By the time we woke up, and we woke up quite early for we had set an alarm, the ship was already docked at Trondheim. We got up and had a quick breakfast and then got ready to head out into town. When we disembarked it was only around 8am, and still quite dark outside. So much for “holidays”!
On the map which we got onboard there were a couple of walking trails marked. We chose to loosely follow the 5km one as it would take us along the river to the cathedral and then on to the fortress. After a false start (we followed a guided-walk tour) we found the right path and not quite half an hour later reached Niderus Cathedral, the largest(?) in Norway. Unfortunately it was closed to individuals because of renovation work on the organ but I overheard the lady in the gift shop telling a couple of ladies that if they asked one of the tour guides nicely they might be allowed in to have a quick peek.
So when the tour from the ship arrived we semi-sneakily joined it with the ladies and ended up getting into the cathedral after all. It’s built in gothic style and is supposedly located on the spot where King Olav (later St. Olav) was originally buried. It’s had quite a history, starting off as a small wooden chapel, then a small stone church, which then got expanded into the current cathedral over a couple of hundred years. It’s also partially burned down, with the spire falling onto part of the church which was then left to ruin for over 300 years while the other parts were still in use. The ruined parts were finally rebuilt last century, so while parts of the church are over 800 years old, other parts are barely 50.
The organs (there are 2) also bear a brief mention as one is an original Wagner organ built in Germany, while the other is a modern monstrosity with over 9600 pipes! This latter organ is the one currently being restored and retuned, which is why the cathedral is closed to general tourists.
After Niderus Cathedral we headed onwards on our walk, although departing from the riverside to head up to an impressive stone building on a hill. This turned out to be a university and embolded by our earlier escapades we simply walked in. On the front facade it had a couple of towers, which Micha wanted to go up, so we climbed various flights of stairs and eventually found ourselves in a service corridor, and then the loft. For some reason nobody stopped the two tourists with thick coats and cameras, but we never did find the way to the towers nor any windows facing over the city, so we left again without any pictures.
From the university we wandered onwards in the direction of the fortress. This section of town reminded Micha for some reason of a suburb in New England, America with its wooden houses and neatly fenced gardens. We eventually reached the fortress and the gates through the outer walls were open. The main fortress building was locked up though and didn’t seem to be open to the public. There were also quite a few kids running around, it looked like a school excursion.
From the fortress we wandered back down into town and looked around the high street. For a change it actually had people in it – so far most towns looked deserted. Micha still can’t get used to the prices though: £1.50 for a postcard! He thought it was only alcohol which is expensive up here, not everything.
With quarter of an hour to go, we made it back onto the ship and got ourselves ready for lunch. After our long walk this morning we were both quite hungry! Lucky that they provide plenty of food here, and lunchtime is a buffet. Very nice. For the rest of the afternoon we spent in the observation lounge, reading in Dana’s case, and sorting out photos in Micha’s case.
Sometime after dinner the ship reached Røndvick (sp?) where we ducked out for a quick 10 minute stretch of our legs. As well as the Polarlys the MS Trollfyord was docked at the quay, but although we were allowed on board for a look around we decided instead to head into town. A quick walk up and down the high street near the quay and a photo of “The Fisherman’s Wife” and then it was back on board.
We didn’t last much longer that evening, relaxing on the observation deck before tucking into our bunks around 11pm.
