After about a week at the summer-house we got in the car and drove north to the small Town of Haugesund. A little weekend away in a hotel is a nice way to end the holiday. And in addition to being nice for us it is also good in the present situation to be a tourist in your own country and spend some money if you can. Haugesund is about two hours drive for my home town of Stavanger, so it’s not a long trip, but it is enough to feel like you are on holiday.
It is a lovely place to walk around in and so I did, like a proper tourist. Haugesund town hall was built in 1931, designed by Gudolf Blakstad and Herman Munthe-Kaas, is one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Norway, and has been elected the most beautiful building in Haugesund. It overlooks the town square and park.
Haugesund is the host for the annual Norwegian international film festival and an international jazz festival called SildaJazz/Herring Jazz. The film festival also holds the Amanda prize, the Norwegian Oscar’s. None of these was on at the moment and the jazz festival that is usually held in August is not going ahead as normal this year. The man listed on Marilyn Monroe’s birth certificate was Martin Edward Mortensen, he had his roots in Haugesund in Norway. They have put up a statue of her, even if there are strong doubts that he was actually her father.
Haugesund has always had a close bond to the sea and the town grew up around the industry of fishing herring. The protective straits of Smedasund and Karmsund gave the town potential to grow in both fishing and shipping. The herring industry is now gone and there is a larger place for the petroleum and shipping industry.
By the strait of Smedasundet there is a lot of restaurants pubs and cafes. We got quite lucky with the weather on the Friday evening and all day on Saturday, so we spent some time enjoying these establishments by the sea in the lovely weather.
My other half does not have shopping as his favorite activity, so I spent some time in the morning when the shops opened to have a look in the shops in Haugesund centrum, while he was reading the paper in the hotel room. I only got a few little items, but enjoyed looking around.
This weekend, was not very good weather wise. But last night we went in to town in the evening to enjoy some nice food and drink. I might be home and not on holiday anymore, but I do think it is important to enjoy the summer when it is here, regardless of the weather.
What have you been up to this weekend?
