Chicken, Shrimp and Swans

Stavanger is the fourth largest town in Norway, with a population of approximately 180,000 people in the general area, and about 115,000 in the town itself.

That means that the population of the general area of Stavanger is similar to the population of the greater area of my hometown, Gainesville, Georgia.

And population is not all they have in common.

Right off the square in Gainesville, is a tall obelisk. Perched on the top is a (relatively) small chicken.



This is because Gainesville, Georgia is the Chicken Capital of the World. For reals.

Years ago, there was a gentleman named Jesse Jewell who made up ways to preserve and pack poultry on an assembly line, forever negating the need to go out back and behead the evening meal. (You're welcome.)

About once a year, some enterprising pack of teens steals the chicken. Mayhem ensues, at least until it's recovered.

And as one can imagine, before Norway tapped into its the mother lode of oil, the sea provided the basis for much of the economy.

Now, Stavanger is called "The Petroleum Capital of Norway," but once it was all about the ocean.

Hence, the giant statue of the shrimp in the harbor, which I think is more proportional to its base than the chicken.



The giant shrimp statue is situated at the most inland point of the harbor in the center of town, which serves not just as the geographical center, but also the social center of Stavanger. On sunny days, the cafes lining one side become packed with people soaking up the rays with a pint of beer. On weekdays, Husband goes to his office on the far side of the water. And the "downtown" is built around it.

Yesterday, Lillie and I went on a walk around the harbor. Though she grew up in Atlanta, she really was a homebody. But now that we don't have a backyard, she has to take her breaks on walks.

So, I am trying to acclimate her to city life and all that entails, for instance people, cars and swans.

Things I Learned Today, Installment One

So our camera broke today. An error message saying "Memory Card Error" popped up on the screen instead of the inspired photo I was trying to take of the giant shrimp statue in the harbor.

Husband replaced the memory card, but was too embarrassed to take it to his friend, the technophile, because it is so out of date. So for a while, until we get a new one, we'll have to do without photos, but not for tooooo long....

In the meantime, I'll add in links when I appropriate (or deemed so by me...).

Today, we got a loaner car. It's a Saab 93 diesel (wagon, natch...) and we'll be driving this one until our actual car comes in the mail or on a boat or via train or however it is that cars get to places when they are not being driven. So Husband ditched work early and picked me up for a Friday afternoon drive.

We went all over the area and into the country side and here are a few things we saw and a few things I learned.

1) If you are driving along the road and see a sign that says "Fartputer" do not be alarmed. Slow down because, if not you will soon be flying over Speed Pillows, which are speed bumps.

2) A goat is a geit, which is pronounced Yight (rhymes with sight). More than one goat is a geiter.

3) It doesn't matter that it was cold enough that we were buttoned up and wearing gloves. On this afternoon, the sun was out and the waves were breaking. So, car loads of people were pulling up to the beach, stripping down and then zipping up their wetsuits all for a few hours of surfing in the afternoon sun.

4) Not all cars in Europe are stick shifts. Some of them are automatic, one of which, in our possession for the next month or so, is parked right by our front door.