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On Day 9 we are back at Tronsø, and it is nearly midnight. Our shore excursion there is a midnight concert in the Arctic Cathedral. We had been to the Arctic Cathedral on our way north, so we didn’t take any more photos, and we were not allowed to take photos during the concert. It began with the sound of voices coming from the back of the church, then the organ began to play. When the singers finished the first song, they began to file down the isles on the sides and down the middle of the church and gathered on the raised portion of the alter area. We heard quite a few traditional Norwegian folk songs, as well as some classical pieces. The acoustics were amazing, and it was a very enjoyable hour. I felt slightly uplifted as we left the church to return to the ship.

We continue south and stop at Svolvaer. We have some spare time at this port, and we are told of a couple of attractions on the quay. One is the Magic Ice display. We don heavy parkas and enter the largest freezer I’ve ever seen.

We are told by the guy who gave us our tickets to enter, that every year they have a contest of sorts, and make all new sculptures in Ice, and they spend the rest of the year in this deep freeze on display for the tourists.

The colored lights offer a nice effect. The few photos we took with flash totally missed this feature.

The parkas were necessary. It was really cold inside. Think of climbing inside your freezer and closing the door.

We spent about half an hour inside this space, and then, since it was time for lunch, we headed back to the ship. It was nice to get back outside, even though it was still fairly cold there as well.

The first frame below was lunch. I really loved the kippers in the various sauces, and the smoked salmon, the caviar and smoked cod. I could never get enough if the blue cheese. I want to go back. ;o) The next three frames were from dinner.

I can’t describe the appetizer, but I remember it was very good. The entree was poached salmon with potatoes and vegetables. I don’t know what the little orange berry is on the dessert, but I always eat it even though it is a little tart. Its leaves are like paper.

It is late evening and we are busy on our computers, catching up on email and downloading our photos. The clock on the wall says it is almost 23:00 and we go out on deck to see the non-sunset. It gets close to the horizon but never touches it.

Of course, in winter the sun never rises above the horizon. I think this would be a very boring trip in winter. You wouldn’t be able to see anything. ;o( Well, except for the Northern Lights, which you won’t see in summer.

As we continue south towards Stamsund we hear over the PA that we are coming up on the ‘hole in the rock’. Well, that sounds like it might be worth a picture, so Pete heads up on deck to check it out. Sure enough, there is indeed a hole in a rock, and it is a rather huge rock at that.

On Day 10 we passed on the shore excursion at Brønnøysund, because it didn’t sound all that interesting. It involved a visit to the Norwegian Aquaculture Center, or fish farm, where we would “get hands-on with the vibrant salmon fishing culture.” I’d much prefer to stay onboard and enjoy the delicious smoked salmon at lunch. ;o)

Our next shore excursion, on Day 11, is at Trondheim, Norway’s original capital. It was founded in 997 by the Viking King Olav Tryggvason, who gave the town the name of Nidaros. Our bus takes us on an interesting tour of the town, touching on all the historical points of interest. By Norwegian standards, Trondheim is a large city, yet it has managed to preserve many of the charms and intimacy of a small town. It is full of contrasts, with monastery ruins, impressive wooden buildings, colorful wharves, and a beautiful red-painted city bridge dating back to 1861. We stop at Utsikten to admire the city from a high elevation.

Next we are taken to Nidaros Cathedral, our second visit. The tour was much the same as on our trip north, so I won’t dwell on it, except to say that our tour guide this time was much more interesting, and knowledgeable.

I thought the statue on the left above was rather strange. Sometimes there’s just no explaining art.

Next we stop at an old medieval church, the Kvernes Stave Church, which turned out to be very interesting. The grounds were beautiful, with lots of very old trees, and a wonderful view of the fjord.

The lady in red was our guide, and she was quite a character. I’d guess that she was from old Viking stock, tough as nails. ;o)

Everything was hand carved and hand painted wood. The walls were painted with the entire story of the bible, but over the years some of it has been removed, or painted over, which is a real shame, because it was so unique.

The sailing ship that hung from the ceiling was a work of art. This church is hundreds of years old, and you had to wonder about the craftsmen who painted the designs on the ceiling and beams. We don’t do things like that today.

Next door to this old medieval church was a very white church. It was quite beautiful in it’s own way.

From here, we went to a restaurant famous for its bacalao, or salt cod (stockfish). It is called “Bjartmars Favorittkro” tavern. The bacalao was Basque style, served in a large bowl, and had lots of vegetables along with the fish. It was actually very good.

We could order beer or wine, but we had to pay for that. We finished off the meal with a scrumptious caramel pudding and a cup of coffee. One of the waitresses bid us farewell as we left in our bus, as she stood with a salted and dried stockfish in her hand, waving to us as we drove away.

We continue along the Atlantic Road, but this part of our adventure will be covered in Chapter 9, the final chapter.