After checking out the cannons of Kristiansand I moved on to Stavanger. The first part of the drive went over the highway, but later I switched over to the North Sea Road. This coastal route crosses small villages, fjords and fisheries. Quite some spectacular views and an impressive first impression of Norway.
Despite all the beauty I later switched back to the highway because all those small winding roads are not particularly fast. An other advantage of the highway was that I could experience the tunneling and bridging skils of the Norwegians.
Arrived in Stavanger I checked in in the Stavanger Mosvangen Camping situated in a park like environment and at a lake. The camping pitches were literally in the park, and joggers, walkers and other users of the park were just passing by. Not a lot of privacy thus. The campsite was in the process of renovation, which was definitely needed as the facilities seemed quite dated. Because of this the price was reduced and all the facilities were free, including the washing machines. I absolutely needed to do laundry after three weeks on the road, so that was one of the first things I did.
The next day I met Markus and his dad from Hamburg on the camping. Markus contacted me trough the Hangout function of the Couchsurfing app which is a nice way to meet locals and fellow travelers. Together we went exploring the harbour and old town of Stavanger. Today a cycling tour was finishing in the harbour so it was quite busy. The old town exists of some nice streets with traditional wooden houses, quite charming.
In the afternoon I said farewell to Markus and his dad as I wanted to continue to Preikestolen, aka Pulpit Rock. A ferry needed to be taken and some driving.
I was hoping to find a wild camp but there seemed not many options so I decided to go to the Preikestolen Camping. The camping is run by some Dutch and is situated on the way to the starting point of the Preikestolen hike. It is quite expensive though and the facilities were not extraordinary. I set up camp prepared a meal and lit up a small fire in my small barbecue. Later my neighbouring campers joined the fire for a bit.