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Wednesday 29 September--Inspiration! I had scheduled a full day (now lost) in Trondheim and the early ferry to Kristiansund, giving us five hours there before catching the onward ferry. We check the schedule and find that we can take one at noon instead, leaving us only an hour and a half in Kristiansund, but giving us the morning to see Trondheim. We walk all around the stunning Nidaros cathedral--alas, it does not open until afternoon--and cross the old bridge, gaining this view of the warehouses along the river.




Another view off the bridge.




On the other side of the river, at the top of a hill, is Skansen, the old fort, affording a sweeping view over the city.




The express ferry is very fast indeed, and looking out the front window is like watching the stars go by on the bridge of the Enterprise. We pass the coastal ferry we will be boarding later en route. An hour and a half turns out to be plenty in Kristiansund.




Sidewalk Vikings (unwittingly facing astern).




The magic of Photoshop! "The Earls of Dorkney".




There are twelve ferries running up and down the coast of Norway year-round. It's a twelve-day round trip, so there is one a day in each direction at each port. We are traveling from Kristiansund to Bergen, a journey taking twenty-one hours. We are astonishingly lucky--the weather is absolutely splendid, although we are told that it has been raining for the past two weeks. We spend as much time as we can on the top deck.




A carpet on one of the stairway landings on our ferry, the Kong Harald.




The scenery along the way is fabulous. At dusk, the cliffs glow red in the sunset.




Did I mention that the scenery is fabulous?




Dusk over the islands.




We pass another ferry going the other way. It's getting dark, and my hand-held photo comes out blurry. I decide that it looks pretty good that way.




At midnight we land at Ålesund, where there is a forty-five minute layover. We take a quick walk around the town, which burned down in 1903 and was completely rebuilt in art-nouveau style--very pretty, but unfortunately too dark for photos. I do get one of the Kong Harald at the dock, however.




We have time to slam down a quick beer in one of the waterfront bars. "Ålesund, our aim is true."




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