Two Days in Norway, One Fish Soup

Okay, I admit it - I am obsessed with Norwegian fish soup.  So, here we go.

Monday we were in Trondheim, Norway.  It was Whit Monday, a big holiday in Norway.  That meant that most everything was closed and the city was sort of empty.  I spoke to the local tourist representative on board and asked her for a recommendation for a restaurant to go to for fish soup.  She didn't hesitate to show me a place on the map.  However, when I Googled it, I saw that it was closed that day.  So, and since we had a late morning arrival, we ate lunch on board before going out.  No fish soup!

It had been, of course, another beautiful sail in.  We never tire of the scenery when sailing around Norway.

At our docking location, we were across from the indoor public pool which was busy all day.

After taking the shuttle bus into the center of the city, we started our walk passing by some interesting buildings.

We then came to the large, mostly empty, square.

The next stop was at the cathedral.  We chose not to go in, but the facade was pretty incredible.

We then walked along the Nidelva River until we reached the old bridge (after a bit of rock climbing) and crossed into the Baaklandet area.

It is a very picturesque area.

We then walked back to the shuttle bus stop, passing by the Jewish Museum which is co-located with Europe's northernmost synagogue.  It was closed.

That concluded our outing in Trondheim.  It was a good walk, but we'd like to be there when the city was more lively.

Tuesday marked our return to Alesund.  Last year, Linda was limited in the amount that she could walk, so this year we set out for a more extensive exploration of the city.  Getting on shore, you can't miss the direction to the town center!

Oh yes, last year is on the left, this year on the right.  The city is known for its art nouveau architecture.  We started by walking through the city.

We made our way to the city park and a nice viewpoint.  This is also the starting point for the climb up to the Aksla viewpoint.  More on that later.

It was then back to town and the shopping street.

We brought along our granddaughter, Phoebe, at least in spirit.

Then we walked around the canal and out to the lighthouse.

                                               

                                                                

By then it was time for fish soup.  My target spot was closed for lunch, another was too expensive (even by Norwegian standards), so we ended up going to the same restaurant as last year.  The fish soup was as good as last year.  Linda was disappointed that they did not have the bacalhau that she enjoyed so much, but she was happy to settle for fish soup.  Here's the comparisons from last year to this year.

Dedicated readers of my blog (there are a few of you) may remember that last year I attempted to climb the 418 steps up to the Aksla Viewpoint and the Fjellstua restaurant.   After a long day, I only made it to step number 118 which I attributed to being tired and having just turned 76.  So, I had to give it another go this year.  After lunch Linda returned to the ship and I attempted it again.  Cutting to the chase, this year I made it with just a couple of rest stops along the way.

When I reached the restaurant, I found that it was closed and there was a 100NOK ($10 US) to go out to the viewing platform.  I opted to walk to the top of the hill behind the restaurant and got better views.

Walking down was even easy on these old knees and I rewarded myself with a beer at the same place as last year.

And, as an added bonus, the rain held off until we sailed away.  We have found that schlepping along an umbrella is effective at warding off the rain.

Today, Sunday, has been a relaxing sea day - the last scheduled one of the cruise.  We indulged in bingo again and this time it was Lucky Larry's time to win.  We've now laundered $120 of shipboard credit into $483 of winnings.  BINGO!!!

It has been very smooth sailing and we were even able to go for a walk on deck with the sun shining and little wind.  Tomorrow, we'll be in Oslo.

When we win at bingo, it is difficult to be humble and to adhere to Rule of Civility Number 22:

Show not yourself glad at the misfortune of another though he were your enemy.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry