Soggy, wet Trondheim

The city of Trondheim is mid-way up the western coast of Norway and is over 1,000 years old.  And today the wonderful weather we have been enjoying does a 180 turn to cloudy, wet, and cool.

But that's okay; we are prepared for rain and will set out to do a self-guided walk through the city to see some of the important historical sites.

With a map of the city in hand, we head over to the Nidaros Cathedral.

It is built over the burial site of Saint Olav, the King of Norway in the 11th century, who became the patron saint of the nation. It was built from 1070 to 1300.

The cathedral is the most important Gothic monument in Norway; the exterior was quite impressive.

After the Protestant Reformation, it was taken from the Catholic Church by the new Church of Norway in 1537. It is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.

Our motto usually is:  If there is a tower, we must climb it.

But just as these photos were taken, the mist in the air turned to rain and out came our umbrellas.  We figured with the low-lying clouds, the views over the city from the tower would not be much.

So on we went to the Archbishop's Palace, which is adjacent to the cathedral.  It is the oldest secular building in Norway.  For hundreds of years, the castle was the seat, residence and administrative center of the Archbishop of Nidaros.

 And next to it is the cemetary, with some very old gravestones.

 We came to this monument...the name on it is Thomas Angell.

For several centuries before 1650, Trondheim's economy had been dismal.  But then a number of immigrant merchant families established themselves and brought new life to the city.  Of the merchant houses of Trondheim, the most wealthy was that of the Angell family.

In 1762 Thomas Angell wrote his will that established his wish to donate his fortune to the poor in Trondheim.  Thanks to the funds,Trondheim would undergo new social development well into the nineteenth century...and Thomas Angell gets a monument!

Chances are this Angell is no relation, but who knows, there is a tiny bit of Scandinavian DNA in Terry.  Must have been those Vikings that invaded Great Britain a long time ago.

With the rain coming down, we scurried over to the Gamle Bybro....aka the Old Town Bridge.

Originally built of wood in 1861 as a replacement for its predecessor of 1685, this is the most beloved and frequently photographed bridge in Trondheim.

Locals refer to it as the "Bridge of Happiness" and claim that our dreams will come true if you wish for them as you walk across it.

 And so we did!

We stopped to take photos of the dozens of carefully preserved 18th- and 19th-century warehouses sitting on wooden pilings above the River Nidella.

 Proof of how extensive the maritime economy of Trondheim once was.

We continued walking and came to the Sykkelheis...the bicycle lift.

It was designed to assist bike riders in their ascent of the steep hill.  There is a mechanized conveyor belt which is concealed underground beneath a metal edged groove in the pavement.

Without bikes, we trudged up the hill on our own.

And soon found ourselves outside Fort Kristiansen.

The fort was built after the great city fire in 1681 and now stands guard over the city. It saved the city from conquest by Sweden in 1718.

The fortress was used by the Nazi forces during World War II. It is in the fort where the Nazis executed 23 Norwegian patriots.

The building below is the tower and is the only one of its sort still standing in Norway.  It was once the commanding officer's residence and later the guard rooms.  Today it is the museum for the fort.

Of course there are cannons standing guard around the perimeter.

Not much more to see since the view over the city was full of rain and clouds.

So it was time to head back down and walk toward the ship.

We passed by a statue of King Olaf,  He was king of Norway from 1015 to 1028.

 He later was known as Saint Olaf; he is credited with bringing Christianity to Norway.

And wandered through the market area

 Norwegians love waffles...here they are sold on a stick!

 Back near the harbor we see the Last Viking Statue (Den Siste Viking).

It was erected in 1990 by the famous artist Nils Aas.  He was inspired by the Den Siste Viking novel by Johan Bojer, honoring the bravery, courage and fortitude of Norway's fishermen.

Back on the ship we dried out and relaxed for the afternoon.  When it was time for the ship to leave the port, the winds were very strong and kept pushing the bow of the ship back towards the dock.

It took about 2 hours for the thrusters on the ship, battling against the winds, before we were finally free.  It looked like we were awful close to the shore as we pulled away.

 The ship actually backed out into the middle of the harbor before doing a 360 turn and headed out to sea.

The next day is a sea day and we will cross the Arctic Circle at 5:30 am.  It will be light out but we don't plan on going up on deck to see that imaginary line!

Next port is Honningsvag and we head to North Cape!

June 28 at Trondheim:  Sunrise, 3:05 am; Sunset, 11:31 pm

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