Since I can’t travel yet, let me reminisce about my last trip to Europe and as expected I am not yet finished with my Scandinavian series. Anyway, more than two years ago, we had a chance to visit Kristiansund Norway, our initial agenda is to visit the famous Atlantic Ocean Road. Travel time from Ørland is 5 hours so we stayed at Scandic Kristiansund to rest before driving to the Atlantic Road.
Walking Tour in Kristiansund
Kristiansund (Christianssund) was founded by King Christian VI in the year 1742. It is also known as a polychrome town because of the colorful houses that you can see in the small island municipality. It is located on the western coast of Norway, this municipality has four main islands, the Nordlandet, Kikrkelander, Innlandet, and Frei.
It was raining when we arrived at the hotel but we still went out for dinner. Since our hotel is near the harbor, we checked the two statues and found the Sundboat.
Sundbåten
Sundbåten or Sundboat is the world’s oldest public transport service that is still in use since 1876. It is Kristiansund’s trademark and cultural heritage. This is a nice way to experience Kristiansund because you can explore different parts of the town like churches, galleries, museums, and harbor. A round trip takes only 15 to 20 minutes and it is FREE.
Unfortunately, it was already closed when we went there and we did not bother to check it the following day because we have limited time. You need at least half a day so you can explore the stop points.
We just took photos of the Klipsish woman which represents the hardworking women of history and the Herring boy which symbolizes the future generation.
It was a quick visit to the pier because we were hungry already and we need to look for a restaurant. We had dinner at Bella Napoli Restaurant and we immediately went back to the hotel after.
The following morning, while we were eating breakfast we planned to have a Walking Tour in Kristiansund. We don’t have an itinerary, we just relied on the flyer that we got at the hotel lobby. Despite the gloomy weather, it did not stop us from exploring the city. We checked the nearest tourist spots that we can visit before we check-out.
Byfossen 1742-1992
We just walk from the hotel and found Byfossen. It is a small waterfall powered by a pump that was opened in the year 1992 to celebrate the city's anniversary.
Kongesteinen
This large gray stone is located near King Olav’s Gate. It is a symbol of the visit of two royal couples last October 15, 1992, Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark and King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway visited Kristiansund at the same time.
The war ruin that used to be a public burial ground (1838-1919) is now a beautiful park where you can see statues, fountains, hundred years old trees, plants, and more.
Kirkelandet Kirke
Kirkelandet Church is a parish church that was built in 1964. It is Norway’s first boldest and most modern church building by architect Odd Østbye. It symbolizes a quartz crystal amidst roses. This church can occupy 550 people.
On our way to Varden, we passed by Svanedammen, or Swan Pond, and Vanndamman, or Water Pond. We saw a lot of birds, swans, and peacocks.
Varden Utkikstårn
We ended our walking tour at Varden, which was opened in the year 1892. It is an old tower which is 78 meters above sea level. The view tower will give you a breathtaking view of the shipping lane, Grip Island, coastal areas, mountains, and fjords of Nordmøre. It is open every day and the most important thing is, it is free. The space at the top can accommodate only few people, good thing that there are no other visitors aside from us (6 people).
Our time is limited but I’m glad that we were able to visit some tourist spots in Kristiansund. If we have more time, I wanted to visit the maritime environment, Grip Island, old town, Klippfisk Museum, and ride the Sundboat. We immediately went back to our hotel so we can check out and start our Atlantic Ocean Road journey.
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