PRE-CONVENTION: I began my adventure from the DFW Airport leaving on a Northwest flight to Detroit, Michigan where I caught the late night flight to Amsterdam. From there I switch to the Norwegian carrier, Braathens, which landed at the Stavanger Airport in Sola. The flight came in at the same time as the SAS flight from Oslo; which had several Sons of Norway members from Washington on board. Gus "Gusto" Melendez my compadre from Texas and fellow 2000 Texas Posse Member (from McAllen) met me at the airport and we toured the city, before "trying" to go back to our boarding house. We went by the A. Idsøe meat shop (my cousin's business), a bunad store, and the harbor area of the city. The Valberg Tower was built between 1850 and 1853 as an observation post for the town's watchmen, who was looking out for fires. From the tower, they could see from one end of the town to the other. It is located now in the middle of Stavanger's shopping district. One of Stavanger's largest artractions is the cathedral,"Domkirken". Construction on it began in 1125, and it is the only cathedral in Norway that has been in constant use since the Middle Ages. It is an example of Romanisc Architecture and with it's Gothic addition/restoration is an excellet example in the comparison of the two styles.