Michi Photostory: Kristiansund

Showing posts with label Kristiansund. Show all posts

May 19, 2023

World’s Best Road Trip at Atlantic Ocean Road

The Atlanterhavsvegen or Atlantic Ocean Road was opened in 1989 and is considered a National Tourist Route, World’s Best Road Trip, and a cultural heritage site. It is an 8.3 km road that connects Averøy to the mainland with a total of eight bridges over a series of islets and skerries.

This road is only 8.3km so it was just a short trip but of course, in order to enjoy the experience, you need to stop and enjoy the magnificent view. As you pass the Lauvøysund Bridge, Lauvholmen Bridge, Geitoysund Bridge, Storseinsundet Bridge, Hulvågen Bridges, and Vevangstraumen Bridge, there are four resting places and viewpoints where you can stroll, take pictures or have a snack.

This road is a popular site for automotive commercials and even for movies because it is one of the shooting locations of “James Bond’s No Time to Die” movie. And because it became popular with tourists, natives opened restaurants, accommodations, fishing, and scuba diving resorts.

Storseisundet Bridge is the longest among the eight bridges of Atlantic Ocean Road, it connects Hustadvika Municipality and Averøy Municipality. It is 260 meters long.

I will share some trivia that was posted in their resting places.

* During the six-year construction period, the workers endured a total of twelve hurricanes. The road was opened on July 7, 1989.

* The Atlantic Ocean Road was voted Norway’s Construction of the Century in 2005.

* National Tourist Routes offer spectacular and varied drives. Eight of the 18 routes selected as National Tourist Routes are located in this area, and they make for unique driving experiences. The area’s sheer mountainsides, magnificent glaciers and waterfalls, deep fjords, and rugged coastline allow you to experience the very essence of the National Tourist Routes.

Aside from the Atlantic Ocean Road, here are some sights that you can visit in Averøy, Eide, and Fræna.

1. Bud is a fishing village in Fræna municipality. It is a paradise for those who love nature and fishing. A child-friendly village with several apartments and boathouses for rent.

2. Bud Museum Ergan Coastal Fort and Culture Center is a German coastal fort that today is a war memorial museum.

3. Kvernes Stave Church is one of the youngest Norwegian stave churches.

4. Old Kvernes Rural Museum is an open-air museum.

5. Halås Gårdsutsalg is a farm shop and bed and breakfast.

6. Derinngarden is a farm shop and cafe.

7. Håholmen is an 18th-century fishing village with original wharves, traditional fishermen’s shacks, and a bakery.

I'm so thankful to God for giving us good weather because it's been raining since we left the house but no more rain when we drove to Atlantic Ocean Road.

Read: Weekend Getaway in Kristiansund Norway

May 16, 2023

Weekend Getaway in Kristiansund Norway

I am taking a break from crafting so I can finish my backlogs. This has been on my draft for four years already and for some reason, nalilimutan ko tapusin. Nevertheless, let me try to refresh my memory.

Four years ago, my mom and aunt were planning for our Kristiansund trip and they already set a date for our weekend trip. The first week of May came and it’s been snowing and raining so they canceled our trip. Two weeks after, the weather was still not good but rain or shine, we pushed our trip because we were running out of time. We only had a few weeks left for our summer vacation in Norway.

We were not able to leave early because my mom was still working so after her working hours we immediately went to the Ferry Terminal so we won’t miss the boat.

Scandic Kristiansund

We traveled for almost 5 hours but it was not a boring trip because of the beautiful scenery. We arrived at Scandic Kristiansund in the evening but since we are in Norway, the sunset is late. This hotel is located in the heart of the town so it is near the tourist spots, harbor view, and airport.

Read: Scandic Kristiansund

Dinner at Bella Napoli

After check-in, we went out for dinner and we were able to see some tourist spots like Sundbåten, Herring Boy and Klipsish Woman.

We ate dinner at Bella Napoli. It was already late and the weather is still not good so we went straight to the hotel to rest.

Read: Bella Napoli

Walking Tour at Kristiansund

The following day, after breakfast we had a quick walking tour at Kristiansund. It just so happened that we saw a flyer in the lobby so we decided to explore the city before our check-out. We were able to visit the following places.

Byfossen 1742-1992

Kongesteinen

Kirkelandet Kirke

Varden Utkikstårn

Read: Walking Tour at Kristiansund

Atlantic Ocean Tunnel and Atlantic Ocean Road

And of course, the main reason for this trip is to see the Atlantic Ocean Road, I only see this in pictures so I am really glad that I finally visited the place. On our way to “Atlanterhavsvegen” we passed the Atlanterhavstunneien or Atlantic Ocean Tunnel. It is an undersea tunnel that connects Kristinasund Municipality to Averøy Municipality.

The Atlantic Ocean Tunnel is one of the deepest undersea tunnels in the world with 250 meters in depth and 5,727 meters long that runs beneath the Bremsnesfjorden.

The Atlantic Ocean Road is an 8.3-kilometer road that was built on several small islands and skerries. It connects Kristiansund and Molde. This road is considered a National Tourist Route and cultural heritage site. If you watched James Bond's “No Time to Die” movie then you are familiar with this road.

Read: World's Best Road Trip at Atlantic Ocean Road

October 12, 2021

Walking Tour in Kristiansund Norway

Over the past few days, I’ve been seeing a lot of travel photos on my social media feeds, it seems that other countries are slowly going back to normal. Unfortunately, here in the Philippines we still have restrictions so leisure traveling is far from reality but I am praying that we can travel again next year.

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.

Read: Scandic Kristiansund Hotel

Bella Napoli Restaurant

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.

May 11, 2020

Where to Stay in Norway: Scandic Kristiansund

Exactly a year ago, we had a Weekend Getaway at Kristiansund and my mom booked a one-night stay at Scandic Kristiansund. Scandic hotels are a hotel chain in Scandinavia, you can see their hotels in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and a few hotels in Germany and Poland. It is one of my options when I was having a hard time looking for accommodation in Sweden.

Read: Where to Stay in Sweden: Hotel Generator Stockholm

Scandic Kristiansund has a good location, it is situated in the middle of the town center, near the harbor view, 15 minutes away from the airport, and walking distance to some tourist spots. It was built in 1987 so the hotel and rooms look old and probably need some improvement.

If you are traveling by car, there is parking space but it is not FREE. If you have big luggage with you, it is better to drop your luggage at the hotel entrance before going to the parking lot because the hotel doesn’t have a service elevator and you have to climb the stairs.

We arrived in the evening so checking-in was easy, we were offered a room with a view but since there is an additional fee, we declined. We can see this view when we go out so why pay for it. This was our view from our room.

What you see on the website is what you get, so this was our room. We have two single beds, an office table, television, couch, mini-fridge, and a cabinet. The following morning, I found out that my mom and aunt’s room have a coffee and tea set while our room doesn’t have one. We already arrived late but our room was not complete pala, I did not request it since we won’t stay long.

The bathroom looks old but it has a bathtub and hairdryer but no bidet. They offer complimentary FACE Stockholm toiletries

We left Ørland at 2PM and it took us more or less 5 hours travel time to reach Kristiansund so after check-in we had dinner at Bella Napoli Restaurant. Since it was raining and we were already tired, we immediately went back to the hotel after dinner.

Read: Dinner at Bella Napoli Restaurant

Breakfast Buffet at Restaurant Sans

The room includes a buffet breakfast at Restaurant Sans where they serve a traditional Norwegian buffet. Breakfast starts as early as 6:30AM on weekdays and 8AM every weekend. It was Sunday so I had no choice but to wait for 8AM breakfast time.

When it comes to breakfast in Europe, my expectation is low because I know that the buffet spread is limited compared to buffet breakfast in Asia. So I was really surprised when I arrived at the restaurant, Scandic Kristiansund did not disappoint me because they even have more food spread compared to Radisson Blu in Trondheim and Oslo. We were happy with our buffet breakfast at Restaurant Sans.

Read: Radisson Blu Hotel Trondheim Norway
Radisson Blu Hotel in Oslo Norway

Restaurant Sans

Breakfast: Mon-Fri 06:30-09:30, Sat-Sun 08:00-11:00
Dinner: Mon-Sat 17:00-22:00, Sun Closed
Bar: Mon-Sat 17:00-00:00, Sun Closed

After breakfast, we had a quick Walking Tour at Kristiansund before we went to Atlantic Ocean Road.

Trivia: “Hang up your towel and make mother nature smile”. Did you know that it was one of our team members who once came up with the idea of hanging up towels to reduce washing? A solution that’s become the standard for hotel rooms across the world - one that saves thousands of liters of water and four tons of detergent each year. Only at Scandic.

Scandic Kristiansund
Storgata 41
6508 Kristiansund, Norway

Watch the video here