Mandal

The heating ran at full power all night and to our amazement, the shoes that were soaking wet yesterday were dry. I went for a short run before breakfast. First past the pigsty, they were all cuddled up together. The rabbits next door, on the other hand, were already wide awake. The peacocks and their young chicks were also quite lively.

In between, I kept looking towards the elk enclosure, but none of them appeared. Based on yesterday's experience, I decided to run on the road instead of trying the second hiking trail. I passed lakes, meadows, and forests, but I didn't meet anyone.

During the morning, about 20 visitors arrived, but there was no sign of the elks. His calls to attract them were also unsuccessful. So we couldn't say goodbye again, our journey continued.

The destination was the coastal town of Mandal. The way there led through lonely paved roads, but also occasionally unpaved roads. Finally back at the open sea, the parking lot at a beautiful sandy beach was ours. Take off your shoes and take a walk along the beach. The water was still relatively cold, although compared to the ice-covered mountain lakes, it was a joke. We enjoyed the sunshine, watched surfers and children bathing, almost like a vacation ;-)

That was followed by a walk into the town of Mandal. It seems to be a popular place for boaters; there are many and mostly very expensive boats along the entire promenade. The town itself is characterized by its white wooden houses, which almost give it a maritime flair.

Unfortunately, there is a nightly parking ban for the parking lot by the sea. Since we liked it there, we decided to park by the harbor with a view of the ships.

The Easy Park app is convenient. We downloaded it in Ystad over a month ago and have used it several times in Sweden and Norway to avoid long lines at payment machines. When you open the app, it shows you where you are and immediately shows you how much you have to pay for this spot based on your set parking time in the app. If you leave earlier, you stop the parking process and you will only be charged for the actual parked time.

The weather has changed. After it was already very stormy yesterday, the rain came pouring down in the evening. I'm a little worried about the ferry ride from Kristiansand to Hirtshals. The ferries for tonight and tomorrow morning have been canceled due to the storm, and the weather forecast does not predict any changes for Tuesday morning. I guess we need "good luck" again.