A brief stop in the Danish port of Allborg for a 2 1/2 hour guided walking tour of the town, (which is famous to us Aussies as the home of Jorn Utzon, architect of the Sydney Opera House) signalled the end of the arts and culture part of the cruise that had characterised it until now.
We were now off to Norway for a change of pace and the scenery and landscapes part of the cruise. Stavanger, a southern port of Norway, would be our first destination where we would berth right in the heart of the town. This meant we were well placed to explore the cobblestone streets of its Old Town which are lined with wooden buildings from the 17th and 18th century and to see Stavanger’s Cathedral that dates back to the town’s 12th century founding. However, it’s the offshore oil drilling boom of recent decades and being Norway’s oil capital that has given it a more prosperous and cosmopolitan air.
We did a tour through the Oil Museum that showed models of some of the oil rigs in the North Sea. 
Our guide then walked us through the Old Town with its well preserved timber houses. 
Wall art in Old Town depicting history of sardine fishing in the town. 
Old harbour Vagen with its old wooden houses and giant prawn showing importance of seafood and fishing to the town
The ugly side of cruising. There were four cruise ships in port with thousands of people roaming the small Old Town. 
The bustling environment of the day was offset by another long twilight culminating in a beautiful sunset as we sailed further into Norway and its stunning landscapes.
11.25pm
This featured blog entry was written by themaggiej from the blog Travels by barge, bike & boat.
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