Hurtigruten - Day 5

 Once we left Rørvik yesterday evening, we were largely out of the “Inner Passage”, and for the first time since leaving Kirkenes, I was aware of the sea’s motion. I’d brought pressure bands as a “just in case”, but preparing to sleep in a small cabin with no outside view, I found the movement soothing rather than uncomfortable.

Arriving in Trondheim at 6:15am; this is Munkholmen
- site of a former monastery, fortress and prison!

It’s astonishing how the pace of life changes on a trip like this!  Trondheim was our morning stop, and there was lots to see – but it was all from the outside; we were there 6:30-9:30am, and most things didn’t open till 10am. The sky was slightly threatening, but I grabbed an early breakfast and headed off the ferry just after 7am. There had been a couple of excursions offered, but group tours are mostly not my thing – I’d rather run solo.  I quickly discovered that the terminal was quite a distance from downtown – a long footpath got me to the commercial district, only to discover that the rail lines formed a barrier, and I had to turn left and find the road that avoided them. Some of the Hanseatic-style buildings fronted the canal, but I decided to wait and explore there later.

Nidaros Cathedral

I could see the spire of Nidaros Cathedral ahead, so I knew I was heading in more or less the right direction – I zigzagged south, finding some nice city statuary on the way, and finally got to the Cathedral, which is a really impressive building. It was originally built over the burial site of King Olav II, who became the patron saint of Norway – the initial construction lasted 1070-1300, but it’s had several rebuilds and reconstructions – including one going on right now. Sadly, I couldn’t get in – way too early for tourists! - but I walked clockwise around the outside (one should never walk counter-clockwise or widdershins around a church – very bad luck!) and got some grey-stone photos on a grey day. It kept threatening to rain, but not quite doing it.

8:15am, and time to head back to the terminal – this time I took the route down the Munkegata (Monk Street) to the Torvet, or city square, and on down to the canal front. There I found a bridge crossing the canal that took me to the railway station (and I really needed a bathroom!) and then a flight of steps that went over the railyard to a street labelled Brattørkaia – I couldn’t find what this meant until I did a bit of research, and discovered that Powerhouse Brattørkaia is located right here in Trondheim, where, because sunlight varies greatly between seasons, it presents the challenge of exploring how to harvest and store solar energy under challenging conditions. The pedestrian bridge by which I crossed is part of the building, which is covered with black aluminum and solar panels. On average, Powerhouse Brattørkaia produces more than twice as much electricity as it consumes daily, and supplies renewable energy to the city through a local microgrid. From an 11th century cathedral to contemporary power storage....

Brattørkaia

Back at the ferry by 9am, it appeared that we’d had quite a turnaround – a number of people leaving the boat here this morning, and several groups joining us. During lunch we celebrated Kathy’s 66th birthday – she, Mary and Mark are off this afternoon on an Atlantic Road expedition. The full Atlantic Road can be as much as a four or five day drive in which the road spans gaps between islands via bridges and tunnels;  they’re leaving the ferry at Kristiansund at 4:30pm to do a short part of it, rejoining us at Molde at 9:15pm.  It’ll be interesting to see how the timing of it works out.  I think the ferry speed is 15-18 knots, so about 30 kph. Our straight line will be more direct than theirs, but their speed will be good highway rates, I would think. 

Glorious sun, as we arrived in Kristiansund

We saw the buses off in Kristiansund and there was time to wander a bit – much more a commercial centre than some of the earlier towns we visited, and very much a cod-fishing centre too – this lady is holding a klippfish, which is the dried salted cod that was a staple of the local trade.  

Once we got going again, I did a bit of planning ahead – the weather forecast for Bergen tomorrow is not great, so I’ve booked myself in on a bus that will transfer to my hotel. Once I’m checked in I can decide if I want to face the rain. I really would like to visit the Bryggen area, at least! Sadly, the Grieg home/museum in Trollhaugen is just too far outside the city to access easily. I think there’s an organ recital – but I can’t find out who or what, though I do know where! I know how to get to the airport on Friday. Looking forward to Amsterdam, I discovered the Scottish National Youth Choir is on a European tour, so I get to hear them on Saturday. All the guides recommend that one pre-books for everything – and I don’t think I want to pin myself down yet, so the rest will remain open.

At this point the road that becomes the Atlantic Way
goes UNDER the sea

Rain on shore - not so bad further out - but lots of shoals

The last formal dinner this evening – well, not formal as in dress-up, but really well presented and tasty. The chefs do wonderful work, and the serving staff are really pleasant and helpful.  Our Hurtigruten route this evening lay pretty well out to sea – all that area of the coastline is scattered with rocks and shoals, and we had to play it safe – but it was definitely a bit rougher! I don’t think I’m going to wait for Molde – it’s been a LOOOONG day, and my bed calls!