Day 137. Ålesund, Norway.

I had another superlative day of seeing the fjords in Ålesund. The steep mountains falling into the fjords were incredible. I'm used to seeing the Pennsylvania mountains as they gradually go higher and higher, but these fjords make for an entirely different experience. I took 273 pictures today and could have taken 273 more! The views were spectacular, even though we had a few periods of short rains. It was 9⁰C brrrr.  Here's a bit of history first: they had a major fire in 1904 that resulted in a mix of art deco and other styles. The fire was caused by an oil lamp that fell over.
Boating is their main hobby, and most families have their own boat. Cod, herring, monkfish, and mackerel are the primary catches.
Drove through many villages, including Borgan, Sjøhlt (church from 1800s), Valldol, and many more that I can't spell. They can't grow grains such as wheat because they get too much rain here.
We saw a salmon farm and salmon ladders that the farmers built to help the salmon swim upstream. Salmon farms are pretty controversial here, but I'm not sure why.
Although we started the day with a light rain, the sun poked through periodically, and the views were spectacular.  Beautiful scenery; just like being back home and driving through the mountains of PA.
We ended with a tasty buffet lunch at Nilsgardstunet and a local Troll beer.Read more