Cruise Day 3–21 May

Awoke to a picture postcard perfect day – sunny, blue skies, everything crystal clear and shimmering. We were gliding towards Alesund on the north-west tip of Norway, gateway to the fjords.  To visit this jewel of a fishing town, 43000 inhabitants, alone made the cruise worthwhile.

Took a 3 hour Highlights tour, with an excellent local guide who gave us an excellent historical and cultural picture of the town.  From Mount Aksla which overlooks the town, we had an excellent panoramic view of  city and the waterways and islands around it.  Then to a museum which incorporates a village made up of traditional houses and huts from the 1700s and 1800s that have been moved here, as well as a boathouse showing the development of traditional fishing boats.

In 1904 almost the entire town was destroyed by fire.  Kaiser Wilhelm II, who used to holiday here, contributed to its immediate rebuilding.  Art Nouveau was the fad of the day,and almost all the replacement buildings were built in that style, which makes the city so distinctive today.  The population has doubled since then, and other styles now intersperse.  But it is certainly visually a very unique place.  After the tour I spent a couple of hours wandering the backstreets. Saw the State Church, its attached school, and a very modern indoor shopping centre.  Never had to worry about getting lost as our ship was easily the largest building in town, and could be seen from anywhere!

I repeated yesterday’s workout at the gym as we were setting sail.  The day warmed up to 12 or 13C, so the outdoor pool and spa was in use, as well as the many deckchairs.  Some revolting sights to be seen stretched out on them too!

Most of the passengers seem to be Dutch.  A goodly number of USA types too.  English is the only language of the ship, but most of the conversations I hear are otherwise.  Crew are very good at seating me with only English speaking couples at meals.  This morning I breakfasted with a delightful couple from US mid-west.  Turned out it was his 70th birthday! 

Tonight I paid the premium and tried Cops Grille, which advertises itself as offering the best steaks on the high seas.  Service is over the top a la Hotel Astoria New York – water waiter, drinks waiter, menu waiter, server and supervisor all hovering and checking that everything is to my liking.  It was excellent   but I might have to do gym twice tomorrow!

Currently (9pm) we are heading south towards the Geiranger Fjord which we will sail through most of the night.  I think I might even be in bed before sunset tonight (10.30pm).

I’ve chosen a sample of the many pics I took today and you can see them here.