Stavanger was a sleepy fishing village until the discovery of North Sea oil in 1968. Since then it has been the main oil port for Norway and has grown to about 20,000. The city is and interesting mix of old and new construction. The older parts have narrow, winding cobblestone streets and 18th and 19th century frame homes and shops. Interspersed are new hotels and apartment houses.

One of the most interesting buildings is the Petroleum Museum, which shows the history of oil exploration in the North Sean and the mechanics of drilling and extracting the oil.

We spent most of the day walking around the older part of the city, going into the shops and discovering little squares and alleys. Laura also found a toy store and a couple of children’s clothing stores where most of the clothes are locally made.

One of the national dishes of Norway seems to be waffles. They are served with strawberries and cream or ice cream. In either case they are very good .