Snowy days

This morning we woke up to snow and a cold breeze as the Nordnorge docked at 6am in Trondheim. A dramatic contrast to yesterday in Ålesund. We trundled off into the city rugged up in our thick winter coats and fleeces. So cold and it will get colder! By the time we had stopped in at the Nidarosdomen (the cathedral), crossed over the Gamle Bybro (old bridge), and wandered through the city streets it was time to head back to the ship. Had the weather been nicer we would have liked to stay a bit longer but our cheeks were going numb. The town has some interesting history having been established by Viking King Olav Tryggvason in about AD 997. He converted to Christianity and declared himself king. The cathedral became a place of pilgrimage. King Olav was later consecrated and became a saint. There is an island just inside the harbour called Munkholmen (Monk Island) which once housed monks, but before that it was used as a place of executions. The heads of the executed were put on spikes and visitors to the island had to spit on them as a sign of reverence. Macabre but interesting.Læs mere