Aker Brygge (Oslo)

Today I will take you to a new country - Norway! We will land at the airport in Oslo. The Norwegians celebrate the 150 anniversary of birth of the famous painter Edvard Munch. Huge reproductions of his masterpieces decorate the walls of the airport.

Unfortunately, I only had a short half an hour in Oslo. It is definitely not enough to visit the historical center of the city. Instead, I will take you to the old shipyard area, called Aker Brygge.

The huge red building is the Oslo City Hall.

On the other side of the street comes the Nobel Peace Center. It is an exhibition center that promotes the ideals of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Aker Brygge is located on the banks of the Oslofjord. It still includes a marina with smaller and bigger ships.

The old yard buildings are now turned into offices and shopping centers.

On the other side of the fjord you can admire the Akershus Castle, located on a little hill. It was originally built in late thirteenth century. Next to it there is a station of big ferries that can take you to other Scandinavian countries.

It is quite a contrast compared to the modern residential and office buildings established over the last twenty years.

Looks a bit like Venice I guess. With parking places for boats just next to the office.

If you have a spare moment you can take a look inside the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. I like the idea of having wooden walls - looks a bit like a barn, doesn't it?

In the back you can see the fjord leaving the city. The little light is a small lighthouse that is helping ships to navigate. It takes one hour to reach the open sea. The fjord is not very long but ships and ferries move there very slowly.

Another look at Akershus Castle. It seems some military ships have anchored next to it.

Time to say goodbye to Oslo. We have one more place to visit in Norway. A small but charming town. On the banks of a fjord of course.

Kołobrzeg

The third lighthouse I will show you will be in the biggest city on the coast that I have visited this year - Kołobrzeg. To reach the seaside, we will walk through a nice park.

On the parking lot, I noticed a real beauty - it is an original Wartburg. They were very popular in Poland in communist times. The production ended in April 1991 but a few of them still drive on Polish roads. My human family told me that this has always been the most popular colour. Yes, they are really old if they can rememebr it.

Here you can see the office of the Harbour Master. The building is quite similar to the one that we have seen in Ustka.

Finally, we arrive to the lighthouse. It was built in 1946 - the one that used to stand here before was blown up by Germans in 1945. It is 26 meters high. If you want to see what it looks like at night, I encourage you to take this virtual tour.

The lighthouse includes a monument dedicated to those who perished at sea. Next to it there is a monument of Stanisław Mieszkowski, a Polish captain who was commanding warships during World War II.

It is of course possible to climb up the lighthouse. From the top you can see the entry to the harbour.

The little white building is the seat of the Technical Master of the Harbour.

In the harbour there are of course many ships.

As in Ustka, you can spot some military vessels. But don't be fooled, this one is in fact a civil ship, offering commercial cruises to tourists.

 As you surely guessed, the tall building on the other side of the river is a radar.

The surroundings of the harbour are populated with nice, colourful residential buildings.

On the other side of the lighthouse we can spot the beach.

Let's get down to feel the breeze better.

Like in Ustka, the weather has scared most of the bathers, leaving the beach to seagulls.

You may think "yet another post with same views, what is so much different about Kołobrzeg?". Well the amazing thing is that it is really a pretty big city. A few hundreds meters from the beach you can almost forget you are in a seaside town.

 * * *

Alright, this was the last lighthouse I wanted to show you. But I still have a little surprise for you. But I keep it for next time.

Jarosławiec

The second village on our lighthouse trail is Jarosławiec. It is really small, just a couple of streets but it is very charming. Let's start with the lighthouse itself. It was built in 1829.

The lighthouse is over 33 meters high so from the top you can see the entire village. To see more you can also try this virtual tour.

When you look in the direction of the see you will notice a strange tall, greenish structure. It is a radar. I will take you closer later.

And on the hills you cannot miss the windmills. And yes, the wind is quite strong in this part of the country.

The lighthouse uses 6 strong lamps.

And here - the steering box. Doesn't look very complicated, does it?

Now let's get down and take this nice little street in the direction of the see. On the way we need to taste the icecream. And the waffers.

Take a look at this house. This way of building is called timber framing. It was popular in the region for centuries.

 On the left side of the lighthouse we will find an area administered by the Polish Navy.

It houses one of the radars protecting the Polish coast line. We have seen it already from the top of the lighthouse.

Further to the West you will find the fishing harbour.

 It is pretty small - one pier ...

... and a few ships.

This device is caled windlass. It is used to help ships approach the shore.

And this is an enforced part of the shore. I have no clue why they did it like this. Any thoughts?

Now let's turn back and start walking to the East. First we will find a nice beach. The day is sunny so it is full of people. These structures made of fabric are a typical feature of Polish beaches - they are meant to protect the sunbathers from the cold wind.

Let's move further until the little river.

It goes up to the village.

Finally we arive to another military area. It is marked by a grid and bright yellow signs.

As you may imagine, the beach in this part is empty.

I think that I have already told you that the Baltic Sea is cold. Very cold. So for all those of you who are not ready to put their feet into the sea Jarosławiec offers another option. An aquapark. First you need to take a shower. A dino-shower I mean.

Then we can run to the slides.

Or just swim a little.

I am chosing the nice jaccuzies with friendly bubbles. Let's enjoy and relax.