My first ever trip to Norway involved a visit to Mandal, the most southerly point of the country. It was certainly a novel place as most of the houses in the town centre were all white.
Mandal Town Emblem
January was the timing of my visit so I was greeted by snow and freezing temperatures yet the totally white scenery was very picturesque, even suitable for many a Christmas card front.
Help my boat is stuck in the ice
The Mandalselva river runs through the heart of this small urbanisation yet helps provide a gentle beauty on the eye. Frozen waters of the river were all around at the start of my trip so it was with novel amusement that I admired boats trapped in ice for the winter months.
Looking across the river at Mandal
Stunningly calm and peaceful, the views took away my breath before the cold temperatures could.
White House
Mandal was established on 1st January 1838 and retained its quaintness ever since with a recent census population of around 15,000. Even this seems large as the town centre is very compact and easy to walk around in a few minutes.
Street of white houses
In the winter the main appeal would be some shopping in various clothing and novelty stores. Or maybe just a meal or drink at around a choice of about a dozen eateries.
Waterfront statue
I’m told that the place comes alive in the summer with many tourists flocking to the town for the beautiful scenery and the most popular beaches in all of Norway. I’m not quite sure where they will all stay though as there are only two hotels in the town.
Aware of the visiting tourists the town seems to take advantage of this with lots and lots of paid parking areas, even paid parking to go to the local corner shop. Parking restrictions are also in place for some of the local residential streets in the town. The council even took parking to the next level by seeing a small mountain in the town and thinking “Hey, we could put a car park inside of that”; and so they did.
Let’s put a car park in a mountain
New appeal is added to the town with a recently built Arts Centre. This can host musical concerts as well as provide a multi-screen cinema. Not without controversy there is a footbridge (still under construction at the time of my visit) linking one side of the river to the Centre. This supposed simple construction has been delayed from completion by around a year due to not receiving the appropriate parts to allow the river traffic to pass by the bridge.
Arts Center at night
Mandal church
Mandal Kirke is the largest wooden church in Norway. An impressive and beautiful sight had even more curiosity for me. As I looked around I was amazed at how large the graveyard was! It seemed to go on and on yet it is a town with such a relatively small population.
Kirke graveyard
The small town full of white houses which we know of as Mandal is famous in Norway for being home for some historically famous artists as well as shipbuilding and engineering.
Mandal Christmas decoration
The river and waters to the sea are also thriving waters for salmon fishing. By the beaches and mouth of the river are red huts which act as look out points to identify schools of salmon. From this vantage point fishermen can decide when is a good time to put their nets out.
Look out point for a salmon fisherman
At around an hour’s drive from Kristiansand, I found Mandal a truly delightful place with the most friendly of people. The place in winter was sleepy, soothing and comforting at the same time. I dare say in summer it will heave with activity and trying to eat out could involve patient queuing.
Beach at Mandal
If I chose to visit as a leisure traveller I would choose to stay maybe just the one night unless I wanted to totally unwind. The town of white houses was a beautiful place to see and explore but options were limited and pretty soon you’ve seen all there is to see. However it is still worth seeing.
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18 comments
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Andy
15/03/2013 at 4:22 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I half expected there to be white houses because of the snow! That is interesting that the Salmon fisherman made a red house as there look out point when all else seemed to be white. I find the Nordic culture to be intriguing especially as you compare similarities and differences among the Scandinavian lands. It certainly looked cold there with that icy river, hope you brought a good jacket with you
The Guy
15/03/2013 at 4:31 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Andy. Yes a warm coat, hat and appropriate footwear was brought
. I was expecting it to be colder in fact as it was January. There was a fair bit of snow when I arrived but it soon melted away as temperatures rose to around or just above freezing. I look forward to seeing the place in the summer time but maybe without crowds.
Phil Holtberg
16/03/2013 at 3:29 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Love this post. My dad’s family is Norwegian and it’s on my list to one day visit with him.
Phil Holtberg recently posted..Times Square NYC – Are You Frickin’ Kidding Me?
The Guy
17/03/2013 at 9:11 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
That’s interesting Phil, I didn’t know you descended from Norway. Sure fire reason to hopefully get there some day.
Freya Renders
16/03/2013 at 3:57 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
It looks like a beautiful place. I can imagine the beach being a bit to cold this time of the year.
Great photos
haha I love your sentence “the views took away my breath before the cold temperatures could”
Freya Renders recently posted..The North Island, Taupo to Wellington
The Guy
17/03/2013 at 9:12 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Freya, yes it was cold but it meant the beach was virtually empty which is the way I like it
Agness
17/03/2013 at 1:43 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Wonderful place, so peaceful and picturesque! I should have gone there when I was in Norway. I see it was freezing
Did you enjoy the snow?
Agness recently posted..What to Do and See in Phnom Penh on a Budget when Your Time is Limited
The Guy
17/03/2013 at 9:13 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Agness, I must admit that I’m not a big fan of snow. Well more so when it turns to slush and ice underfoot. I look forward to going back again when it is a bit warmer.
Webbloggirl
17/03/2013 at 10:43 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
seems to be a nice place to visit. I have not visited Norway yet and looking for cheap trips out thee..hopefully some time this year. nice photos.
Webbloggirl recently posted..Finally Visited Vaduz. Liechtenstein
The Guy
17/03/2013 at 3:30 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Many thanks for the comment Webbloggirl. I hope you manage to get out there soon. Price does scare a lot of people but with good planning I think most people can enjoy Scandinavia.
Bennett
18/03/2013 at 1:59 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Looks so picturesque! I think for me, Norway is somewhere that is on a “winter visit” list, along with the rest of Scandinavia. I remember being in Copenhagen and seeing the frozen sea and it blew my mind!
The Guy
18/03/2013 at 7:25 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Bennett, great to hear you appreciated my winter visit. It certainly is stunning looking mostly white.
Suzy
24/03/2013 at 9:47 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Wow, a parking garage in a mountain. What an interesting idea! Mandal looks like a permanent winter wonderland with the white houses.
Suzy recently posted..The Universal Honeymoon
The Guy
25/03/2013 at 4:51 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Suzy, yes the garage certainly was a novelty
Thanks for visiting to see what is indeed a winter wonderland as you say.
Sophie
21/04/2013 at 4:04 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Mandal is such a lovely place. We’re at Lista (even further south) every summer and always stop for pizza in the old town square of Mandal.
Sophie recently posted..Mississippi paddlewheeling – and the War of 1812
The Guy
21/04/2013 at 9:17 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Sophie, great to see someone else going to Mandal
I’ve not heard of Lista. The locals told me that Mandal was the most southerly point of Norway so you’ve got me all confused now.
Sophie
22/04/2013 at 1:51 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Well, Mandal is the most southerly town. Lista isn’t really a town, more a landscape. The southernmost point is the lighthouse at Lindesnes. Very pretty area.
The Guy
23/04/2013 at 6:22 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Sophie, many thanks for the clarification.