Ports of Call: Norway

I have been fascinated by the Vikings and the old pagan Scandinavian culture for a lifetime, as well as having been drawn to edged weapons since I was a young girl.  How could I not visit the site in Norway where three enormous Swords were thrust into the ground as a memorial to an ancient battle?

The Queen Mary 2 docked at Stavanger early in the morning and was due to sail at 5.00 p.m. as usual.  I visited the Cathedral, famous as a church that was created by the Anglo-Saxon Bishop R over a thousand years ago.  The Cathedral, however, was not quite as important to me as the Swords in Mountain.

Stavanger is very much a place for tourists, with helpful guides wearing red vests emblazoned with a logo that delineates their standing throughout the port town.  When I asked one about the Sverd i fjell', I was told that it was not one of the stops on the 'Hop On, Hop Off' coaches that are found throughout Northern Europe at cruise ship ports.  'Although it should be,' he added.

He said that the only way to reach the site would be by taxi and that, as it was a fair journey, the cost would be high.  Ultimately, I found a taxi willing to go there.  Unfortunately, the driver, although friendly enough, was Turkish, did not know anything about Scandinavian culture and moreover spoke very little English.  That was disappointing, but still...

The Sverd i Fjell or 'Swords in Mountain' is a stunning contemporary monument that commemorates the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872 when Harald Hårfagre (Fairheaded Harald) united Norway. The Swords are made of Bronze and are embedded in the natural Rock. The Monument was created by Fritz Røed (1928 - 2002) from Bryne, just south of Stavanger and was unveiled by Norway's King Olav in 1983.

The largest of the three Swords represents Harold Fairhair's Sword and the smaller two the swords of the two petty Kings he defeated.

If I lived in the area, the site of the Sverd i fjell would be one I would visit regularly.  It is a lovely little bay filled with white swans, sporting a couple of picnic tables for those who would like to have their lunch in the shadow of the Giants' Swords.

Stavanger itself was a charming port, built on a hillside with green parks interspersed amidst houses and shops.  The Dom or Cathedral is famed.   It is the oldest Church in Norway, having been built in 1123 by an English Benedictine Monk named Reinald from Winchester who named it for the patron saint of Winchester, St. Swithun. (In Norway, St. Svithun)

Structurally, the Cathedral actually reminded me of Winchester Cathedral, not surprising in the circumstances.  There is a tremendous difference between the two Churches, however, in terms of their interiors.  The gigantic Pulpit in the Dom is like nothing else I have ever seen.  It is almost garish in its style.  From the middle of the 17th century, it is Baroque, but very unlike the Baroque Art that I know and love.  It has a primitive quality to it.  It made me think of a huge, religious layer cake.  Along the walls of the Cathedral, there were a number of plaques dedicated to Benefactors and their families.  The style of the frames for their portraits were very similar to the Pulpit.

 Of the furnishings in the Cathedral, my own personal favourites were the Votive Candle Holder, which was utterly magical, and a star-shaped light held by the statue of an Angel.  The latter, although modern, was very beautiful.  The Angel appeared to be made of metal that resembled wickerwork.

When we docked at Stavanger, we found the sister ship of the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth 2 there before us.  New year, all three of the Cunard Queens will be docked in the middle of May in Southampton and Cunard is attempting to drum up interest in the event.  The 'event' at Stavanger wherein our ship, the Queen Mary 2 was docked alongside the Queen Elizabeth 2, was not even mentioned!  Here you can see the QE2 in the foreground and our ship, the QM2 to the left in the background.