July 21, 2023 to July 24, 2023
Stavanger
We had two days to discover Stavenger after our overnight adventure to Pulpit Rock. On Saturday, a cloudy day, we chose two museums leaving Sunday, a predicted full sun day, for exploring Stavanger outdoors.
First off was the archeology museum which highlights the period from prehistoric times as well as the Middle Ages, with the popular Viking history being a large part of the exhibits. Impressive detailed maps showed just how far Vikings travelled with their sailing ships - a slender and flexible boat, with symmetrical ends and with a true keel.
Stavanger became THE port for off-shore drilling when oil was discovered in the North Sea in the late 60’s. With the building of the offshore drilling sites, Stavanger went from a small, relatively poor fishing town to an industrial hub almost overnight. For us, one of the visible benefits was the first-class paved pedestrian and cycle paths from the moment we rode off the ferry to the city centre. The city is prosperous and much of the town is newly built except for the old town which has been lovingly restored.
The Petroleum Museum was insightful. We first clamoured into a submersible and immediately felt how tight the quarters are and how claustrophobic and insignificant one might feel 100’s of feet underwater.
There were intricate models of oil tankers, supply ships and offshore platforms with large multi-layered housing units perched on an end of the enormous platforms. There were portions of the museum built to resemble oil platforms over water to give you a sense of what it might feel like to actually be on a rig.
Surprisingly the museum didn’t shy away from the climate crisis. The Norwegian petroleum industry accounts for 30% of Norway's greenhouse gas emissions (2015). Burning fossil fuels is one of the biggest reasons for the rise of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Norway’s politicians have imposed one of the world’s highest carbon taxes on its petroleum industry and they are diversifying into wind, hydrogen and CO2 management. However, they admit that while Norwegians are making a big commitment to prevent greenhouse gas emissions, their prosperity rests on an activity which pollutes the planet.
There was a section that invited us to contemplate how the oil industry had changed life for Norwegians:
It maybe a small country with a modest share of the global population. But little Norway is a great power as the world’s third largest gas exporter and the twelfth biggest exporter of oil (2015).
Revenues from the petroleum sector has given Norwegians one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world.
Norway ranks as one of the biggest providers of aid in the world. Norway devotes almost 1% of its GDP to development cooperation with other countries. Norway is one of five countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to meet its targets of at least .7% of their GDP.
With the negative impact of continued oil extraction, is Norway doing enough to help countries that are most severely impacted by CO 2 emissions?
As you might imagine, touring the museum gave us lots to discuss.
On Sunday it was a most glorious weather perfect day! What we hadn’t counted on was everything being closed. The full cafes, shops and sidewalks we saw on Saturday were all quiet on Sunday morning. Kathleen and Steven spent an hour soaking in the tranquil music and atmosphere of a Lutheran church service, while Ann found the perfect spot at the waterfront to watch the boats coming and going, and Rob put the final touches on his thesis draft.
By the afternoon the people were back and at least the quayside restaurants and cafes were busy. We spent a leisurely hour meandering through Old Stavanger. Before the oil industry, people made their living seafaring and lived by the water, so the area consisted mostly of small wooden houses built close together.
Later we found a table in the sun along with folks from the large cruise ship that had arrived, to enjoy fancy drinks and to take in the waterfront on a rare sunny afternoon in Norway.
The archeology museum.
The Petroleum Museum
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 3,618 km (2,247 miles)
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