Lyngør was permanently settled in the latter part of the 16th century and became a thriving sea town in the 18th century. In 1812, the English warship Dictator sank the Danish-Norwegian frigate Najaden.

Wealthy city dwellers who buy coastal summer homes can drive up prices beyond the reach of the locals. To prevent this from happening here, homeowners must live in Lyngør all year round.

Rocky paths and steps are the only way to get around this island. There are no cars at all, not even a golf cart, as one might see in the Bahamas or Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts.

Risør is called "the white town by the Skagerrak" because so many of the houses are painted white. The unique color of the town served as a beacon to incoming sailors.

The public docks are not enough to handle the many boats that visit during the short summer season of about eight weeks. The boats that tie up first are likely to find boats tied alongside them by the end of the day. It's hard to see, but our boat is on the far left center of this photo, and there is a visiting boat tied to our starboard side.

In this town of about 7000 inhabitants, we did not see any traffic lights in the main areas where we walked.

We did notice, though, that all the young boaters and about half the adults wear life jackets whenever on the water. For children under 16, it's the law here, but adults are only required to have life jackets on board the vessel, as is the law in the US. We also see many boaters wearing a "Swedish sailing cap", which makes them look quaint and Scandinavian.