Travelling in time…

Norway in a nutshell

Kristiansand is the fifth biggest town in Norway – with only few more than 80.000 people living there. Compared to my current home city Berlin it seems to be quite tiny. But actually, Kristiansand, with its huge ferry terminal, is one of the most important gateways from Denmark to Southern Norway. Therefore it also is a holiday hotspot with lots of visitors, especially in summertime. I still remember so many sunny days from June to September when me and my friends went for a ride on a boat along the coastline to Lillesand with its wooden (and yes, stereotype Norwegian) houses, when we took a sunbath at the waterfront of Odderøya, an island just off to the harbour, or walked along Baneheia, the local recreational area, only few minutes away from the city centre… Back in 2004, Kristiansand presented the very best of Norway to me – a country in a nutshell! And it still is today!

A student’s life…

Of course, remembering the student years always means a lot of great, funny, special memories. And it’s true: Students do partying a lot! Erasmus students do partying even harder – especially in summertime when the days are bright, the nights are warm and the music festivals take place (at my times it was the Quart festival, today it is Måkeskrik Music Festival or a variety of concerts, e.g. by Sting this June). It was all about celebrating life and “freedom”. But the time in Kristiansand was not only about partying. It was also about growing up, about lessons for life and about autonomy, about enjoying youth – and it was about friendship. I met so many people to whom I feel strongly connected until today… I’ve learned what it meant to be on my own and about the value of silence and enjoying being alone with my inner thoughts and feelings. Being a student at Kristiansand’s University of Agder was one of the best times in my life. Within that period I became a different person. A person interested in foreign places. A person who wanted to learn more about different cultures. A person who started to be curious about the world. A very happy girl! Thanks to Sandra, Christine, Eva, Ale, Marco… Thanks to everyone who joined.

Feels like home to me

Now, coming back to Kristiansand more than ten years later, it felt like travelling in time. Although there were lots of new apartment buildings and ongoing construction work – the “heart” of Kristiansand didn’t change at all. Cosy cafés, Nordic design shops and the picturesque fish market. As if time was standing still… I was so happy to be able to show Henryk my beloved little Kristiansand and all the places where I have lived and studied – where I became who I am today. We strolled along the streets, visited my old student residence and bought hotdogs at 7eleven… and we loved it.

Kristiansand is not as urban and hip as Oslo, for sure. It is not as pretty as Bergen nor as charming as Ålesund. But it’s the town my heart will always belong to. The home of so many special memories. The place where I was taught to never stop exploring…

Thanks to visitsorlandet.com for the chance to come back to Kristiansand. This article bases on a co-operation, but it still reflects the veridic opinion of the author.
More information: www.visitsorlandet.com and www.visitnorway.com