If I Were Going...: Alesund and Kristiansund

Continuing on from the Trollstigen, we continued along the Romsdalfjorden to our destination, Alesund. Our hotel sat right in the middle of the photogenic part of the city. So, you'll see it pop up in many, many pictures. The inside was contemporary and the room was probably the smallest hotel room I have ever seen.

Our hotel

The town is interesting because it was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1904. Because it is an important seaport (it actually spans four islands), it was rapidly built in the style of the day. So, unlike other Norwegian cities, this is a haven for Art Nouveau architecture.

What cool embellishments

But, it still has a Norwegian feel. I think there are more boats than people in Norway.

Alesund

We got in fairly late and aren't (as I have said before) really city people, so we walked a bit, had some dinner and then headed out to Alnes, a small island on the North Sea to try to capture some aurora.

The drive out is interesting because much of it is via tunnel, so you move from island to island without really realizing it.

We were treated to a beautiful, lingering sunset.

Sunset

And, we found a nice dark spot to set up near a lighthouse.

Lighthouse

Then, we waited.

I love this picture of Scott

I don't have the equipment to shoot aurora, so I just watched. The display was very weak -- it just looked pale grey/green to the naked eye. But, Scott got some nice shots of sunset plus aurora with a lighthouse to boot.

Photo: Scott Stevens

The next morning, we drove up a narrow, winding road for a view of Alesund before moving on.

Such a pretty city

See our hotel on the left?

Norway is so pretty

Here's the harbor.

Alesund Harbor

But, we were on our way north, which included taking a ferry to Molde ...

Molde Ferry

... including admiring the sea life as we waited to depart.

Jellies in the water

Then, some beautiful fjord-side driving (this is the Moldefjorden).

More of the country's gentle beauty

Plus, when we stopped to buy groceries, we finally found ice! See the tiny bag, which cost about $5. One of the issues we had with picnicking on our trip was that no one sells ice.

Ice!

Some hotels (but not all) have small ice machines, but, in general Norwegians don't use ice. Many have mini-fridges, but often they don't actually get cold.

Apparently, they use freezer packs to keep picnic foods cool. That didn't work for us because we didn't have a freezer. So, we lived a it on the edge, but since we mainly had bread, cheese and fruit, ice wasn't critical. And, I guess the portable (foldable) cooler I took worked well enough that nothing killed us.

Anyway, back to the trip. We were now on the scenic Atlantic Road that hops across islands and peninsula along the North Atlantic. We took a detour to Bog, which is supposed to be quaint and scenic, but found it pretty much like the rest of the area. Because these are working towns, some of the quaintness is overshadowed. But, still, there were some lovely spots.

A rocky seaside

Boat house

Once we got to Kristiansund (another town built on multiple islands), we enjoyed the typically Norwegian architectural touches

Architectural detail

Scott even met some local wildlife!

A pretty kitty

Our hotel - the Thon - was modern and very bright and sunny.

A modern hotel

And, I got brave in the dining room and ordered the bacalau, which is the traditional dish of Alesund. It is actually a Portuguese dish that was imported to Norway, where cod fishing is a big part of the economy. Bacalau is salt cod that is soaked, wrung out and cooked with tomatoes, garlic and onions. It was a bit salty and chewy, but not too bad.