Trips

 

Sat., 10/3/15 – Norwegian Coast
         We had a morning of leisure which was most appreciated.  At 9 AM, I went out on the “sun” deck to watch the crossing of the Arctic Circle ceremony by the ship tour directors.  We sailed past the globe marker on a small island that marked the Arctic Circle and then we lined up to get the traditional spoonful of cod liver oil on a souvenir spoon.  Cod liver oil is made in Norway and is used to prevent scurvy.           

Svolvaer to Sandnessjoen	Svolvaer to Sandnessjoen - typical small village
Arctic Circle Monument	Arctic Circle Monument
Crossing the Arctic Circle ceremony - Cod liver Oil	Crossing the Arctic Circle ceremony - eating Cod liver Oil
Crossing the Arctic Circle ceremony - eating Cod liver Oil	Svolvaer to Sandnessjoen
Svolvaer to Sandnessjoen	At 12:30 PM we docked in Sandnessjoen and Eva led us on a walk down the two blocks of the town.  She pointed out the town statues and told us that if the town does not spend all of its budget, they have a statue built with the extra money in order to get the same amount of operating money the next year.  We looked at a cute wooden Viking Boy with an armload of bread that was originally in front of a bakery, a boy in rain gear looking up and enjoying the rain, a large statue of a minister and poet who lived in the 1700’s (the Petter Dass Memorial), and a female statue that someone decorated with a loud pink bra because October is “fight breast cancer month."  There were a few nice shops along the pedestrian street (one of artistic glass pieces) but this was a short stop (45 minutes) so we had to get back on board.
Helgeland Bridge
Sandnessjoen - Bicycle shop	Sandnessjoen - Young Viking boy with a basket of bread
Sandnessjoen - “Tassen” - boy in rain gear	Sandnessjoen
Sandnessjoen - Petter Dass Memorial	Sandnessjoen - Statue of Sigurd Sigurdsdatter - attired for Fight breast cancer month
Sandnessjoen - Big bumpers	We docked at Bronnoysund for less than an hour but Eva took us out for a walk in the rain anyway.  She took us into a grocery store to show us things that Norwegians like to eat.  I was surprised at the variety of nice looking fresh fruits and vegetables.  The only way they get corn-on-the-cob is in a freeze-dried state.  The Norwegian brown cheese we have been served comes in a dark brown wrapper  - it has too strong of a taste for me – and was on the shelf next to Phila. cream cheese.  There were many US products that are packaged in Norwegian language.  This is hunting season so one freezer was full of reindeer, deer, and moose meats.
	Bronnoysund - Supermarket
Tonight was the Farewell/Captain’s dinner because many passengers end their trip in Trondheim tomorrow morning.  We stay on another day down to Bergen.  Dinner included a salmon starter with duck breast and flan.  It was nothing special, but the duck was much better done than the one served to us in Tallinn, Estonia.         At 8:30 Eva took us out for a walk in Rorvik.  It was raining.  At each of these small ports some passengers get off and others get on, like bus service. Since it was pitch dark and raining, it wasn't a very interesting tour.
Rorvik - traffic warning sign	Rorvik
Sun., 10/4/15 – Norwegian Coast         We docked in Trondheim at 7:30 AM – it was still dark outside – and took a quick bus tour of the city.  Trondheim means “home of the strong” and is the third largest city in Norway.  It has the Norway Museum of Rock and Roll, a large university hospital complex with a specialty in spinal injuries, and a university.  We passed by the largest wooden building built by a widow in 1778 (Stiftsgarden).  It has 140 rooms.  After several other uses it has become a royal residence.             Trondheim has many wood structures and many, especially boathouses, that we have seen are painted red.  Red paint was the cheapest to buy and was made of iron powder, flour, and fish oil.  White paint being most expensive, was used for the houses of rich people.             We stopped for a photo op at an overview of the city.  It was misty and foggy but we could see the river, the cathedral, the fort, and the reclaimed land providing a deep port access.
	Stiftsgarden - Royal residence
Statue of Olav Tryggvasson Spire of the Nidaros Cathedral	Trondheim
Trondheim - City bus	Bicycle shop
On our walk Eva showed us a bike lift.  The rider sits on his bike, puts his right foot against a block, presses the start button, and he and his bike are pulled up the hilly street.  It is like a ski tow for bike riders.
Bicycle lift (or escalator)	Bicycle lift
Bicycle lift	Bicycle lift
Trondheim - Typical wooden buildings	Trondheim - Signpost
Trondheim - Old Town Drawbridge	We went to see the Nidaros Cathedral of St. Olav.  Olav was killed in a battle and was buried at the spot where the church was built.  His small chapel was added onto over the centuries and has become this humongous Lutheran Church.  It was a grand Catholic Cathedral until 1537 when Norway and Sweden became Protestant.  The inside(no photos allowed) has chairs instead of pews, some statues remain, the stained-glass is very intricate and has been restored, no doubt at a huge cost.  The outside is also elaborate with tiers of statues on the façade.  Some of the statues have faces of modern men.  For instance the Archangel at the top has the face of Bob Dylan.  Eva pointed out the statue of a mason holding the last brick and the slot where it would be placed.  Since the building is missing the last stone, the church is incomplete.  A completed church was supposed to fall into the sea.         On our way out of the port we passed Monk’s Island that was a monastery since 1028.  The monks all fled during the reformation.  The island became a fort with cannons, but no ammunition, and is now a picnic area.
Nidaros Cathedral	Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral - see enlargement to right	Nidaros Cathedral - Stonemason laying the last brick
Nidaros Cathedral	Trondheim Harbor - Monk’s Island
Eva makes our bus rides fun by telling jokes about Scandinavians and passes out candy.  Look up Ole and Lena jokes: Link 1 and Link 2.         We docked in Kristiansund for 15 minutes. I went up on deck to watch how efficiently the side of our ship opens and items are moved out or in.
Kristiansund	Kristiansund
At 8:30 PM Eva took us on a short walk around the town of Molde.  Molde is the town of roses and jazz.  There is a large jazz festival held here every year.  There is a statue of a man playing a sax and a girl with a basket of roses.  One of the shops had traditional men and women’s dress in the windows.  Girls get a regional dress for communion when they are 15, and boys their traditional costume a little later.
Town of Molde - Traditional dress	Town of Molde - Girl with a basket of roses

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