Well, I made it to Alesund today, Monday the 9Th. First let me finish telling you about Trondheim.
I went to a museum that, if you like music, you'd really enjoy. It's the Ringve Museum and botanical gardens. Strange combination, but it started as an estate with many acres, so when it was converted to a museum, they continued to maintain and expand the gardens around it. The original owners, a Russian lady and her Norwegian husband loved music and, it appears, collected musical instruments. They wanted it turned into a museum on their passing, as they had no heirs. At least i think that's the story.
Quite a collection of instruments. Seemed weighted toward the strings, including piano-like instruments. There are guided tours of their house, with a large number of very old instruments on display. The tours are conducted by music students who play some of the instruments for the guests. I was very fortunate, as I was the only one on my tour. That tour took an hour or more. Then the regular museum is still there for you to stroll through. Only problem is that it's very dimly lit, and at times difficult to read the material. No photos allowed, either, so bring along a good memory.
The gardens were nice, not really impressive, though. They're divided into 5 sections, a Park, an arboretum with trees from much of the world, a section that tries to show the evolution of different plants (I didn't get it), a primrose garden, and a geometric floral layout.
After all that walking and listening and reading, I was hungry. Found what looked like a nice restaurant on a float on the river, so I tired it. Atmosphere was very comfortable, except for the gulls. I decided I'd try the peel and eat shrimp. I expected around 6 or so good sized shrimp. I got about 100, very small. And peeling included not just the shells, but the entire shrimp. Tasted good, in spite of the mess, but a lot of work, believe me!
Today was the bus trip to Alesund. If you ever (and I'm sure tons of you will) travel by bus from Trondheim to Alesund, sit on the left had side of the bus. That's where all the scenic fjords are. For the most part, the right hand side provides a view into the hills.
Norway isn't my country for hotels. Don't remember if I mentioned it, but there was a mix-up at the hotel in Trondheim. Won't go into that. When I arrived here, I had a reservation. Seems the hostel has two different locations. The single rooms are three blocks away from the main hostel. Not a problem, I can walk it OK. But when I found it, they were in the process of spring cleaning in my room, three people, buckets, mops, the works. The previous tenant had been there 6 months, and wasn't the greatest housekeeper. No phones, so I went back to registration, and they gave me a key to a different room. When I got back, as you might have expected, that one wasn't ready either. But the original was. So back again to get the original key. Oh well, it's got to get better.
Time to do some trivia. If you ever travel in Norway, make sure you have a reasonable amount of local currency. Everyone accepts VISA. Problem is some of the merchants accept only Norwegian VISA, none other. And on the subject of getting cash; ever notice that when you're looking for an ATM there's never one around. Until you find one. Then they pop up all over the place. Why is that?
Since none of you scientists has come up with an answer to my question, I looked it up on Wikepedia. The Arctic Circle is at 66 degrees 33' 39". A degree of latitude varies from 111.3195 to 110.9462 MK, but the accepted norm is 111.3195 KM. So now that I've done most of the work, how far was I from the pole?
That's it for the present. The sun it trying to come out, so it's time to check the town out. Back to the drafts folder for this.
The sun didn't make it, at least not for very long. Can't let that hold me back, tho. First off, I found the local Tourist Information Office. They are usually a good bit of help in finding what to do and where it is. They offered a walking tour of the city, which turned out to be pretty good. I learned a lot about art nouveau, which cleared a few things up. I thought it was simply early 20Th century buildings painted in bright colors. Partly correct, but the colors came later.
Alesund had a terrible fire in 1904. 800 of it's 850 buildings were totaled. The entire town was rebuilt, with assistance from all over the world, and art nouveau was in style then. Quite frankly, I can't really describe it here, just think I'd recognize it if I saw it. In Alesund, the color wasn't a factor until the '50s. Until then, nearly all the buildings remained their natural stone or concrete color. Paints of the day didn't hold up in the damp salt air here. Anyway, it was a nice tour, and I enjoyed seeing and hearing about the town.
Later on, i took the recommendation of the guide, and climbed the 418 steps (no, I didn't count, took her word for it) to the top of Aksla, 150 metres or thereabouts above sea level. Magnificent views of the city and surrounding islands. I'll try to post some shots on the blog soon.
Tomorrow I've got reservations for an all day boat/bus trip up two fjords. That sounds like it will be a really nice trip. I just hope it clears up. It's been trying to drizzle, with little success ever since I've been here.
The trip up the fjords was really wonderful. I can say that I enjoyed this at least as much, and probably more, than I did Milford Sound, in New Zealand. Unfortunately, the weather both in NZ and here was the same, drizzly/rainy. I can't imagine how nice it would have been if it had been sunny. Actually we were in two fjords. The hour and a half were going up Hjorund fjord. Then we took a bus across a pass to Geiranger fjord, and another hour and a little on a ferry. Both great. Spent two hours in Geiranger, then reversed course. Hard to say which one was best, but If I had to rate them, I'd probably go with Geireanger. I believe it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. I'll try to post some of the photos if I get a chance. Don't miss it if you ever get the chance.
Tomorrow is a finishing up day in Alesund, then I take the nite bus to Oslo, take another bus to Kristiansand, and spend several days there.
What a way to spend a birthday!!
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