having eaten, I took a stroll round the town. There is a large church at the top of the stairs, and behind that is a park with a lake and a fountain. In another direction, the streets become narrow and cobbled - lined with brightly painted cobbled buildings. This part of the town reminded me of a small town in New England that I visited with my parents a couple of years ago - except that nearly all the buildings in this part of Stavanger are pubs or restaurants.
The sun is getting low and soon I will return to the hostel, but first I think I will sit in the square and watch the people being launched into the air for a while!