Oslo - Norway - page 186

Hvaler tourist office ( 69 37 50 00; Skjærhalden; 8am-3.30pm mid-Jun-mid-
Aug) canpointyouinthedirectionofthenumeroussightsdottedaroundtheislands.There
are a couple of other seasonal tourist offices scattered around the islands.
Above the coastline of Akerøy island, accessible only by ferry (taxi boat) from
Skjærhalden, clings a well-preserved 17th-century coastal fortress , renovated in the
1960s. Admission is free and it's always open.
The mid-11th-century stone church (Skjærhalden; noon-4pm Jul, noon-4pm Sat
2nd half of Jun & 1st half of Aug) on Kirkøy is one of the oldest in Norway. The church
hosts a week-long music and arts festival in July.
The tourist office has a list of fully equipped private houses and chalets in the Hvaler
Skerries, which are available for between Nkr450 and Nkr800 per day.
All year, the M/S Hollungen and M/S Hvalerfergen II sail roughly every hour from
SkjærhaldenandthroughtheHvalerSkerries(Nkr35,onehour).Alternatively,youcansail
with the scheduled tour ferry M/S Vesleø II ( www.hvalerfjordcruise.no , in Norwegian)
between Skjærhalden, Koster (Sweden) and Strömstad (Sweden) from mid-June to mid-
August for Nkr130/95 per adult/child return.
ROALD AMUNDSEN CENTRE
TherenownedexplorerRoaldAmundsen,whoin1911wasthefirstmantoreachtheSouth
Pole,wasbornin1872atHvidsten, midway between Fredrikstad andSarpsborg.Although
the family moved to Oslo when Roald was still a small child, the family home in Hvid-
sten, which was the base for a small shipbuilding and shipping business, is now the Roald
Amundsen Centre (museum & guided tour adult/child Nkr40/10; 11am-5pm Sat
& Sun, guided tours noon & 2pm 21 Jun-23 Aug) , which is dedicated to the man's life
and expeditions. Standing surrounded by these quiet fields of southern Norway, it seems
perhaps not so surprising that Amundsen set off to seek adventure so far from home. The
centre is signposted about 11km east of Fredrikstad, along the Rv111 towards Sarpsborg.
STOREDAL CULTURAL CENTRE
This cultural centre ( www.storedal.no , in Norwegian; Storedal; adult/child Nkr35/
free; 10am-4pm Tue-Fri, noon-5pm Sun 20 May-Aug) is 11km northeast of Fre-
drikstad. King Magnus the Blind was born here in 1117; he took the throne at 13 years of
age and earned his nickname at 18 when he was blinded by an enemy in Bergen. A later
owner of the farm, Erling Stordahl, who was also blind, developed a monument to King
Magnus, as well as a centre dedicated to the blind and other people with disabilities.
The most intriguing feature is the Ode til Lyset (Ode to the Light), a 'sound sculpture'
by Arnold Haukeland and Arne Nordheim, which, using photo cells and a computer in the