Tag Archives: Stavanger

How High?!?!

It really is a shame how little we have seen of this beautiful country after 2 1/2 years here.

 

We did manage to expand our horizons this past weekend. We have now explored a good bit more of at least the southern part of the country.

 

As we made our way to Stavanger last Friday, we stopped about an hour outside of the city to experience one of the more iconic hikes in the area.

 

 

Preikestolen – or Pulpit Rock – is something I’d seen in pictures before moving here. But pictures pale in comparison to the reality.

 

 

Standing nearly 2000 feet / 600 meters above the Lysefjord, this rock formation is impressive… and a bit scary!
Preikestolen / Pulpit Rock

It took us just under 2 hours to make the walk to the top. And it was amazing.

 

We highly recommend this hike!

 

Here is a video from our weekend in Stavanger. The first 6-7 minutes will give you a glimpse of our Preikestolen experience.

Tips for Preikestolen:

  • Wear good shoes. While the path is fairly wide, it is also very rocky. Careful measures have been taken to ensure that all the foot traffic (200,000+ visitors annually) don’t destroy the area.
  • Take water with you. And pack a lunch. There is no hytte/kiosk/snack bar at the top. We took a couple of Camelback-style backpacks, several packs of nuts, and sandwiches. There are quite a few spots along the way where you can stop and rest when needed.
  • Start early, or start later in the day. Mid-day hikes mean more traffic, and more of a queue. We arrived just after 2:00 and the majority of the traffic we encountered was from people descending the mountain. We also went on a weekday, thinking that weekends might be more crowded.
  • Most of the websites suggest hiking from April to October. Otherwise, you might encounter some additional weather challenges.
  • You can read more on Visit Norway’s Preikestolen page.

Kaffetur 15 / Coffee Tour #15: Coffeeberry, Stavanger

We just returned from a long weekend in Stavanger, on the southwest coast of Norway.And before I go any further, I have to say thanks to our friends for letting us stay in their home while they were traveling!

I wasn’t having a lot of luck when I did my usual pre-travel coffee research. I did read a bit about a few shops, but nothing much. So I called out to Facebook friends, and got some great advice.

The best tip was to try Coffeeberry. And we were so glad we did!

Coffeeberry has two locations, in Sandnes and Stavanger. We visited their downtown Stavanger cafe.

The decor is done well. Brightly colored walls on each end reflect the whimsical nature of both Coffeeberry’s logo and their packaging. One end of the shop is painted a bright turquoise, while the other boasts Coffeeberry’s signature bright red.

The furniture is retro and fun. A plethora of teakwood furniture fills the shop, and the walls are adorned with what I would consider throwback Norwegian art. Maybe the kind of work you’d see on the walls of your family’s hytta/cabin.

As you step in, the focal point is the copper coffee bar. And their wall menus are a playful touch, reminiscent of a diner or sandwich shop from years ago.

We visited Coffeeberry twice over the weekend. On the first day, we tried a hand brewed Colombian coffee, and an espresso. Both were excellent. While there we picked up a couple of bags of beans, from Colombia and Ethiopia.

On our second visit, we had their daily coffee. This particular day was from Burundi, and was another  top-notch choice. We also ordered a con panna (our current go-to specialty drink), a shakerato and a caramel ice latte.

Everything we tried was delicious.

Coffeeberry also offers a selection of pastries, salads, sodas, and juices.

For those of you with small children, you’ll be happy to know that they have a kids’ corner with some toys to occupy your little one while you enjoy your drink.

Coffeeberry: another superb offering from the world of Nordic coffee. Definitely worth a stop-in!

You can also check out our Tastemade review of Coffeeberry!

Coffeeberry
Klubbgata 3, 4013 Stavanger
Våsgate 34, 4306 Sandnes