Day 2 (Mon 11th Mar) - Bergen to Kristiansund

The MS Finnmarken set off at 10:30pm last night just as we were going to sleep. Or rather, trying to. Because we both found the motion of the boat (and the overnights stops) meant we had a disturbed night.

There was a stretch of open sea we were crossing at breakfast time which meant the ship was rolling around and we were swaying and staggering around slightly. During breakfast .. Norwegian-style so it included cheese in my case which Margaret found highly amusing .. we overheard some people nearby talking about seeing the  northern lights last night. Not for long and not very much. But we were too tired anyway and wouldn't have got up .. and I'm sure there will be other chances.

At 12:00pm we docked at Alesund and had booked ourselves on a 2hr walking tour. The first chance to try out the strap-on steel-tipped grippers on our boots and I'm pleased to report they worked a treat. Although we were walking on ice and snow I didn't feel unsteady at any time (and for my running friends .. I'm guessing they will be suitable in future if I decide to go running in ice and snow ). Back to the tour of Alesund and thanks to my fleece-lined trousers I didn't feel cold at anytime despite the fact it was snowing. 

We were lucky to have a very knowledgable guide who gave us lots of interesting facts as we toured the centre. Amongst other things he explained about the fire that Alesund suffered which meant lots of the town centre burnt down as the houses were wooden and close together. The town was rebuilt in the style popular at the time .. art nouveau. The snow stopped and the sun came out so I was able to get some photos of the art nouveau houses and also the harbour area. The harbour area is surrounded with riverside houses which are hotels and apartments now - but which were used as buildings for the fishing industry in the past.

We are back on board now and earlier on, while booking an excursion at Trondheim tomorrow, we were asked if we would mind taking part in an interview for market research purposes. We will get 150 NOK to spend in the shop for taking the time to do this. 

I'm in the observation lounge on deck 8 while writing this and after the sunshine and snow showers of earlier on at Alesund, the weather has closed in again. It looks grey up ahead and there is mist (or maybe snow?) obscuring the view of some nearby islands. But we're told the forecast for the week is looking good so fingers crossed we will get clearer skies tomorrow and more chance of soaking up the amazing views we are seeing as we make our way up the coast.