Guest Blogger: Anne Mossman
Sunday started with a quick check on the Amalia and a saunter back to the Clarion Hotel for a bit of TLC. After being toiletless and impeded by clambering over 2 other boats every time we wanted to get ashore, this was something of a literal relief.
A lazy evening ensued with a video; the ongoing saga of Tokyo Vice (having exhausted our book fest of must-reads).
The next morning we treated ourselves to a Clarion breakfast which was fabulous and the scrambled eggs were cooked to perfection. I then added all the healthy stuff I felt duty bound to eat.
Sufficiently sated, we drove to the outdoor museum on the outskirts of Trondheim. Tours were no additional cost, so we joined in the ones that we could. These included an agricultural and a churches tour. Most of the buildings were brought into the site and rebuilt. The collection was interesting and often not significantly different from some of the remote northern villages we had visited. One of the things that stuck in our minds was that the turf roofs required goats to keep the vegetation down otherwise trees and shrubs would try and grow destroying the roof, which was waterproofed using lots of layers of birch bark. These roofs only needed to be replaced maybe once in the life of agricultural worker – just in time to pass the skills on to the next generation.
The churches included a 12th century stave church (one of just 28 left in Norway) and a more modern Lutheran church where the pews were deliberately uncomfortable to deter sneaky naps in the sermon. The churches even had “sluggard wakers” who prodded parishioners with a long pole if they showed signs of dropping off. In the afternoon we walked around the reconstructed town of old Trondheim with 19th century artisans selling their wares. A bank and dentist were also on show with all their antique equipment. A man dressed in character as a postman encouraged us imagine we had transcended into the early 20th century when Norway became independent in 1905. We were asked “Who was the king? Who did he marry?” (The answer turned out to be Haakon VII. His wife was Maud, the youngest daughter of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra).
A satisfying day was rounded off with a meal at our favourite vegan restaurant in Trondheim and another episode of Tokyo Vice.
The peace of Sunday night, during which we were contemplating watching another English Football match (we decided that was too much given a 2am kick-off), was shattered in the middle of the night. Norway were also playing, but earlier, and at about 3 am we were woken by an almighty roar of faithful Norwegian fans followed by fireworks. After quickly deducing the match outcome we went back to sleep.
We had an early start to head off to Torvika Seaview pods – our accommodation for the night. Three car ferries later we arrived about 3pm and were greeted by the very welcoming owner. The big windows of the pod looked out over the fjord and it was so calming and peaceful that we spent the rest of the afternoon mesmerised by the view, though not without planning our visit to Runde for the next day.
The route turned out to be a tortuous one via impassable roadworks and a couple of bridges that domed into the sky hopping us from one island to the next. We visited the research centre on the island and got chatting to the two receptionists. The young man was German and had a lot to say for himself. He had lots of science qualifications, a penchant for knitting and a Norwegian partner. We enjoyed chatting to him and learnt that Norway has a lot of regional dialects which he sometimes found harder to understand than Swedish. The other receptionist tried to persuade us to do a guided tour in the evening. Andy happily agreed and equally happily ignored the cost (Norwegian fee – think of a big number and double it). The suggestion that there might be otters in the bay by the centre quickly got us exploring the seaweed and rocks. To our surprise we saw one pop his head out of the water and then take a big dive. It was only a glimpse, but it was enough.
We returned at 5pm and joined the rest of the group; a Norwegian family of four and us. Initially we had a film about the research centre (a salutatory reminder about how fragile the surrounding ecology is; when one piece of the jenga is removed, the rest can collapse). This was followed by a traditional fish soup and a tour around the artifacts of a Dutch East India Company shipwreck loaded to the gunwhales with gold and silver. This was officially discovered in July 1972 by Swedish divers, much to the annoyance of the Norwegians.
Then the big moment had arrived, our trek to see the puffins. Normally I am sitting comfortably in a cosy chair by this time of the evening, but tonight we were scrambling up a very steep hill to access the cliffs on the other side of the island. Our first sighting was a skua – a huge brown bird that can be quite scary if you trespass into its territory. Next up, scores of puffins flying around the cliff face, their little red legs splayed out for ungainly landings. These were occasionally interspersed with razorbills and indeed a little later we saw a pair standing on a small ledge at close range. Puffins, however, stole the show and at the main viewing point further along the cliff many were circling below quite close and totally unphased by the monstrous cameras bearing down on them. Indeed, one of them faced the cameras turning his head from right to left as if to say – well folks which side of me to you prefer? Apparently, the food supply was good this year (herring fry and sand eels) and the birds were constantly diving into their burrows to feed the chicks. An hour or so later, as the sky was looking black, we decided to head back, but not without seeing a huge colony of gannets on the vertical cliffs beyond.
Sadly we must leave these islands and drive to Lillehammer our last Norwegian pitstop before Oslo. This penultimate section of the drive was a twisty turny road across the mountains and through nature parks. At first, we followed the fjord which extended deep into the landscape and then as we climbed higher, the seascape was replaced by fresh water, fast-flowing rivers and lakes. There were many tunnels on our route, which deprived us of the wonderful captivating views. Lillehammer, a delightful Olympic ski town, was a final overnight stop before Oslo. Here we were reunited with my truffle pals, Berit and Tove, for a quick coffee and as it turned out, a delicious breakfast. Andy revelled in the view of the Oslo Fjord and resolved to sail there one day. Fortunately, the journey to Gothenburg was uneventful, and we were in plenty of time for the ferry. It was even warm enough the next day to sit outside for breakfast on the optimistically named sun deck. We always enjoy coming into Kiel, spotting familiar landmarks remembered from previous sailing trips.
We are nearly home and rather daunted by the resumption of our mad, frenetic lives. But, one more friend to visit in Bremen, distracted us from dwelling on our domestic obligations. The sun was warm and we had a “school dinner lunch” in the cool of the shaded garden. Vicky should really not undermine her hospitality. The lunch was delicious and included a special red berry pudding. Our visit was soon over but not without visiting the allotment, which I have totally fallen in love with (Question – Can you fall in love with a patch of land filled to the brim with flowers, fruit and vegetables? Answer – Yes).
Our last night was a hotel near Bad Bentheim. We had inadvertently chosen one out in the wilds of the German/Dutch border. It had beautiful grounds with carefully manicured gardens. We enjoyed a late supper outside bathing in the last of the evening sun. Today is Saturday and we are due home on the Hoek/ Harwich ferry. A time to reflect what a special holiday this has been. May our sailing companions continue with their truly amazing adventures up in Arctic Norway.
