The sun was shining brightly as we coasted gently into Stavanger harbor.
Stavanger is the petroleum mecca of Norway. With the discovery of North Sea oil, this once-dying town has had a vital resurgence. The former industry was herring and sardine fishing, canning and shipping. But other countries undercut Stavagner's business and by the 1990's it was almost dead. Then came the oil discovery and the city once again boomed.
A highlight of the walking tour of the city was a visit to the sardine cannery. The process was incredibly labor-intensive as the sardines were threaded onto racks, then smoked, trimmed of the heads and fitted into the distinctive oval cans, all by hand.
In the plaza by the waterfront are stones cast with the footprints of various Nobel winners. We didn't have time to check them all out, but did find those of Desmond Tutu and Al Gore.
The evening's lecture was on "The Norsemen, The Danes and The Svaer" - understanding the Vikings - delivered by Elizabeth Cassell, a social anthropologist at a Canadian university. Tomorrow we sail for Alborg, Denmark.
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