It feels like ages since I last posted, so much has happened.
The Glacier Museum did not disappoint. It's the second Sverre Fehn building I've visited, the first one being the Nordic Pavilion in the Giardini in Venice. The building feels so isolated, surrounded on all sides by imposing fjords. It's easy to understand where Fehn's inspiration came from. The exhibits were surprisingly engaging - there was one about climate change with the voice over by David Attenborough. I went to the museum as part of an excursion tour from Balestrand. Most people returned to Balestrand after seeing the museum and glacier but my ticket was one way which meant I stayed behind and waited for a bus at 4.50pm, except the museum closed at 4pm. There was nothing else around and it was raining cats and dogs. Fortunately for me I had a very nice German geography student who allowed me to sit in the cafe as he closed the museum for the day. Angled floor to ceiling glazing enclosed the cafe with views towards the mountains. Absolutely stunning.
After a scenic bus journey north through the fjords I made it to Alesund at around 10.30pm. Managed to get to the HI hostel just to collapse. I woke up to rain the next day and only had a morning and afternoon to see Alesund before heading for the 6.45 ferry to Trondheim.
Alesund is very pretty. A fire burnt down the city in 1904 and was rebuilt in just 3 years. The style of art nouveau. It's a little bit surreal but fascinating. Managed to dodge the rain every now and again. As it was the end of the tourist high season and a Saturday many shops and cafes highlighted in my lonely planet were closed which was a bit annoying as it would have come in handy on a day of rain and cold wind.
The Glacier Museum did not disappoint. It's the second Sverre Fehn building I've visited, the first one being the Nordic Pavilion in the Giardini in Venice. The building feels so isolated, surrounded on all sides by imposing fjords. It's easy to understand where Fehn's inspiration came from. The exhibits were surprisingly engaging - there was one about climate change with the voice over by David Attenborough. I went to the museum as part of an excursion tour from Balestrand. Most people returned to Balestrand after seeing the museum and glacier but my ticket was one way which meant I stayed behind and waited for a bus at 4.50pm, except the museum closed at 4pm. There was nothing else around and it was raining cats and dogs. Fortunately for me I had a very nice German geography student who allowed me to sit in the cafe as he closed the museum for the day. Angled floor to ceiling glazing enclosed the cafe with views towards the mountains. Absolutely stunning.After a scenic bus journey north through the fjords I made it to Alesund at around 10.30pm. Managed to get to the HI hostel just to collapse. I woke up to rain the next day and only had a morning and afternoon to see Alesund before heading for the 6.45 ferry to Trondheim.
Alesund is very pretty. A fire burnt down the city in 1904 and was rebuilt in just 3 years. The style of art nouveau. It's a little bit surreal but fascinating. Managed to dodge the rain every now and again. As it was the end of the tourist high season and a Saturday many shops and cafes highlighted in my lonely planet were closed which was a bit annoying as it would have come in handy on a day of rain and cold wind.Oh, gear check. I'm happy to report that I've used almost everything that I packed. So far my travel bag has worked brilliantly, although the wheels do not like small pebbles and have been dragged on a few occasions because small stones keep getting caught in the wheels. This has created flat spots on the wheel bearings so I have started to wear it as a backpack which is suprisingly comfortable. Also, the spork has been a life saver on a few occasions and I couldn't be more happier with the digital camera. The rain jacket doubled as a blanket on my overnight ferry journey to Trondheim from Alesund.
Oh yes, the ferry journey. I thought I was on an episode of the love boat. I opted not to get a cabin for an extra 700NOK and decided to survive in a comfy chair on a quiet deck. I managed to find a cozy corner with a sort of couch which was my camp for the night. The clientele on the boat consisted mostly of retirees from Germany, US and Norway mostly. I was probably one of the few people below the age of 40 on this Hurtigruten cruise ship. The ship had 8 decks. I was chatted up by a middle aged Norwegian man on his way north for business. He was a rainwear salesman and was making one of his annual trips to connect with his customers. He was keen to practice his english so I indulged him and in return he offered to allow me to sleep in his cabin in the 'extra' bed. I said thank you and declined. We sat and had a conversation about everything from Norwegian politics to the prefabricated house he ordered from a catalogue. He drank 5 pints of beer while I stuck to my coffee. He departed around midnight and left me to get some sleep in the Knut Hamson room.
Today I woke up in Trondheim. I was fortunate enough to have couchsurfing hosts. Jasper was nice enough to pick me up at the ferry docking point and we drove back to his place where I met his partner Stefan. We had a chat over a cup of tea and then we headed out for a sunday walk. Finding good coffee is a challenge in Norway, finding it on a Sunday is even more challenging. I was able to buy the blokes coffee and svele, a sort of fluffy pancake with sugar and butter. The highlights of Trondheim were covered in a few hours, photos taken and then the fun began. Cathedral in Trondheim is covered in lifesize statues of historical Norwegian figures. People were sitting at the outdoor cafe belonging to the modern visitors centre to the left of the photo. I was invited along to Frank's place for a traditional Norwegian sunday lunch - stewed lamb and cabbage with boiled potatoes followed by Queen Maud, a desert made from cream, sugar, eggs, gelatin and shaved chocolate. Company was lovely - Sverre a GP, Jeremy a piano teacher, Frank doctoral researcher, Andre a student studying to be an accountant and last but not least Stefan and Jasper. A lovely group of gays, although I did feel like I was intruding in the boys club. They were very nice, and made me feel very much at home.
Tomorrow I leave Norway for a brief stint in Sweden before heading to Finland.
Oh yes, the ferry journey. I thought I was on an episode of the love boat. I opted not to get a cabin for an extra 700NOK and decided to survive in a comfy chair on a quiet deck. I managed to find a cozy corner with a sort of couch which was my camp for the night. The clientele on the boat consisted mostly of retirees from Germany, US and Norway mostly. I was probably one of the few people below the age of 40 on this Hurtigruten cruise ship. The ship had 8 decks. I was chatted up by a middle aged Norwegian man on his way north for business. He was a rainwear salesman and was making one of his annual trips to connect with his customers. He was keen to practice his english so I indulged him and in return he offered to allow me to sleep in his cabin in the 'extra' bed. I said thank you and declined. We sat and had a conversation about everything from Norwegian politics to the prefabricated house he ordered from a catalogue. He drank 5 pints of beer while I stuck to my coffee. He departed around midnight and left me to get some sleep in the Knut Hamson room.
Today I woke up in Trondheim. I was fortunate enough to have couchsurfing hosts. Jasper was nice enough to pick me up at the ferry docking point and we drove back to his place where I met his partner Stefan. We had a chat over a cup of tea and then we headed out for a sunday walk. Finding good coffee is a challenge in Norway, finding it on a Sunday is even more challenging. I was able to buy the blokes coffee and svele, a sort of fluffy pancake with sugar and butter. The highlights of Trondheim were covered in a few hours, photos taken and then the fun began. Cathedral in Trondheim is covered in lifesize statues of historical Norwegian figures. People were sitting at the outdoor cafe belonging to the modern visitors centre to the left of the photo. I was invited along to Frank's place for a traditional Norwegian sunday lunch - stewed lamb and cabbage with boiled potatoes followed by Queen Maud, a desert made from cream, sugar, eggs, gelatin and shaved chocolate. Company was lovely - Sverre a GP, Jeremy a piano teacher, Frank doctoral researcher, Andre a student studying to be an accountant and last but not least Stefan and Jasper. A lovely group of gays, although I did feel like I was intruding in the boys club. They were very nice, and made me feel very much at home.Tomorrow I leave Norway for a brief stint in Sweden before heading to Finland.
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