Introducing Caleb, our newest grandson, weighing in at 8 lbs. 4oz. We are eager to meet him. That is the downside of long-term travel yet we are thrilled to be able to interact through video calls online.
We heard that Bjorn is the most popular name in Norway with one out of five men having that name. It means bear. As nice as that name is, I prefer Caleb which means faithful. Welcome sweet little one!!
Speaking of welcome, we have docked for an hour in Ålesund. What can we do in an hour … read on.The town of Ålesund experienced a huge fire in 1904. It started in a factory. There was a terrible winter storm with strong winds. They fired cannons to alert the city to evacuate.
The fire brigade consisted of horse and buggy. The horses were scared. The entire city burned down with only one loss of life.
The town took three years to rebuild. According to this building, it was constructed in 1905, one year after the fire.The Germans helped to rebuild the town. Kaiser Wilhelm II had a personal connection to the city, having visited it over 20 times. His immediate and generous response included sending ships with personnel, supplies, and building materials.Originally the houses were made of grey brick. It was kind of dreary so one person painted his bricks. Others liked it and followed his lead.
Ålesund is located on a network of islands. After the fire in 1904, the city was rebuilt in Art Nouveau style with colorful ornaments and towers in beautiful pastels.
Today the winds were calm, and we traveled down the famous Geirangerfjord. It is closed in winter due to avalanches and frozen waterfalls. Steep-sided rock walls rise a full 5,200 feet above sea level.
Ahead we can see the narrow entrance to Geirangerfjord.The famous Seven Sisters Waterfalls has an impressive 800-foot drop. We saw four waterfalls. Perhaps the others have run dry.We passed by a salmon fish farm.We were not alone trying to capture beautiful photographs of the fiords. It was very windy. Note Rob’s Michelin man look.
Abandoned mountain farms that we saw along the fjord are now holiday homes. We passed by many towns but did not stop at them.
Møllsbygda has a zigzag road up the hill from the fjord.Geiranger was the terminus of our fjord visit all the way through the Geirangerfjord. We turned around to get back on course.
Farther north we docked at Molde, called the City of Roses.
Our boat picks up local foods to serve us each night. I guess that’s called “fjord-to-table”!
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