Post by Grubb I should have known that Monty Python wouldn’t neglect the Norwegian hammer theme in their work. In one of their comedy sketches they refer to the Trondheim Hammer Dance, “a dance which was done every 25 minutes in the town of Trondheim in which the old ladies were struck about the head with…
Month: May 2023
Trotting around Trondheim
Post by Grubb. After a big-dipping cradle ride in the middle of the night that Ella slept through (took a preventative seasick pill ahead of time), and I slept through with interruptions (for me the pill activated my bladder), we docked at Trondheim around ten o’clock. Trondheim is Norway’s third largest city. Historically it is known for…
Our route, Thursday, May 25
Post by Ella After sailing away from Ålesund yesterday, we cruised through Molde and Kristiansund, then arrival at Trondheim. After time in Trondheim, we pulled up anchor again and are heading towards Rorvik. Only 3 hours in Trondheim so we crowded the gangplank at 9:45am, ready for the mad dash, to the Cathedral, the old…
Little Things
Post by Ella Facts about Norway The most purchased vehicle in 2022: Tesla Has 239,057 islands Food most consumed: Pizza Ice Cream Unique flavors: Lofopils (beer), Brunost (brown cheese), Tørrefisk (fish). I tried a taste of each. beery, cheesey, fishy, respectively. I had a bowl of…care to guess before peeking? Sea sick anyone? Neither of us…
Seafaring
Post by Grubb. Standing on the upper deck above the stern of the MS Nordnorge in the wind and the rain this morning put us in the seafaring mode. For about five minutes. Then we left the ship and went into the town of Ålesund. First we explored upper Ålesund by cutting through a park that led to…
Counting the steps
Post by Ella. This morning, we dropped anchor at Ålesund, a port town of around 48,000, that sits at the entrance to the Geirangerfjord. Having been rebuilt after a fire ravaged the town in 1904, many buildings feature the Art Nouveau style. First order of business in Ålesund: climb a bunch of steps. 418. To…
Our route, Wednesday, May 24
We had three ports of call before arriving at Alesund, all about 15 minutes for pick up and drop off. Florø Arrival: May 24, 2023 at 2:45 AM. Departure: May 24, 2023 at 3:00 AM Måløy Arrival: May 24, 2023 at 5:15 AM Departure: May 24, 2023 at 5:30 AM Torvik Arrival: May 24, 2023…
The ferry life
Post by Ella. I imagine it to be like a downscale cruise. The passengers are dressed sensibly for exploring. Even at dinner. Most look fit (and many at least as old as we are and that’s pretty old). There are backpackers village hopping, port to port, because at every stop, there are mountains to hike. We’ve…
Ferrying
Post by Ella. Late this afternoon, (now I suppose that would be yesterday the 23rd because it’s early morn the 24th as I write this) we boarded the MS Nordnorge, run by Hurtigruten, bound for Tromsø in the far north of Norway. We arrive the afternoon of the 27th. There is WiFi aboard so we will…
Oceanic Horror
Post by Grubb. Crossing a small empty plaza in downtown Bergen, I noticed a weathered stone building with an easel out front that had blown over. It was advertising an art exhibition. I couldn’t resist. Up on the drafty second floor there were some sleeping bags rolled out in the midst of turned over office furniture. At first I…