By the end of June the city of Stavanger,in the south west in Norway, fills up with sand. It is time for the annual beach volleyball festival. Sand fields are made along Vågen, the harbour which lies almost in the middle of the old city. Here, games are played for early morning till late at night.

Stavanger, the 4th biggest city of Norway, after Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, is best known as the oil capital of Norway. Stavanger attractions worth visiting include the oil museum, as are the many modern and traditional museums. However my Europe travel tip and what Ilove to do when I visit Stavanger, at least once every summer, is to walk along the small  streets in the old part of the city. Here the atmosphere hasn’t changed much during the last few decades. Although Norway’s biggest shopping mall, Kvadrat,  is located on the  outskirts of Stavanger, here in the old town you can lose yourself among small original shops, buy a coffee, some homemade pastries, the bookshops florishes and here and there, between clothing stores, there are a lovely variety of arts and crafts galleries.

After a long day walking around, don’t forget to visit the old stone cathedral and to feed the ducks and the swans at the small lake, Breiavannet, it is time for dinner. Let me recommend the Italian Allegro where the atmosphere is charming, the food exellent and the service very good.

Then, do like we did, end your night watching the sunset around 10pm at Vågen.

Enjoy your day.

Next week I plan to take you to the only Palm Island in Norway, Flor og Fjære, 20 minutes by boat from Stavanger.

Untill then: happy trails!……(and enjoy a hike we did last summer near Stavanger)