Boarding the MS Nordlys in Trondheim

I slept well but woke quite early. I'd arranged to meet the others for breakfast at 8.30 where I found that there was a great selection at the buffet. A bowl of muesli, fruit and yoghurt, some excellent bread and cheese, and passable coffee, meant I was all set for the day.

We sat for a while chatting then, as it was a fine bright morning, I decided to walk over to the cathedral which the others had visited and been impressed by yesterday. And it was certainly worth a visit, on a much grander scale than I would have expected in such a small town.

Nidaros Cathedral is the world’s northernmost Gothic cathedral. It was built over the tomb of King Olav II (reigned 1015–1028), the Viking king who converted Norway to Christianity. He reigned from 1015 to 1028 and later became the country’s patron saint. It is here that Norwegian kings are crowned, not in the capital Oslo.

Although the cathedral dates back to the late 13th/early 14th centuries, little remains from that time. It has suffered from a number of fires, in 1327, 1531, 1708 and 1719. It was rebuilt for the last time from 1869 onwards but only officially completed in 2001. However it exudes history and, despite quite a large number of tourists when I visited, a sense of calm.

The West Front was entirely restored from 1905 to 1983. Only five statues from the Middle Ages have survived. I’m not 100% sure which these are, but some are clearly in poor condition and of a darker stone, so I have my suspicions! Some of the remaining medieval statues, in poor condition, are on display in the museum, which I didn’t have time to visit.

Inside I revelled in the wealth of stained glass (mostly late 19th or early 20th century). The windows depict Bible stories, the Old Testament on the north side (characterised by blue tones) and the New Testament on the south (with mainly red tones). The great rose window on the west front represents Judgement Day.

I was especially taken by the beautifully carved stone font but could find no information about it. The stone seems similar to that of the building itself.

The Sami altar was consecrated during ‘Tråante’, the centennial of the Sami Assembly, in 2017. It was created by a Sami artist, Folke Fjällström. It is made from birch which has been oiled and processed in the Sami tradition.

I found time afterwards for a quick espresso in the cafe and a few photos outside of sculptures by the art museum and an elegant war memorial. I also bumped into VT friends Martin and Zohara and had a brief chat.

Then realising it was getting late I hurried back to the hotel to finish packing and join the others to get a taxi to the ship.

Once at the dock we boarded and checked in.

I found my cabin which was quite small but with a decent sized window and all the basics provided. The bed was folded up against the wall to create a nice sofa, although with a cosy lounge with great views on the upper deck I didn’t anticipate spending much time in the cabin.

My cabin

And the lounge was where we all gathered once we’d checked in, to chat and enjoy the views as we left port. After a while there was an announcement about tomorrow’s excursions and on the spur of the moment Rich and I decided to book one on the Lofoten Islands. Later some of the others booked it too.

I had a small lunch with Teresa, Martin and Zohara, went outside for a few photos, then spent some time in the lounge downloading them, as well as this morning’s batch from the cathedral. Later there was a talk out on deck about a lighthouse we were passing, but I was too busy taking photos to catch much of it. I gathered from more attentive friends later that this was the Kjeungskjar Lighthouse, and that a family with children used to live there.

Later in the afternoon I went to an interesting talk about the geology of the fjords and then relaxed in the lounge for a while, enjoying the views out to sea.

Soon after I went back to my cabin to change for dinner the sea started to get very lively. I rather enjoyed watching it from my window and was glad to have paid the extra for an outside cabin. But it made moving around difficult. There was an announcement we should stay where we were if possible, and the lifts were shut.

But it didn’t last too long so soon we were able to meet up for a pre-dinner drink (very good Tromsø pink gin recommended by the barman). We then had a good dinner (I chose cabbage roll, salmon and a traditional milk pudding with raspberries).

Cabbage roll

We sat for a while afterwards chatting over teas and coffees, before I headed back to the cabin to settle down for the night, hoping the engine noise and scheduled stops wouldn’t disturb me too much.