Thursday June 15, 2023
Ålesund (the Å is pronounced O) has been called the most attractive city in Norway and to a certain extent with good reason. A fire on January 23, 1904 destroyed 80% of the city (850 houses) in one night. It has been rebuilt with the center of the city all with similar style (Art Nouveau Atchitecture) and in stone with wider streets. Outside the fire zone marked with a flame on a building where it began and another flame in a park at the other end, the houses are still made of wood, the streets are narrow and still date to before the fire. Newer buildings since then outside the central core, do not have to adhere to the strict building codes. No changes can be made to anything in the buildings. It provides a charming scene all along the river.
The ship docked, Starboard to dock right in the middle of town thus allowing all to wander into the center of town without the need of shuttle buses. It is always really nice when you can walk to and from the ship to the restaurants and shops. However before we went into town we boarded the coach (Right Hand Drive) for a tour – Leisurely Ålesund and our Italian Guide – Valentina, introduced herself. She was good, but as a foreigner was somewhat “belittling / syndicalism” of some of the local customs. For example there is a tradition to light a large bonfire to welcome the start of daylight. Her comment was – How do people whose city was destroyed by fire celebrate by building the largest bonfire in the world! It was formally established on January 1, 1838 with 482 inhabitants although there was a small port dating back to 1793, and now has a population of over 60,000. It is located on seven islands with the town center on Aspøya and Nørvøya with Heissa and Osknøya being the residential areas. It is one of the most important Herring fishing ports in the country. It used to be a major ship-building location but now tends to be ship repair, particularly servicing not only the fishing fleet, but also the North Sea Ocean Oil Fleet.
We travelled through the town on the coach and stopped at a parking lot where we wandered the street briefly viewing the ferries and the tiny lighthouse, now converted to a single bedroom hotel and advertised as a place for your honeymoon. It is booked years in advance! We wandered along the waterfront and stopped at one of the shops that sold native (Bund?) clothing. These woolen outfits worn by men and women particularly for ceremonial occasions although more frequently by the women. The colors and pattern are specific to a region of the wearer’s origin and may not be sold or worn by anyone who is not from that particular region. The cost of a real one is about 5,000 euros, although Chinese imitation ones can be obtained for 300 euros! They are to be used all your life and come with extra wool to be altered as your body shape is altered!
We then took the coach up the mountain to the top for a sensational view of the city and harbour. It was a perfect day weather-wise sunny and cloudless although a bit chilly wind was blowing. So we could see the mountains, the Fjords and the city in great detail. The coffee shop and souvenir shop at this Aztlan viewpoint were either gone or definitely not open and the viewpoint buildings were empty. They are installing a fence and a payment system so in the future payment will have to be made to enter the viewpoint which is owned by the city’s most affluent citizen! Nearby there were German trenches / hideouts that were used during the German occupation of WW2 as it provided an excellent view of anything entering the harbour, long before it reached the town.
Sunnmøre Museum was founded in 1931 and is an outdoor folk museum / Mediaeval Museum that has many buildings that were moved from the area and demonstrate the way of life in the area. Similar to the one we saw in Trondheim.
After the morning tour we went to have lunch at Anno Restaurant by the water, outside in the sun, that had been Recomended by the guide, which was a lot of fun. We then started walking around town with the Dweck’s returning to the ship for an appointment and the Coopers ending up at a Bakery with delicious pastries and hot chocolate. Again another perfect day from a weather standpoint, warm in the sun but a cold wind made wearing sweaters more comfortable in the shade.
We returned to the ship and set sail after our last stop with a fire board providing the water spout send off during the sail away. The other point as we sailed past was the raft that is being piled with wood in preparation for the big bonfire of the year end. The evening Show was the Comedy and juggling by Goronwy Thorm. A very amusing Englishman who was not only great in the comedy routines, but also an excellent juggler with the finale juggling on top of a 6 foot high Unicycle!
Roger & Anne Travels 