Kristiansand, Norway July 1, 2015

Happy Canada Day!  In celebration of Canada Day I have a wonderful Pistachio and Lemon Gelato in a waffle cone!

Today we are on the Disney Magic's inaugural visit to Kristiansand, Norway.  We are due to arrive around 7:45 a.m., but actually arrive early.  There is only one young man on the dock trying to retrieve the blue lines that are shot out for the anchors.  

When you get off the ship there is a young man and woman singing.  Guess the welcome all ships for the first time this way.  Didn’t get pictures, as by the time I got off they were long gone.  However, I was welcomed by the moose of Kristiansand.

Kristiansand is called “The Coolest Riviera”.  It is the capital of Southern Norway and the fifth largest city.  It is on the south coast facing the European continent and is surrounded by water on three sides.

Settled in the early 5^th century and founded by King Christian IV in the mid 1600’s it is home to many cultural, music and art festivals.  Kristiansand is a favorite summer holiday spot and fishing and sailing are very popular.

The whole town center fits within one square kilometer.  There is a fish market, small boutiques, and only foot traffic on their main street which is the shopping district.

Another guy thinking he is at Las Ramblas in Barcelona LOL

There was nothing at this statute to explain its' significance.

McDonald's is a monument here!

There are still picturesque wooden houses in this quaint seaside city.

We are scheduled today on the excursion of Lillesand – by Land and Sea. (not to confuse with the other Land and Sea tour I took in a different port earlier last month).  We travel through the city on motorcoach with our guide pointing out the highlights, including the wooden houses.

Next we arrive for a 30 minute stop in the beautiful village of Lillesand.  This is a popular spot in the summer for Norwegians.  They actually take the whole month of July for vacation and go to their summer cottages.  Now….wouldn’t that be nice...

Then we return to the motorcoach where we continue to Stokken where we board our large boat for a trip around the small islands of Kristiansand, first visiting Dvergsnes and Randesund.  There are many vacationers out sunbathing and swimming.  Even kids in wetsuits jumping in the water.  It is lovely to be up close and personal to these small summer villages since we have only seen them at a distance from the Disney Magic.  

Even though it is warm today (about 70 degrees) the Norwegians must love this weather.  You would think they are in Florida.  To me, it is still just a little cool to be sunbathing, especially with the cool breeze.  But Norwegians must love any sun they get after their long nights in the winter and the cold that comes along with it.  I love the first picture with the dog and his owners sunbathing.

A highlight on the excursion was sailing through Skippergada, a natural maritime canal between two islands.  There are quaint timber houses building around 1800 in the traditional southern style.

Kids in their wetsuits diving into the water

After visiting those two villages, we motor on over to the village of Flekkeroy which is equally beautiful.  Flekkeroy is the biggest island in Kristiansand and is considered a suburb.  There are 3,500 permanent residents here.  On our way we see the ferry coming in from Copenhagen that arrives every day at 5 p.m.

Then we pass the village of Bragdoya as we work our way back to the Disney Magic.  The breeze is definitely still cool, but it is a beautiful day in Kristiansand.  Our guide told us there are 1299 islands, islets and rocks around Kristiansand.

We arrive back to the dock, right next to the Disney Magic, at 4:15 p.m.  All aboard is 4:45 p.m., so I am glad I got to visit the main town center this morning before we went on the excursion.

It is actually very warm up on deck and many guests are enjoying the pool today.

We grab a quick bite to eat and then go up on deck for sailaway.  Once again, it is really hard to imagine the beauty here unless you see it with your own eyes.

It is formal night tonight!

Villains Tonight is in the Walt Disney Theater.  I think this might be the last time I see it before it retires from the Disney Magic in November when Tangled will open.  Loved Villains Tonight, but can’t wait to see Tangled, one of my favorite movies.

Elaine has headed off to the Promenade Lounge for the Canada Day Celebration.

Then it is off to dinner in Lumiere’s where we enjoy Shrimp Skewers along with our wonderful dinner.

Tonight, Luis, our head server, decided it was my birthday, so the serving team and a bunch of other servers and assistant servers come over and sing me happy birthday.  So July 1st must be my "unbirthday" celebration.  I do tend to be on the Disney Magic every year on July 1st, so maybe I will just add that to my calendar for next year! LOL

 

Tonight is Magic Quest in Fathom’s which is always fun and crazy to watch.

Then it is off to the room as we will arrive in our last Norway stop tomorrow of Stavanger before we get a sea day as we head to Iceland!  We are on a short stop in the morning, only staying in Stavanger between 7:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.  It is suppose to be 80 degrees tomorrow!

So, once again, Goodnight from the Disney Magic!