After my adventures at the city archive, I checked the sky to confirm decent weather and embarked on this afternoon’s biking adventure. I packed a book on Norwegian treason trials and took the bus out to Mosterøy, which is just north of Stavanger’s peninsula and reachable by tunnel and bus. For anyone making the same trip in the future, remember that when you get off on the island, you can’t continue on the same road by bike, since you will soon find yourself in a 4.4km tunnel where bikes are not welcome. You have to bike back to an intersection and turn left to get access to the island proper. Or, like me, you haul your bike east off of the road, up a steep hill, and crawl screaming through some thick thorn bushes until you find the island’s main road (helpfully named Mosterøyveien or Mosterøy road).
Only a few kilometers west of the bus stop, in the low hills of this cute farming community is Utstein Kloster, an old monastery well-known in this region. The coast is dotted with farms, boat houses, and signs advertising the sale of potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables. You’ll pass by lots of sheep, cows, and horses on your way, as well as the runes of stone houses and fences dating back one, some almost two thousand years. The bike ride altogether takes less than 45 minutes at a leisurely pace.
The location of Utstein Abbey is apparently already mentioned in historical records going back as far as 800, according to the museum pamphlet but the main structure was built in the 13th century. It was inhabited by Augustinian monks until the Reformation hit. It was neglected until the 20th century when it was restored and turned into a museum and event center. Just last week some American theater company performed King Lear at Utstein Kloster, a really charming location for a play like that.
After going through the rather small grounds of the main building, I went out back and basked in the sun, listened to the wind blow through the huge trees surrounding the monastery, and actually got a few good hours of reading in before biking back! The confused museum staff waved hello to me on the grass, probably wondering why I spent much more time outside than inside the main building. I’m starting to realize that my location here makes it possible to truly study in style…
August 31st, 2005 at 19:26
so beautiful.
September 13th, 2005 at 17:09
I visited the abbey when I went to Stavanger last year. Definitely the most beautiful building I saw while I was there. Unfortunately the museum was not open. So I spent all my time outside, enjoying the peace and quiet of the place and the stunning location and ruminating about how nice it would be to buried in the cemetary (if I was actually sentimental about that sort of thing).
[Just catching up on your blog by the way, after a while out of the loop]
November 24th, 2005 at 8:19
Hey, came by this site here by accident. And I just about laughed so I fell off my chair from your story about dragging your bike with you up that hill LOL!! I am a 22 year old guy, born and raised on that island, still live out here :] And I’m kindof wondering if you are the guy who met me and some friends and asked for directions at the gas station/tourist guide hut (by the intersection to the left that you mentioned). Either way, we thought you had come through the tunnel by bike LOL, crazy tourists. I envy your sense of adventure :] I doubt I’ll ever get off of my behind and go biking in a foreign country, but I do bet it is exciting.
Also I absolutely understand why you spent more time outside the monastery, it is a place of deep emotion. The trees around there are very tall and very old, there is a special feeling you get when out there listening to the wind and smelling the sea. It is too bad you didn’t go up to the vard. If you don’t know what a ‘vard’ is, it’s a cylinder shaped stone-pile, carefully built. The vikings used it as their alarm system so they could prepare for battle or run away in time when enemy ships were spotted in the horizon. They would light a fire upon these cylinder shaped stone-things on the mountains around, and the people on the island would be alerted. Two of these are still standing, one on Mosterøy (called Mastravarden), and one on Rennesøy (where you would have ended up had you been crazy enough to bike through that 4.4km tunnel.
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Also I popped by your friend Carleen’s log and noticed she plays/played Everquest. Now that’s quite a coincidence since we are 5 people on Mosterøy who play that game (well only 2 left now, me being one), and I only know of one other person in Norway who plays it. Name is Audwon, 70th monk on the Drinal server. If you ever wanna say hi :]
Take care!
Oh and if you ever want to mail me, don’t use the hotmail address I entered. Find my real one on http://www.hodnefjell.no (I’m just trying to avoid ending up on some spam mail list)
November 25th, 2005 at 12:50
Audun, thanks for stopping in! Great to see how small a world it is. I’m not sure if I asked you for directions but it isn’t that big an island! Keep well!
January 4th, 2006 at 13:30
Ahhh I checked out your picture, and I don’t think it was you, unless you had a medium size beard at the time lol. Anyway it was really funny to hear your story, we get lots of bike-tourists here who get somewhat confused with all the tunnels and bridges I guess :]
August 27th, 2006 at 2:06
[...] I was well on my way to spending a lazy Saturday reading on the couch but the wonderful weather outside convinced me I should hop on my uncle’s bicycle and go for an afternoon ride. I have blogged a little bit about some of these delightful afternoon rides that I took to Mosterøy and Rennesøy last summer. Today I rode along the western coast, passed the airport and Sola beach to the area known as Ølberg, now perhaps best known as the location of a small beach, harbor, cafe, and a few recreational cabins. [...]
July 27th, 2007 at 9:10
I too acidently came across this site. I remember visiting Mosterøy as a kid, my family grew tomatoes on the island and probably still do. In fact the ones you passed would have been some of thier crop!
I agree, although I was only around 8 at the time the place has always stuck with me.
Audun, if I recall most the island are related (well everyone treated us as family) so hi to a possible distant cus!
July 27th, 2007 at 9:17
Wonderful to see that others have fond memories of the place!