The car was packed and we were ready to leave by 10:00. We videoed ourselves leaving for some footage so had to do a couple of takes. The key was placed under the doormat for the final time and we were ready to go. We had hoped to visit the most southerly point in Norway, The lighthouse at Lindesne. Kate was programmed but when we worked out the additional time this would take, we realised that we would not have sufficient time when we got there to explore the area and be in good time for the ferry. We abandoned that plan and decided to stop at the town of Mandal instead. We found a carpark and Robert was able to use his Norwegian parking app to pay for the parking for the first time this holiday.
Mandal
Mandal
We walk to the centre, initially by the waterfront and then along a pedestrianised street. We stopped at a local bakery for an expensive coffee and shared a large cinnamon bun with a custard filling. Most of the locals had one each. We continued to the port. A Rema supermarket provided some emergency rolls and tomatoes for lunch but we returned to the bakers for a couple of filled rolls. We left just after 12:20 for the 40 minute drive to the port at Kristiansand. Robert's case was checked for the missing Danish currency but it was not found. (It was found later in his wallet mixed up with the Norwegian notes). Kate's route to the port was along the new motorway for which a toll is payable. We passed several automated pay stations so it was a comparatively expensive 30 km with the cost turning out to be £6.72.
At the port there was a fast check in but we then had to wait for the boat to dock before loading. We wondered if we were in the correct line because ours was the only one that was not moving but eventually everyone made it only to the ferry. We sat outside on the top deck for the 4 hours crossing to Hirtshals. The sea was calm and the sun was out.
The boat was modern and efficient and it was a pleasant crossing. The food in the buffet looked and reasonable value for Norway and Denmark but we enjoyed our sandwiches and Brexton coffee on the top deck.. There was plenty of seating on the ferry but one couple had even brought there folding chairs on board to sit on.
When we docked there were no customs to clear so we drove straight from the port south to Aalburg about an hour away. We had selected an apartment where we could have a late check in so we did not have to worry about our arrival time. A Lidl in Aalburg provided provisions for tea and the key code eventually opened the apartment door. The apartment was part of a serviced block in a quiet residential area. Ours was on the ground floor . We had a fully equipped kitchen with every utensil you might need , a good sized bathroom and living area with a king sized bed and small table. We also had a small seating area and table outside.
We cooked a chicken Thai curry for tea and caught up with some Vlogs on YouTube.
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