Day in Trondheim

Aah ... Trondheim. A small and compact city but the cultural heartland of Norway. People have lived here for thousands of years and the fertile lands and warm Gulf Stream (making the Trondheimfjord another ice free port) made this a power centre during the Viking Age.
We enjoyed a walking tour through the city today and took in sights such as St Olav's Church, the Old Town and the amazing Nidaros Cathedral. Nidaros is special because St Olaf is entombed here. I thought it was special because it had gargoyles!! (But only on the north side because that's where the cold comes from and hell must be cold because the heat would be nice. Makes sense, right? We thought so too. Whatever the reason, the gargoyles are always a nice touch on a church in my opinion!).
The Old Town (known as Bakklandet) is picturesque and the neighbourhood is dominated by wooden houses and narrow streets. The centuries old coloured and wooden warehouses that reflect on the canal waters are the highlight of my day. For Samara, the highlight is patting a giant wolf hound she befriends after a sweaty climb to Kristiansten Festning (the fortress on the hill, built in 1681, which offered superb views over Trondheim). She loves dogs and they love her.
We also took a ferry ride to Munkholmen, a little island in the middle of the fjord. In ancient times, the island was used by the Vikings as a place of execution. Here they would behead and bespike whomsoever caused them angst. After this, it was a monastery (where the monks brewed beer, got drunk and partied long into the long winter nights), then a prison and now a Cafe and handicraft shop. Imagine, over the years, the screams, the drunken revelry and the woe of prisoners being heard across the city. We simply had a nice walk there...
Oh!!! And we ate pinnewaffels!!!Read more