Just along the fjord from us is an intriguing monument called "Sverd i Fjell" or "Swords in Rock". Unveiled by King Olav in 1983, it commemorates the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872 AD where it is said that King Harald Hårfagre (Fair Hair) fought a battle that united Norway's three districts into one kingdom. The Viking swords' hilts depict crowns from the districts which took part in the battle, representing peace, unity and freedom. It's a major tourist attraction in Stavanger.
As luck would have it, the site of the three swords was on our Sunday cycle route. It started out with the suggestion... "let's just go oot for a run"...the warning flags should have been going up at that stage. We had a vague notion that there was a cycle path that would take us right around Hafrsfjord, over a bridge, round by Tananger, Sola and back home. There is and it did, eventually...3 hours and 20 kilometres later, in 23 degree heat, two greasy spots rolled up at Hestnes. The airport's at Sola and, as we cycled past the end of the runway, it's fair to say we wished we'd taken our passports with us!
A quick word on the "other" battle...Mulder has decided to retreat and regroup before deciding how best to tackle his obnoxious neighbour. Little does he know that things are about to get worse...he's getting dropped off at Windiness Cattery later today for a wee holiday while we head home to Orkney. Oblivious for the time being...
:-(
No comments:
Post a Comment