It's our last full day on board the MS NordNorge today. We wake up this morning in Trondheim and have a 2 hour stop. Quite a few passengers leave today including Andrew and Barbara (with the broken leg). They are supposed to be continuing with a self drive from Trondheim to Copenhagen but unless they can get a wheelchair for Barbara I think it will be difficult to be getting in and out of the car to look at things along the way. We have had an email from them to say that they got to their hotel and that Andrew was going looking to see if he could hire/buy a wheelchair. I think Barbara would be happy to end the journey and go home as I don't think she is very comfortable but I'm also not sure that she will have the final say.
After breakfast we get off and go for a walk around Trondheim. Last time we were here on the way North it was a Sunday and quite early so it was very quiet. This time it's Monday, still before 10am so not really too much different!
The rain that set in late yesterday has cleared and its sunny again and when walking it's very warm.
Back on the ship we have an info session about disembarkation followed by a Vera lecture about Norwegian Independence and the Royal Family.
Not much happening after lunch and long periods of cruising without stopping, mostly scenic through the islands. The afternoon has come in a bit cloudy so we spend a good deal of it in our cabin watching the world go by and perhaps forty winks may have been had.
We are up on deck as we sail past islets and skerries.Grip is an island that in the 60's was home to 400 but as the fishing declined so did the population and now there are mainly holiday homes that surround the small Stave church that was built in 1470. As we sail into Kristiansund, Svenja offers some information about the port and its history. The harbour was operational in the Stone Age and houses have been discovered that are up to 10000 years old. The town has had to adapt a number of times to the changing economy. First it was timber, then herring, then cod. The town was completely destroyed by the Germans in April 1940 but has been rebuilt to reflect the heritage.
The town is now the base for the development of oil and gas. It is a large town spread over 3 islands I think and is linked to the mainland today by a 5.2km subsea tunnel and 2 bridges.
The next stretch of water between Kristiansund and Molde will be less interesting so it's a good time to pack to prepare for disembarkation tomorrow. Dinner is at 7.30 but of course tonight we are only 4.