Trondheim

Today, we arrived in the Trøndelag region of Norway, and the center is Trondheim, Norway’s third-largest city. It was described as a mix of historic buildings and a lively student population.

We had three hours on land and it was rainy, but we headed into town and passed the old Hanseatic district of Bakklandet known for colorful wooden wharves, which are propped up on stilts:



This is near the old city bridge, Gamle Bybro which sits over Nid River: The bridge is known to the locals as ‘The Portal of Happiness’, coined in a popular Norwegian waltz by Kristian Oskar Hoddø - Rachel does look happy despite the rain:







As I was orienting myself on the Google map, I saw there was an icon for Banksy “Boy with Rope” or “Shoe fishing”. When researching later, we realized this wasn’t real, but just like the whales yesterday, we delighted in the possibility of stumbling upon a real Banksy piece:



We finally arrived at the must-see site of the city which is Nidaros Cathedral, nicknamed ‘Norway’s Notre Dame’. It is considered the most sacred building in all of Norway. Next door is the Archbishop’s Palace, where Norway’s crown jewels are on display. Due to being an official mourning site, large groups are not allowed to enter and I had heard the boat’s group tour had to adjust and only go to the Archbishop’s Palace. Apparently, it’s also the world’s northernmost cathedral…







We entered and enjoyed the detail inside while in queue to pay our condolences to the King. We observed nursery school students write their messages too and an Asian male tourist who was reading all the condolences - at one point, a church employee asked him to move along.

We also saw a very cool Sami altarpiece made of birch wood with traditional ornamentation - a convergence between the indigenous culture and Christianity in Norway.

We then walked down Munkegata which I was told at the ship orientation meant “Monk’s Street” as that’s where monks lived. It continues to the market square, where there’s a towering statue of the city’s founder, Viking King Olaf Tryggvason:





Nearby was Stiftsgården, the royal residence in Trondheim with the flowers and candles laid in honor of the King. We saw more school students paying their respects and this woman with Munch’s “The Scream” umbrella - so Norwegian:



We stopped into a tea / coffee shop to rest from the rain and we then headed towards the dock and passed by these umbrellas - I think this is the third I’ve taken in an European city… they really know how to appeal to the Instagram posters - just like the colorful houses:



Our walking route passed by this famous statue of Leif Erikson, also known as “Leif the Lucky” - a Norse explorer and thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental America, approximately half a millennium before Christopher Columbus:





Back on board, you could see the rain and clouds clearing up and a view of the coastal countryside from our window portal:



In the afternoon, the boat organized a coastal kitchen activity and served us local blue mussels which were cultivated on rope lines off of buoys in the fjords. As such, they are not stereotypically sandy as they are not harvested from the mud, but were briny and ate while enjoying the view:





Afterwards, to remove the briny taste, I ordered an ice cream made of Norwegian brown cheese - it tasted a little like vanilla ice cream:



In the afternoon, the ship announced a point of interest - Kjeungskjær Lighthouse which is octagonal and considered one of the most beautiful of the over 200 in Norway and last manned around 1987. The lighthouse keeper that lived here with his family had even brought in a teacher to teach his kids and they had to be tied to ropes when it was too windy - very isolated…







While enjoying beautiful views of islets and the shore, we drank various ciders in the Panorama Lounge and noshed on some croissant sandwiches:







Then we attended the daily briefing via streaming to our room and learned about cod and their spawning grounds in the Barents Sea in northern Norway and our plans / activities in the Lofoten Islands for the next two days.

We had our first fixed dinner, meaning no buffet and at our assigned seating which happened to be next to the Canadians. We enjoyed asparagus, reindeer cheese, salmon, vegetables, the ice cream of the day which was sorbet, and some cheesecake. I forgot to take photos as we were busy chatting.

But we didn’t forget to take photos of the beautiful sunset:





They then played music from local bands from a playlist upstairs and we enjoyed from our cushy panorama lounge seats….

Geirangerfjord & Trollstigen

Trolls are a huge part of Scandinavian folklore and we had many references to trolls today!



But first, our major stop and excursion was in the afternoon, so we opted to workout at the gym which is apparently where all the young people on the boat congregate. It was a little tight and a bit of a balancing act with the swaying of the boat, but it felt good to be active. We then had breakfast next to a window in the opposite area of our fixed table for dinner to switch it up.

I decided to attend the daily briefing where they introduced the most senior members of the crew and run through the excursions off the boat and planned activities on board along with a humorous video about Norwegians. It was good to have someone walk us through the orientation of some cities and weather predictions.

We stopped briefly in Ålesund which is an Art Nouveau city and the boat will stop for longer this evening as we exit the fjord, but we will miss this as we will be on our excursion.

While resting in our cabins, we were alerted of a whale sighting starboard so we hustled to deck 5. We were only able to see some fins on the digital cameras of the expedition crew, but the anticipation and possibility was very exciting.

I selected the northbound route as the southbound does not visit the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord. A little after 1 pm, they had a guided viewing of this protected area with towering mountain cliffs and waterfalls. It reminded me of when they narrated viewings on our Alaskan cruise in 2023:







Most famous of the waterfalls are the Seven Sisters - it’s been a little dry so it was about five:



Across the way, there is a single waterfall called “The Suitor”…because he was unsuccessful in courting a sister, he has taken to drinking and his waterfall forms an outline of a vodka bottle:



There are faces in the mountains - I said it was like a troll:



And here’s more of the beautiful fjord - the pictures really don’t do it justice:







Those going on the overland excursion had to meet and descend to the car deck where we tagged out and were transported by tender boats to shore - some photos of our boat from the tender:





A photo of the town with about 250 people who live year round:



We boarded a French / English bus while there was a second in German. Our guide, Tobias, had studied in Canada and his pacing was slow, so was easy to understand even with my high school french. However, we learned later he’s actually German and comes to work here every summer. We started winding our way up Ørneveien or Eagle Road - a Google map of the turns from the town of Geiranger and some photos of our ascent:







The UNESCO status of the area was also because of the historical farm life. We saw several and learned they are accessed by boat and then by steep climbs via ropes and ladders. The ones not accessible by road are now abandoned, but are still maintained due to the world heritage status. Many families have departed for a more accessible life and apparently, children were tied with ropes, so they didn’t fall down the steep cliffs when families lived here long ago. A photo of a more accessible farmhouse:



We stopped at one of the viewing platforms and we got another view of Geirangerfjord, the Seven Sisters waterfalls, and the village:







We drove to and then took a car ferry across Eidsdalsvatnet Lake and it was so smooth, I didn’t even notice the 10-minute crossing. This is one of the reasons why I opted not to drive on this trip - there are so many crossings needed, that it just seemed to make more sense to travel by cruise.

During the bus ride, our guide played music like “Gula Gula” by a famous singer, Marie Boine who was Sàmi - indigenous to the northern area formerly known as Lapland, “Vidda”, a trumpet composition by Ole Edvard Antonsen who was inspired by northern Norway, and a classical music piece that was familiar to both of us by Edvard Grieg, “In the Hall of the Mountain King" - apparently it was also for Henrik Ibsen's play, “Peer Gynt”. All of these worked well with the landscape. When our guide thought we needed more pep, he played 1985 Eurovision winner Bobbysocks!’s “Let it Swing” which was familiar to the French tourists and “Take On Me” by A-Ha who I didn’t realize was Norwegian.

We passed fruit orchards as this region is known for its agriculture and we saw apple trees, cherries, and strawberry patches as we followed alongside the Valldøla River:





We even saw a cute salmon ladder next to a white house:



We stopped for a break and snacked on hot chocolate and apple pie before we walked over Gudbrandsjuvet or Gudbrands Gorge:





Continuing to pass all sorts of animals such as sheep and horses, our guide explained pasture farms where folks bring their herds here during the summer to graze. We could also see the crystal blue glacial lakes and rivers in the valley:





Then, we were warned about the 11 hairpin bends down steep Trollstigen Pass which means “Troll Ladder” - a Google map below:



It was super foggy and our guide explained it’s considered “troll weather”. Also, another popular Norwegian saying is “there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.” At the peak of the pass, we stopped at the rest-stop and walked down to the viewing platforms. The building reminded me of Japanese architect Tado Ando’s esthetic and as it sat over the glacial waters and near the gushing waterfall:







Here’s the main viewing platform enveloped by the fog:



And here’s overlooking the actual pass with the hairpins peeking through:





After munching on some fresh wild blueberries with our guide, we boarded the bus and descended safely while our guide told jokes. Eventually, we stopped at a guesthouse with traditional natural roofs and a troll park. They served us coffee and tea with sandwiches and waffles which we ate with some Canadians and Rachel got to pet some friendly cows…





We continued through the Romsdalsfjord area and boarded another car ferry where again, I didn’t realize we had completed the crossing as it was so smooth. We finally arrived at Molde, known for many mountain peaks making up the ‘Molde Panorama’ and also known as the ‘City of Roses’. Roses were left in honor of the King in front of Rosepiken or “the Rose Maiden” in the city center:



As a group, we dined at Scandic Alexandra Molde Hotel where we were served cod and a dessert and Rachel and I paired with a pilsner while sitting next to a reserved Belgian couple. Then our boat arrived and we returned to our cabin after the long and scenic journey!