STAVANGER (Norway), March 6 – Let’s see the world.
That’s what our Norwegian friend Ernst exhorts us to do but given we’re deep in fjord country, with the mountainous hike up treacherous Preikestolen on one side and the neverending white beaches of Sandnes on the other, we don’t really see how we’ll manage this.
Have some faith, Ernst tells us, and so we follow him down the winding cobblestone streets of Stavanger.
This is the heart of Europe’s oil and energy industry, as well as a university town, so it’s hardly backwards.
But given the number of ferries and fjords we have journeyed on, the numbers of trains and valleys, we’d be forgiven for thinking that, for all the trappings of civilisation, we are also in the middle of nowhere.
Having said that, the middle of nowhere could hardly be more pleasant. There is an old world charm to Old Stavanger.
The town centre has some of the continent’s best preserved wooden houses – not a slight accomplishment given the number of roaring fires that have raged across Europe across the centuries.
Stavanger boasts over 170 white wooden houses yet it is the vividly-coloured painted homes that astound. (Probably not a coincidence, given the Norwegian Jotun Group is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of paints and coatings.)
The best rainbows are the ones you live in. Every colour of the spectrum to suit your mood and activity: laughing and dancing, cooking and loving, wining and dining.
Speaking of dining, Ernst has finally found the establishment he’s looking for. Given our little urban walkabout, a bit of sustenance sounds tremendously welcome right about now.
The sign on the restaurant proudly proclaims: Phileas Fogg.
If the name rings a bell, you’re probably thinking of the protagonist of Jules Verne’s 1872 classic Around the World in 80 Days. (“Let’s see the world.”)
Ah, that’s clever.
We enter, the bright sunlight outside replaced with a golden evening glow meant to mimic oil lamps of yesteryear.
What would Fogg and his trusty French valet Passepartout have made of the eclectic ambience that greeted us?
There is an assortment of carelessly strewn (but likely carefully curated) bric-à-brac from the statue of a Sioux chief wearing an impressive feathered war bonnet to a replica of the hot air balloon recalling Verne’s 1863 adventure novel Five Weeks in a Balloon.
Menu options span the globe as expected, albeit safe choices: moules frites, Belgian style steamed mussels in white wine with fries; a touch of Mexico with nachos con carne, served with salsa, sour cream and guacamole; pasta carbonara a nod to Italy; and the very British fish & chips, complete with pea purée.
Nothing earth-shattering but that’s hardly the point. There is much to be said for indulging in a bit of kitsch, revelling in it even.
For diners aren’t here for the burgers, not really. It’s about dining beneath a sky of model airplanes and humongous luggage cases from another era. It’s the dream of a time when travelling takes weeks, months and even years.
Circling the world in 80 days would have been a daredevil’s attempt, a fool’s errand. Today, with the right connections, it wouldn’t even take eight days to circle the planet and a couple of times at that.
Speed has killed any sense of adventure and drama. Perhaps that is the magic of Stavanger, where time doesn’t stand still so much as we are invited to stand still in time.
Norwegians offer a very Scandinavian, very quizzical look when you ask them if you’d be late for the next ferry. Their response is often, “Why hurry?” Another ferry would come, eventually. What’s the rush, indeed.
More important is to embrace the hygge, the contentment we can extract from the day. There is no moment but this moment.
We take the advice of the locals and opt for a ramble in the streets rather than chasing the next ferry. Every corner promises a new discovery.
For arts and culture enthusiasts, a plethora of museums will appease every appetite. This being Norway, however, they also have museums dedicated to petroleum and fish canning. (We are sure there are enthusiasts for these subjects too. They’d certainly be delighted by what they’d find here.)
The Norwegian Canning Museum isn’t the anomaly you’d think; in the early 19th century, Stavanger was where they exported smoked sardines to the rest of the world. Again: let’s see the world.
Today, however, what rules Stavanger is the lively beat of the streets. No one stays indoors for long, not if they can avoid it. There is a natural high from the fresh air, especially this close to the ocean and the mountains.
The walls tell their own story, narrating in pop images and propulsive hieroglyphics. Murals abound: a man in a suit hidden behind a scarlet file; faces laughing and sharing secret jokes adorning a door, each more resplendent than the last.
As we walk, we see other people settling into their seats at various restaurants and bars, ready for an evening of conviviality.
The night falls early in Stavanger, as it does in much of Norway, but here the day lasts long after sundown.
It’s as though the town and its inhabitants – both residents and transients – know that there is still so much to do, taste and see. Everyone whispers to each other: Let’s see the world.
Phileas Fogg
Skagen 27, Stavanger 4006, Norway
Open Mon-Sat 12pm-10:30pm; Sun 3pm-9pm
Tel: +47 51 53 70 50
