Fregatten Hotel

Accessible for the handicapped

by Saagar

Kristiansand prides itself for being the most accessible city for the physically challenged/handicapped.
You will find more information on this at www.kristiansandkommune.no and then check "tilgjengelighetsguiden" (the access guide).
Worth considering, since most Norwegian cities do not really belong to the easy-access league...

Learn the basics

by hailsbails

I found it hard when you were at a party and everyone was speaking some wierd language. So the best thing you can do to prevent feeling like an idiot, is learn the basics to start off with. And then move from there..

Its not hard to learn the basics of norwegians greetings! I think its only natural to try learn a little! Here are some words that might come in handy!

Hello - Hei, Hallo (sounds the same)
Goodbye - Ha det bra (Har-De-BRA)
My name is - Jeg heter (Yi-heter)
Thank you-Takk skal du ha(Takk-Ska-Da-Har)

I wrote these out how it sounds to me, it took me ages to realise what people were saying. But once you get the hang of it, practice it in your head, your set!

A beautiful walk to remember!

by hailsbails

Odderoya, a nice little setting, nestled in the forest, and overlooking the sea. On a beautiful clear day, you can see for miles. Looking out over the islands scattered around the coast of Norway. The waters clear blue!! If you do the complete walk way, you will reach the top of the "mountain" well it feels like a mountain to me!! But about a 20-30 minute walk depending on your fitness!!! And its worth it. Up the top there is a little shop that sells beverages, there are seats for you to gaze out at the amazing scenery!!

The "capital" of southern Norway

by Rusket

"58.10N 8.00E"

Kristiansand is the fifth largest city in Norway, with 75.000 inhabitants. It is situated on the southern coast, with a nice summer climate and snowy winters. It is named after the danish-norwegian king Christian IV, who established the City in 1641. He was very fond of naming cities after himself; we have another city called Kristiansund, and Oslo had the name Christiania for a period. There are a couple of Christian*something* in Denmark as well ;-)

Among other things, Kristiansand is known for its zoo / amusement park, the Quart music festival and for beeing the capital of "the black belt", an area with many christian congregations. I will not write a lot of tips about Kristiansand, since many others have already done so.

In Kristiansand the Sørland railway line is shaped like a Y, which means that trains change direction. Before we got the tilttrains, which can be driven in both directions, they had to shift the locomotives from one end to the other. (They still do on the overnight train.) What I do not like about that is that not all the seats on the tilt can be turned, and since I always buy cheap seats through internet, I very often end up in one of the non turnable ones, and have to travel backwards half the trip :-(

1/4 of my ancestors come from this area, most of them from a small island called Flekkerøy.

More info in this site: http://www.kristiansand.kommune.no/default.asp?id=7047

Kristiansand a kozy little town south of Norway

by Hildeal

"Kristiansand a kozy little town"

Kristiansand is a lovely little city situated in the south coast of Oslo. If you're a family with small kids you should visit the Kardemommeby ( an amusement park for kids) based on the books from Torbjørn Egner. And in Kristiansand zoo you'll see our famous chimpanzee Julius Kristiansand Zoo is Norway`s most frequently visited attraction covering an area of 150 acres of wild Nordic terrain. It is totally different from other European zoos, which are characterised by bars and heavy padlocks. In Kristiansand Zoo, the animals have wide open spaces in which to roam - however, the visitors are still able to get up close to observe some of the most beautiful animals - like the red panda, which is threatened by extinction..In the same Zoo you'll see our famous pirat captain sabeltooth and his world

a web page about Kristiansand zoo

http://www.dyreparken.com/index.jsp?c=18273