Wednesday 10th September
Overnight we progressed through fjords and the open sea called the Stadhavet. This is where the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea meet. A headland here is often called “a clenched fist against the sea” and “full storm at Stad” is a meteorological warning in Norway. It can be a dangerous place in stormy weather. We arrived before breakfast in Alesund, having stopped in Maloy for 15 minutes in the early hours of the morning.
The highlight of the day was the cruise to the head of Hjorundfjord. This brought home the size of these fjords which look nothing like the small diagrams in physical geography textbooks! The width of the fjord alone is amazing and with mountains on each side rising to 1600 metres it is no wonder that during the Second World War German battleships and cruisers could be hidden here because from the air they would be difficult to see.
We were also lucky enough to see several whales swimming down the fjord towards the sea.
We returned to Alesund and explored the ancient harbour where the first settlers from Bergen traded in fish and corn. However, today the town’s architecture shows signs of trade with the Dutch and the English as well as being part of the herring fishing boom. We then continued the regular journey overnight to Trondheim.
