The Subarctic Norway Coast

Monday and Tuesday, June 13 and 14

We left Bodo around 9pm Sunday night and sailed 180 miles to Bronnoysund. This town of about 5,000 people is the national registration center, something of which they are very proud. Registration of drivers, hunters, cars, marriages, you name it. The probable reason for this honor is that Bronnoysund is located halfway between the north and south of Norway, essentially equidistant from Tromso and Oslo. Pleasant little town that looks out to the beautiful Lofoten Islands. Surprisingly, they have no hospital, instead relying on air and boat ambulances.

It was a big deal to this small town to have us visit. Think of all the buses, tour guides, and bus drivers, not to mention special excursions that had been booked. These communities we are visiting are each very proud of their area and history and seem to delight in sharing their information. And this is especially evident when we visit such a small community.

In Bronnoysund, our excursion included a visit to their church and a drive over an unusual bridge--it climbs quite high in a short space. We were also treated to a scenic drive. We then stopped at an old fishing dock, where the community had gathered a number of people to give us a flavor of their area. We could see some cod that had been hung to dry. (Elsewhere in the north, we had seen klippfisk, which is salted and air dried. This cod was not salted.) There were several young women in national costume serving lefse. There were two men working on a traditional boat. A couple of our guides sang some folk songs. There was a little bit of everything. It was a constructed opportunity, but I thought it showed how much Bronnoysund wanted us to know them and share in their pride.

We set sail by midafternoon, heading for Alesund, 300 miles away and our last stop in Norway.

We arrived in Alesund on Tuesday morning, with bright sun and deep blue seas. Alesund, with 46,000 inhabitants, is in one of the most stunning settings we've seen. Our first stop--following a number of twists and turns up a skinny, steep road--was at a popular viewpoint.  As much fun as our bus had making its way up to the top, I can only imagine the trek for those who choose to walk/climb up the stairway.

The hard way to get to the viewpoint.

Views from Mt. Aksla.

We visited Sunnmore Open Air Museum, with its collection of old buildings and a performance of Norwegian folk dancing and fiddling.

We had some free time before sailing, so we walked through Alesund's noted area of Art Nouveau buildings, known as the Jugendstil. Pretty streets, hilly, charming.

Everyone we talked to on the ship agreed Alesund was the most appealing town we'd seen and in the hands-down most spectacular setting, not harmed by the fabulous weather either, of course.

Just to get us on our way, Alesund had a fire boat escort us all the way out.

We then made our way through a gorgeous archipelago, after which our ship aimed for the Shetland Islands. What a beautiful wrap up to our time in Norway!