Sailing North:
Did I mention the floor of our bathroom is heated?
Last night we went to bed at 2200 and woke up after 0700. I only felt one of the three stops we made during the night.
Our plan for the day is to wander about Alesund. According to local legend, Ålesund was founded by Gangerolf better known as Rollo, in the 9th century. Roll is the 10th-century founder of the dynasty of the dukes of Normandy. At least three statues of Rollo exist, one in the town park in Ålesund.
On the night of 23 January 1904, the town was the scene of the Alesund Fire. The city was built largely of wood. The fire spread aided by a gale force wind and practically destroyed the entire town. Surprisingly only one person died in the fire, the 76-year-old Ane Heen, but more than 10,000 people were left homeless. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany had often been on vacation to this area. After the fire, he sent four warships with materials to build temporary shelters. After a period of planning, the town was rebuilt of stone, brick, and mortar in Jugenstill, the architectural style of the time. The structures were designed by approximately 20 master builders and 30 Norwegian architects. To honor Wilhelm, one of the most frequented streets of the town is named after him.
Dangling chains to keep the seagulls out of the trash bins
We got ourselves together and ventured out onto the snow covered sidewalks and streets of Alesund. We first took some pictures of our ship here at the dock. Then, wandering about the waterfront, we found a memorial to the Norwegian citizens who were lost at sea fleeing occupied Norway during WWII.
We stopped at a few spots to get photos of the waterfront and classic architecture found here in Alesund. We search high and low for the statue of Rollo, to no avail. Yes, we even asked and only got guesses as to where it might be. We still had fun wandering about.
We did find a Bunnpris (grocery store) where I was able to add to my international shopping bag collection. We returned to the ship for a late lunch. Many of the crew and I have similar tattoos, as many comments are shared among us. We were given a tip or two about good excursions dealing with Nordic Viking history. We also have prepayed for two nights dining in the upscale restaurant and need to make reservations soon as there are limited tables.
It is nice to see Havets Bobler available here. This is a Hurtigruten speciality sparkling wine aged in the ocean. Here is a link to read more about this vintage: https://www.hurtigruten.com/en/about-us/norways-coastal-kitchen/havets-bobler.
What is available on the ship is the second batch and a third batch was just sunken in the ocean.
Today was our last day to see the sun for the next 9 days. Sunrise was about 1030 and sun’s setting at 1415 hrs. We are at 62’ north just 4 degrees south of the Arctic Circle. Current weather is cloudy and snowing.
Signing off for now. Thank You Very much for reading along.
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