Alesund, Trondheim, and Hammerfest, Norway

As we entered the fjord that lead us into the harbor at Alesund, Norway, we realized it would be another rainy day. We set out around 11:00 AM in search of the Hop On Hop Off bus stop. At noon we boarded the next bus and stayed on it while touring the town's sites. Alesund is big in the fishing and shipping industries for this area of Norway. We soon reached the top of Mount Aksla where we got out to take some photos. Then it started raining hard, and we realized that going back to the ship on the bus was a good option.

The waterfront in Alesund, Norway.

 

 

 

 

Another view of the waterfront with Mt. Aksla in the center background.

 

 

 

Yes, it's supposed to be summer here too, but someone forgot to tell Mother Nature to spread a little warmth here in Scandinavia. The temps were in the 50's, and yes, that's snow in the distant mountains.

 

 

 

 

 

I like this shot of Alesund from the top of Mt. Aksla because it shows how compact the city center is. The city actually takes up several islands. City center burned down in 1904 leaving more than 10,000 people homeless, and it was rebuiilt in the art nouveau style.

 

 

 

 

This is a shot looking back into the fjord.

 

 

The weather in Trondheim was much the same as in Alesund. This cathedral was built in 1070, and it was a pilgrimage site back in medieval times.

 

 

We walked over to this bridge

We crossed this bridge and made our way up to the fortress.

 

From the fortress we were able to take in wide expanses of the city below and the surrounding countryside.

 

 

A shot of the Trondheim marina near the harbor.

 

 

Looking back into the fjord from our cabin on the ship.

 

 

This is the harbor in Hammerfest, Norway. This city's claim to fame is that it is the northernmost city in the world at 70 degrees north latitude. As you can see, the weather is unrelenting with temperatures in the 50's and on-and-off rain.

 

The residents of Hammerfest have been up in arms over the herds of reindeer that make their way down into town dropping their feces and urine inside the town. They built barriers up on the hillsides to try to deter the reindeer but with only partial results.

 

Looking back into the fjord from above Hammerfest.

 

 

This is the Meridian Column erected in 1854 to commemorate the first measurement of the earth's exact shape and size. This was accomplished by the King Oscar II. Sweden and Russia also took part. At the bottom of the writing you can see that it sits at 70 degrees north lattitude.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bergen, Norway

We arrived in Bergen, Norway on Tuesday, July 21st with a very low cloud ceiling and 50 degree temperatures. The forecast initially was for rain most of the day. As the morning progressed, the rain got steadier, and the clouds got lower and lower. Around noon we headed out in search of the Hop On-Hop Off bus that someone promised was near the pier. We found it quickly and rode it completely around the first time, noting places where we wanted to take photos. The rain finally let up, and we got off the bus in search of good photo opportunities. For awhile fog set in, but quickly burned off, and we actually saw the sun for a time although you wouldn't know it from the photos.

This is the view we woke up to after we entered Bergen's harbor area. It was cloudy but colorful!

 

 

This is a shot of the harbor area.

 

 

 

One aspect we liked about Bergen was the bright colors on many of the buildings. We learned that Bergen's climate is much affected by the Gulf Stream, keeping the winters warmer than St. Petersburg, Russia, even though it's further north. Bergen sits at 60 degrees north latitude. Summer days are very long- almost 18-1/2 hours. The sun doesn't set until almost 11:00 PM!

 

These houses used to be fishermen's homes in another era.

 

 

This is an area in the center of town known as Fisherman's Wharf. It's a lively place with many tourists and locals who shop for fresh fish, flowers, local produce, and/or a quick meal.

 

 

 

 

 

One thing you can count on here is that everything is very fresh. This night, onboard the Nautica, they featured fresh fish that was delicious. They had halibut, salmon, cod, and sea bass, all cooked while you waited. Yummmm!!!

 

 

 

 

 

The clouds broke long enough for us to take the funicular to the top of Mt. Floyen. The views were spectacular even though the clouds came and went. The Oceania Nautica is the smaller ship to the right of a larger one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Northern Lights

We left Africa after some uncomfortable ordeals in the Kilimanjaro, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya airports. Once back in London, the transfer process to board our flight to Copenhagen went very smoothly. After collecting our bags in Copenhagen, we caught a train into the city and then an Uber to our hotel.

On Thursday, July 16, we took a castles tour that we had booked with Viator prior to leaving the States. We visited three castles- Kronborg, Fredensborg, and Frederiksborg. On Friday we took a walking tour of one section of Copenhagen.

 

On the way to our first castle, the driver took a short detour so we could see old fishermen's homes. The unique aspect of these homes is that the roofs are thatched with pieces of wood on the top so that the roofs would not blow off in the high winter winds.

 

 

Here's a shot of a more modern home in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This windmill is the last standing one in the area. As an aside, we saw 48 wind turbines in the bay as we flew into Copenhagen the day before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Kronborg Castel whose claim to fame is that it is the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. Shakespeare never visited the castle but rather depended on the memories of others who had visited it to write his play. It was built in the 1400's, torn down and rebuilt again in 1574, and then burned down in 1629. Charles IV rebuilt it afterwards.

A shot of the interior courtyard of the Kronborg Castle.

 

 

Down in the dungeons there is a statue of Holger, the Dane. He was a Danish hero who walked home (Denmark) from southern Europe. When he arrived, he was so tired that he sat down and fell asleep, never to awake. Prisoners were never held in these dungeons. Instead, people saught safety here in times of attack.

 

 

Here's an exterior view of one of the walls facing Sweden. Note the canons that were aimed at Sweden that, throughout history, was always an enemy of Denmark. They had numerous battles.

 

 

This is Fredensborg Castle, the summer home of the current queen of Denmark, Margrethe II. Since she lives here during the summer, we were not permitted to enter.

 

 

This is Frederiksborg Castle, built during the time of Christian IV (1588-1648).

 

 

 

This is the Knight's Room, reconstructed to appear as it was during the time of Christian IV when it was used as a dining room for lords and ladies of the court.

 

 

The chapel, also from the time of Christian IV, houses the world's oldest organ. Take a look at the ropes hanging in the center of the photo. The organist pulled on these ropes to play the organ!

 

Here's a shot of the chapel with the organ at the far end.

 

 

 

 

 

I took this photo of the gardens to the rear of the castel through a leaded glass window!

 

 

The paintings were amazing!

 

 

At the end of the tour, while the rest of the group went back to the bus, Linda and I ran around to the front to capture this image of Frederiksborg Castle.

 

 

During our walking tour, we saw the Royal Danish Library that houses all books ever published in Danish. The exterior is made of stone from Zimbabwe. The architect didn't take into account the difference in climate because they later found out that it was porous, allowing moisture into the library!!! They had to insulate it after the fact costing billions of Danish kroner. There are many stories of librarians who stole books and whose family members tried to sell them before being caught by authorities.

 

 

This tower's architect was very upset when the work was completed because the exterior staircase winds counterclockwise!