25. Alesund, Norway - June 16

 
At the bottom of the page click on the YouTube link to see the photos.

We are in the picturesque fishing port of Alesund, a little city situated on a cluster of islands along the west coast of Norway, at roughly the same latitude as Fairbanks, Alaska, the captain said. Even though it’s only the 15th of June, we are experiencing 20 hours of daylight per day.

The islands are stacked with “art nouveau” style buildings, and on the horizon are the rugged peaks and fjords and the Brosundet canal gives the town its characteristics. One has the feeling of visiting a piece of land stolen from the water. There’s a lot of Déjà vu here: Napier, New Zealand for the architecture and Milford Sound, New Zealand for its peaks and fjords. And it feels a bit like Cannery Row in Monterey, mixed with Sausalito, California.

The Prinsendam docked smack dab in the middle of town, and we walked around on our own. We started at the Art Nouveau quarter, where we learned that in the early hours of January 23, 1904 a catastrophic fire left the town in ashes and 10,000 people homeless. Practically the entire town was destroyed in 6 hours, a gale aiding the flames, and the population had to leave in the middle of the night with only a few minutes’ notice. German Kaiser Wilhelm II sent four ships with materials to build temporary shelters and barracks. At the time, German-influenced Jugendstil (aka Art Nouveau) was popular, so Alesund assumed the new style. Hey, in the nearby park there’s even a statue of the Kaiser in appreciation of this help after the furious winter inferno.

Next we attempted to climb (haul ass) the 418 steps to the top of Mount Aksla, high above the city center, but turned back because my legs were feeling a bit grim from yesterday’s hike in the Jotunheimen NP. So instead we took a sightseeing tram/bus to the top, where there was lots of activity and lotsa tourists. In spite of the crowds we enjoyed the splendid 360 view of the town, islands and mountains, which was nothing short of breathtaking.

Because I have that bad habit of eating too much and gaining weight, we took the brutal pathway, comprised of 418 steps back down to the center. About the trail – it’s not for the weak-hearted; it is steep and miserable. Dickie said “Hike down that thing? Do I look like I have a death wish?” I told him to JUST DO IT – “if the old biddy ahead of you (probably 35 years old) can do it, so can you.” He took a deep breath and one step at a time we made it. Only one word sums up our descent – LONG. We might need a wheelchair tomorrow in Trondheim.

While pulling up anchor at 9.00PM we soaked in the summery atmosphere on the veranda – and under the dull- shining sun, the room service wagon delivered a truckload of grub.

Don’t harp – we enjoy food…… and wine. And cheese and aged port from Porto created a beautiful marriage for dessert. Remember Porto?? Soooooooo loooooooooong time ago!


God natt fra Norge! (Good night Norway)


P.S. There’s supposed to be a full moon tonight. Although it doesn’t look promising for “him” to show his face, 'cause the sun doesn’t make room for him to shine. It’s midnight now and “she” is still reigning the skies.


Click on the above YouTube link to see the pictures.
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