Trondheim

We were sorry to depart Ålesund even if it was pouring rain and foggy. It reminded me of a Norwegian Loreto (a lovely town in Baja, Mexico). Beautiful and embraceable.

We tramped three blocks to the Hurtigruten Terminal, awaiting the arrival of the Vesteralen, one of Hurtigruten's older ferries (but renovated in 2022).

Its age didn't bother us. It would get us to Trondheim in 24 hours. But we didn't care for the price: $905 for one night, two berths, one bathroom, breakfast and dinner (but not lunch). Not even Wi-Fi was free exactly. To get it you had to sign up online for Hurtigruten’s Ambassador Service. The only cost, the joy of being bombarded with Hurtigruten emails and promotions.

Hurtigruten came into existence as a mail ferry 130 years ago. (It's a fascinating story and I'll tell it elsewhere.) For decades, the ships were the nation's lifeline, moving people, goods, and mail up and down the long coast. But as roads and rail systems began to provide new ways to get around, the ferries lost some of their steam. But there was tourism. The ferries (as you've seen) could deliver some of the grandest views in the world as they navigated the country's long string of fjords and mountains. Outback villages like Ålesund, Bødo, Trømso became and continue to become tourist destinations, utterly changing the economic landscape of the country.

Hurtigruten is a fine operation (I took one ship from Miami to Lima as part of our Vagabond-Adventure), but they are trying to discourage one night trips along Norway's coast like ours in favor of signing tourists up for their long cruises which are more manageable and profitable. This, I assumed, explained why using the ferry for one night was so expensive. They prefer to discourage that. But we didn't want a cruise, we wanted more flexibility.

It was afternoon when the Vesteralen departed. Mist and gloom surrounding us as the ship navigated back to URKE, a picturesque town we had visited several days earlier (see that story from Adventure Day 611 ). Later the ship pivoted north toward Trondheim. It was decidedly not a day for sightseeing unless you were a fish as rain fell in torrents over the sea and fjords. We passed the time working on deck five with occasional peeks out the porthole to watch the rain whip across the ships bow.

Drifting on the waters of the fjords gives you a sense of their grandeur. I wouldn’t mind being one of the seagulls sweeping overhead, getting a view that must be something like heaven (on a clear day). From there you'd sweep across the deep waters jagged peaks. And you could swing in the wind to view the lakes and rivers that spill out of the valleys to thunder down one mountainside after another to the sea below.

What a spectacular part of the world.

Ålesund and Trondheim Recommendations

As you can tell, we’re pleased to recommend Hurtigruten cruises for their quality, but perhaps not for an overnight excursion. Here are some recommendations we’re happy to make for Ålesund or Trondheim. And follow this link for more Norwegian recommendations.