LEVADAS IN KRISTIANSUND

A levada is an irrigation channel,ditch,or aqueduct on the island of Madeira. Turns out we have them in Kristiansund. In "the old days" Kristiansund did not have a fresh water source so the inhabitants built these amazing stone ditches to collect and carry the water from the hillsides above Kristiansund down to storage ponds in the city. We now get our fresh water from the mainland but the levadas and ponds are still here. They are part of a walking and nature area. On Sundays it seems as if everybody is out with their family and dog taking a stroll on the levada trail. Lilly loves to walk in the levada when they are running with water.

Sorry I haven't been posting but I have been very sick with fibromyalgia and now must go into the hospital for awhile. I don't know if they will have wifi,so I might not be able to post for about a week or more. I promise to come back and finish up Lilly's tour of Kristiansund just as soon as I can. Thanks for checking in!

 

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KRISTIANSUND FESTIVALS

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Kristiansund hosts quite a few festivals. There is our Opera Festival with our famous oldest opera house in Norway. Then we have the NORDIC LIGHT FESTIVAL of PHOTOGRAPHY which is the biggest in Northern Europe. And we have our music festivals TAHITI and MAROKKO. The island of Innlandet is nicknamed Tahiti and the island of NORDLANDET is nicknamed MAROKKO,which is where the festivals get their names. Below is a drawing of Lilly at the Tahiti Festival.

 

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KRISTIANSUND OLD AND NEW

 

There is the old factory for making rope. Det er den gamle fabrikken for å gjøre tau.

This is the new blue bridge. Lookout!!! Dette er den nye blå broen. Være forsiktig!!!

 

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NORDLANDET KIRKE, NORDLANDET CHURCH

 

This is the stone and wood church on Norlandet. It was built in 1914 and managed to survive the bombing of World War Two. This would be the view if you were standing on the Kai next to Clipfish woman and Herring Boy. You can easily drive over to Nordlandet, or better yet, take the Sundbåt.

 

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FESTIVITETEN

 

Shall we sing? Skal vi synge?

This is our opera house built in 1914 in the Art Nouveau style. It is the oldest opera house in Norway and one of the few old buildings in Kristiansund to have survived the terrible bombing in World War Two. Our little town hosts quite the opera festival for two weeks in February. They also have workshops throughout the year at the opera house. The most important opera for us locals is Donna Bacalao which depicts the life of the clipfishwoman. And Bacalao is the name of our famous clipfish dish. The opera is held outdoors by the sea. We have been holding off to go see it til our norwegian was better. I'm thinking its time to give it a go.

 

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POLYCHROMATIC CITY

 

Did you know that Kristiansund was called the polychromatic city?

Vet du at Kristiansund ble kalt polykromatisk byen?

While there are a lot of colorful houses here in Kristiansund I believe I am seeing a trend leaning towards grey and white. Personally I like all the cheerful colors. Although my house is beige....

 

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AROUND THE CORNER

The days are still mild but I do believe Autumn approaches. For the first time in many weeks I was able to go for a very short walk yesterday. Fibromyalgia is a pain! It was warm and sunny but definite signs of a change in seasons were everywhere. Ripening Rowan berries,dried seed pods, red and brown leaves,the magical color of purple.

 

 

 

 

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