R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 102

Transatlantic — Touring Old Town Stavanger, Norway

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Stavanger, Norway

By the time our tour boat returned us to Stavanger from Lysefjord, the overcast had given way to mostly sunny skies. Thus, my afternoon photographs of Stavanger were much more satisfying than the ones I presented to you last week.

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Stavanger, Norway

We took advantage of the change in lighting by staying in the more colorful Old Town section of Stavanger.

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Stavanger, Norway

Here I had a lot of fun with even the more mundane, everyday stuff one finds in any city, such as manhole...

Transatlantic — Stavanger; More on Lysefjord

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One of many waterfalls in Lysefjord

We continued our boat journey deep into Lysefjord, located in the Ryfylke district of Norway just east of Stavanger.

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Lysefjord

This is one instance in photography in which I did not mind the gray overcast, as it gave a sense of drama to the granite cliffs towering overhead:

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Lysefjord

The muted grays of the sky and the cliffs stood in stark contrast to the bright green foliage:

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Lysefjord

Lining the fjord were numerous waterfalls cascading down the cliffs and...

Reference Charlottesville, Portland, et al

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Omaha Beach near the American Cemetery

My Father’s two uncles were Antifa. One was Antifa in every major land battle of the Pacific Theater, while the other, for whom I am named, lost his life during Antifa operations in Sicily.

Shame to those who choose to forget.

Fun Photo Friday — Stavanger Favorites 1

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Cacophony of Colors

Here is part one of two featuring Stavanger Fun Photo Friday favorites:

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Green Anchors is the Place to Be; Fjiord Living is the Live for Me

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Visions of Moorings

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Colorful Debris

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Mouth

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Stopping for Strawberry Waffles

Transatlantic — Stavanger; Touring Lysefjord

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Lysefjord

Ursula had us booked on a boat tour departing Stavanger for the nearby Lysefjord. Lysefjord is a 26-mile/42-kilometer-long fjiord located about 16 miles/25 kilometers southeast of Stavanger.

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Lysefjord

But along the way to the entrance of Lysefiord, be prepared to snap some interesting islands and houses with boat barns:

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Lysefjord

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Lysefjord

Just shy of a kilometer into the mouth of Lysefjiord is a rather unique building that looks as if it’s sinking into the ground. This is the Lysef...

How is El Paso holding up since the white supremacist attack?

I went to my favorite El Paso local gun store today. Almost no .380 ACPs left. Nearly empty cases once filled with Glocks, Walthers , and SIGs. [image error]

S&W SW99 in .45 ACP; Walther P99c AS in 9mm

Elsewhere across town, concealed carry courses are sold out, and additional classes are being added. [image error]

Colt Government Models in .45 ACP and .38 Super +P

The next white supremacist piece of garbage coming here is going to be in for a rude awakening.

Transatlantic — Arriving Stavanger, Norway

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Stavanger, Norway

On August 25, 2017, Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas docked in Stavanger, Norway. Stavanger is located on the aptly named Stavanger Peninsula, and the Stavanger metropolitan area is the third most populace in Norway.

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Stavanger City Bridge

Unfortunately, the sky was a dismal gray when we first disembarked,  but as you’ll see next week, the clouds eventually broke up to allow sunlight to stream through blue skies onto the city. Until then, we’ll just look as a dismal morni...

Fun Photo Friday — Kristiansand, Norway favorites

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Feelin’ the Blues

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Nupen Fontenen

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Colorfully Clad Windows

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Walking toward the Sørlandet

Transatlantic — Continuing in Kristiansand, Norway

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Kristiansand Old Town

I teased you on Monday with a photograph of the Christiansholm Fortress, which dates back to 1672. Here’s another view:

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Christiansholm Fortress

Surprisingly, this old fort was in use all the way into 1872, 200 years after it’s completion:

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Christiansholm Fortress

The city center of Kristiansand is the borough of Kvadraturen. Here you will find the Kristiansand Cathedral. with its verdigris-accented roof:

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Kristiansand Cathedral

Kristiansand Cathedral is the fourth church t...

Transatlantic — Into Kristiansand, Norway

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Kristiansand, Norway

The next stop after Skagen for Voyager of the Seas was Kristiansand, Norway, where we docked on August 24, 2017. Kristiansand is much larger city than our previous stop. Alas, the weather did not hold here, so I’m limited on the imagery. We’ll start below with a photograph of Christiansholm Fortress, a structure ordered built by King Christian IV and completed in 1672:

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Christiansholm Fortress

Being a seaport, it would be remiss of me not to include at least one marina sho...