Another Day, Another Town

We wake up in Alesund today. This is a much bigger city, with a population of 67,000 people. It's much bigger than Geiranger. The port looks a little more industrial than the scenery we have seen the past few ports. This port is actually at the entrance of the Geirngerfjord, where we were yesterday. There are many shops within walking distance that we take in after our tour. Alesund is actually made up of 3 different islands connected by bridges.

Today we are going to an ocean park. Our tour starts with a drive-through town. There was a fire in 1904 that devastated a large part of town. It started in a fish factory and spread quickly since the buildings were made of wood. After this time, all the buildings had to be made of stone or cement. There are beautiful views from everywhere and i can't image a house without a view of the mountains or water. Spring is in full bloom here, with many colourful flowers and trees. The buildings are interesting with their norse emblems and facades. Many of the buildings have the date of when they were built up on the top. We see more of this when we walk through the town. The ocean park doesn't disappoint. They have many natural tanks of various fish and crustaceans inside the main building. Outside, they have two areas; one large one for the seals and a smaller one for the otters. The day is a little overcast, making it hard to get good pictures, but I try.

Back in town, we are left to walk around on our own. There are many shops that catch our eye. One of which is an antique store. The owner is very nice and speaks very fluent English. (Thank goodness because my Norweigian is definitely lacking!) He has many little spoon collections and jewelery from the past. The best part was the paintings. His father was a painter, and he showed us how his and other painters used a technique that changed the painting with lighting. If you look at the painting in full light, it is a nice landscape, but when the light is lowered, the painting seems to have a light coming from within. It was amazing! This is why I like to travel because you discover things in the real world that books can describe, but experiencing them is so much better.

We walk farther into town and check out the buildings and winding streets. When we boarded the ship, my wooden knitting needles were broken in the luggage. This, of course, means that the socks that I was knitting had to be put on hold. Today, however, I found a wool store! They didn't have the same size needles, but I did manage to pick up some more needles and wool to start another pair. After this, I leave Laura to her shopping and make it back to the ship. My poor little feet aren't as young as hers.Les mer