Ålesund, Norway

             Monday, 18 Jun 2018 – Although we had signed up for an excursion that involved riding in a boat in a fiord near Ålesund, that outing had been cancelled because of too few participants.  Therefore, after rising for a late breakfast, we returned to our cabin and snoozed.  Although the sky was fairly dark and it looked as if it could rain anytime, we left the ship in the early afternoon to walk around. 

On Ship (Alesund in the Background)

When we found that a Hop On/Hop Off bus was available, we purchased tickets and rode this bus around the city and to some off-shore islands.  We sat in the front seats on the second level, and listened to a recording on earphones.  Although Sally never hears everything, we still enjoyed the experience.  We learned that “Norway” literally means “the way north.”  The Norwegian constitution is one of the oldest in the world.  When they were subjugated by the King of Sweden at one point, they were still allowed to keep their constitution.  We saw the mountain where Germans had planted guns during World War II.  In 1904 a disastrous fire destroyed much of the city.  Still, some old churches survived, as well as a house (now museum) with grass growing on its roof.  We stayed on the bus without getting off until it returned to the terminal at about 2:40 PM.  Long before that, it had started to rain.

An 8-hour ship excursion (“Romsdal & the Troll Path”) from Ålesund would have been interesting, except that the bad weather would have spoiled much of it, anyway.  This tour involved being bussed to the top of a mountain, where signs of an old road built in 1028 by Viking King Olav still remain.  From the highest point of the road, the bus would drive the famous Troll Path.  A stop would be made at the famous Troll Wall, which has the highest overhang in Europe and is visited by world famous climbers every summer.

After dinner, we danced for 20 minutes before returning to our cabin.