Sola Beach, the gem of the season! It was super cold on this beach, poor Moose’s nose was all red and runny within 5 minutes of walking on it. After an unnecessarily long drive to Stavanger/Sandnes (and a good night’s rest) I got to check out this beach! To the Americans reading this it may not seem like such a big deal, looks like the shore, right? But I haven’t seen a beach like this in two years! Norwegians love (LOVE) the summer months, and after their killer winters I can’t blame them. This beach is one of the top places to hit on a sunny day, soak up some sun and play in the surf. The surf of the brisk* Norwegian Sea that is.
The special thing about this beach is that it is located in the oil capital. Driving to it I passed two fields worth of oil companies all set up to reap the black gold from the ocean. Though so close to the industry the dunes seemed to separate the booming businesses from the calmness of the beach. Out on the horizon I could see ships calmly coming and going, plugging away just taking care of business. It was not always that calm in this area. Just behind the beach and a little to the left is an airport, on that was key to the Germans during their occupation of Norway.
In April 1940 Germans landed, and successfully took over, Sola Air Station. Though not used for a full deployment until 1944 Germans maintained control of the air station until May 1944 when a group of Norwegian and British paratroopers successfully retook the base. Sola Air Station was the first airport to host Norwegian planes after the war. (Just to get my history love out).
Part of the Norwegian culture is strong national pride in their country. Though Norway is not a large country by population or land mass (longest coastline in the world though!) the people tend to be very patriotic. I can’t wait to share how they celebrate 17th of May!
As well as being proud of their country you will find that many Norwegians are concerned for the well being of their environment. While walking along the beach my friend pointed out that there was little trash to be found, and what was found we would pick up and put in a bag to be properly disposed of. They told me that there are groups of volunteers who clean up the beach regularly to keep it looking as beautiful as the day I saw it.
Oh shit, it's på norsk! 