Day 4 of our transatlantic cruise brought us to Stavanger, Norway, and to another friend! Lineik and I met in Germany, and although she’s currently living in Norway, she’s actually Icelandic. She also happens to be a fabulous photographer and one of the sweetest ladies I know. She volunteered to be our chauffeur for the day and recommended a few site, the first being the Swords of Stavanger. This is a HUGE monument commemorating a great battle that united most of Norway under King Harald Fairhair. (Vikings fans, are you paying attention?!)

Three giant sword monuments rise from a grassy shoreline beside calm water in Stavanger, Norway.

A rocky grassy shoreline with a row of stepping stones leading into calm waters along the Norwegian coast.

Next up was a visit to the center of town, to see the Stavanger Cathedral, chase some pigeons a favorite past time of our kids, and grab a coffee. Starbucks generally isn’t on my list of places to get coffee when traveling in Europe, but the location of this one was worth the stop. It was built into an old bank, and they left some of the original deposit boxes and vaults.

A tufted leather booth sits before green paneled walls under pendant lights inside the fish market soup restaurant.

Our rumbling tummies sent us back towards the harbor for fresh fish soup from the fish market ( Fisketorget ) Again people, I’m NOT a huge seafood fan, but the soup was incredible. Creamy, salty, and seasoned perfectly with fresh herbs.

A bowl of creamy soup topped with olive oil and chives served as lunch during our Norway port stop.

Plated white fish with creamy sauce, herbs and green aioli served on a cruise dining table.

After lunch, we wandered around the cute colorful houses near the harbor and visited the Norwegian Canning Museum. (Which we highly recommend!) The kids tried their hand at hand packing sardines and raced to see if they could do it as fast as the cannery workers could. (In case you’re wondering, no, those weren’t real fish, just rubber ones.)

We said our goodbyes and boarded the ship just in time to hand wash some clothes, grab dinner, and recharge our batteries (literally and figuratively) for our next day in Scotland!

Two children select small metal cups from trays during a workshop activity on a Norway and Scotland cruise.

A young person in a teal shirt holds a metal herring-shaped tin near a bench piled with similar fish forms.

Weathered wooden fish-processing frames with metal teeth lean beside pierced barrels in a Scottish display.

A weathered wooden basin holds a paddle, a small net, and other fishing tools aboard a boat.

A uniformed portrait hangs on a wall above a painted panel of a man holding a large fish.

Rustic wooden stools and a table sit beneath a tall arched window in a weathered stone-walled room.

Two women and a child pose on a Norwegian cobblestone street with a cruise ship behind them.

A weathered wooden door set into a white wall beside red fuchsia blooms and a green-framed mirror.

A few weeks before our cruise, my husband and I had made a list of the top must see/do things at each port. Our first few stops did not require us to rent a car, or even take a taxi. In Scotland though, our port was really not near anything, so it was either a couple of hours on a public bus, rent a car, or join a tour. Since we’d only have from 9am-5pm, we needed to use our time wisely, so rent a car it was! But no. There were no cars to be had. Bad on my part for waiting too late. I did a few more searches online and eventually found a private car hire that was very reasonably priced. He was flexible and happy to accommodate us. (If you’re visiting that area, check out Andrew’s Private Car Hire!)

Andrew met us at the ship and drove us to see the ruins of Urquhart Castle, which overlooks the Loch Ness, and then to experience the Glenurquhart Highland Games in the neighboring village of Drumnadrochit. My German friend Sonja recommended catching the games if at all possible. She’s married to a Scotsman, so I trusted this advice. And how happy I am that it worked out that there were games just in the area we were visiting, on the exact day we were there. Best things about the Highland Games: Bagpipes, freckles, kilts, big smiles, highland dancers, and Scottish tablet. Wait, what? Scotland manufactures electronic tablets? No silly, it’s the most buttery caramelly fudge you ever tasted.

Sadly, we did NOT see Nessie, but we were promised she would appear “tomorrow”. Shucks. I really wish we’d had had another day in Scotland, but our brief taste of the culture and people left a wonderful impression on us. Next blog post will be all things Iceland!

Two children pose in front of a blue tourist information kiosk featuring a Nessie sighting sign.

Tourists walk a grassy path toward the stone ruins of a Scottish castle.

Ruined castle walls sit on a green headland above a wide Scottish loch with a boat on the water.

A man in a red Viking cloak holds a spear and shield before a stone castle wall.

Two children sit on rocks at the water's edge overlooking a Norwegian fjord.
Searching for Nessie

A family poses with bagpipers in kilts on a grassy field with green hills behind.

A smiling girl in a safety harness bounces mid-air on a tall outdoor bungee rig under a blue sky.

Golden fields and rolling hills with a distant lake seen from a moving car window.

A small boat crosses open coastal water near offshore oil rigs and a grassy headland under a blue sky.