Day 44 - Kristiansand and Oppenheimer
August 4, 2023: We spent Friday exploring the town of Kristiansand. We had a relaxed start to the morning, but then it was a 20,000 step day exploring several areas of the town. We started by walking down to the seaside to a quaint little area across a bridge that had a typical Norwegian fish market called a “Fiskebaren”. They had any type of seafood you could imagine. Nearby there were a number of different restaurants and since it was lunchtime, we decided to eat at Rett i Garnet. Jimm and I ordered the Fish and Chips. We thought we would London was the best place for them, but these were the best fish and chips we’ve had on this trip! I had another Bulmers Cider which has now become one of my favorite drinks here.
Next, we walked toward the harbor, and across to the island of Odderøya. The island lies immediately to the south of the city centre of Kristiansand and it is connected to the mainland by four bridges. We walked passed the Kilden Performing Arts Center. Work on the building began in 2007, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway laid the foundation stone in 2009. The architects were Finnish and Norwegian and it is a beautiful building with curved wooden ceiling. Being a Star Wars fan, Jimm commented that from the side it looks like a Sandcrawler used by the Jawas as transportation and shelter.
Our plan was to walk around the island, but our route quickly became a little more rugged hike than we expected 😂, but we were rewarded with a great view of the harbor! We turned around when we ran into a rock tunnel and weren’t sure how long it was or what to expect inside. Instead, we followed the road back down to the city center and back to our Airbnb.
In the evening, we had Risengrøt that Marit had made in the morning and then wrapped the pan in bedding and left in the bed for the afternoon while we were out and about, which is actually listed as a way to make it on the box! Risengrøt is a simple rice porridge made typically of short grain rice, salt and a little cream. It is served with a generous sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon with a big dollop of butter in the middle. I fell in love with this creamy and delicious dish when I first came to Norway in 1981. My daughter Michele has also fallen in love with it, so I try to bring some packages back with me on each trip.
Following dinner, we headed to the Kristiansand Cinema to watch Oppenheimer. All of us had wanted to see it, so we decided it was the perfect time. Although, it was a 3 hour movie, we all agreed that it was an excellent movie; well acted and seemingly historically accurate. It was a great end to our first full day in Kristiansand.