It was time for an excursion. We were told that the Nidaros Cathedral was a must see and I’m glad we did. We are in the city of Trondheim. Nidaros is the medieval name of Trondheim. Population 212,000.

There were a lot of dates thrown about and several Olav’s but I couldn’t absorb them all. I did learn that Olav II is the key historical figure. Being a visual learner, I marvelled at the architecture. Olav was influenced by his visits to France and so the cathedral has a portion of it built in gothic style while another portion is Romanesque. The cathedral is built over the remains of King Olav II although the specific location is a mystery.

There are 3 church pipe organs and it would have been awesome to hear one but that was not to be. The stained glass window at the front of the cathedral is stunning!!!

The story goes that his tomb was opened and the late king looked like he had been sleeping, his hair and nails had grown, his skin was fresh and a wonderful fragrance came up from the coffin. He was declared a martyr and canonized a year later. (i) Saint Olav is the patron saint of Norway.

We had some free time to explore the cathedral further before heading back to the bus. The guide said we would leave promptly at 12:05 and to listen for the bells . What he neglected to say was that we wouldn’t hear them from inside the cathedral. Geesh! It was just after noon on our watches and we had to navigate the slippery conditions walking like penguins. I think I held my breath all the way to the bus. There was a man from our tour with a cane who was still back in the church. The guide was quite testy but we just shrugged our shoulders. I vowed I wouldn’t leave the ship anymore without my crampons. It is very treacherous!! Still I’m incredulous with the locals and how they manage to drive and walk on the ice.

The bus took us to a beautiful lookout to see the city. Yordie and I were determined to not put ourselves in further danger so we stayed in the bus and watched the others slip and slide. We had a good view anyways and we were warm. Speaking of warm, the weather has been cooperating and we haven’t used our snow pants yet, but we know it is coming!

An interesting point is that they (those from Trondheim) have built road tunnels and a roundabout underground. I was wondering if that solution had been discussed for the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto.

Time onboard the ship between meals is spent in the lounge or bistro chatting with fellow passengers. We exchange photos from the day’s excursion or pictures of the lights.

Astrid and Paul from Melbourne are a lovely couple and Liz and Michael from Aberdeen are adorable. I have to listen closely to understand their thick accents. Liz and Michael celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary and are my newest Rubbing Elbows With the world blog followers. Welcome! It is wonderful to learn about life in other countries.

After dinner we are on Northern Lights duty. We have turned on the announcement button on our room phone and I’m ready at a moments notice to get up on deck. We have had a couple of sightings so far but they are faint. This is only day 3.

(I) provided by Pilgrim Leden Norway

The Blæst Bergen Raincoats

Okay. Okay! Here are photos of the rain poncho and features:

Features

Water and windproof rain poncho designed to cope with the rough west country weather. With taped and sealed seams, the poncho ensures that water does not leak through.

The poncho has an adjustable hood and sleeves and a pocket with a zip on the front. It is oversized, waterproof. Windproof.

Option to change the flaps on the front pocket. It comes with 1 black flap and 1 tone-in-tone (digital purple) and 1 reflective (silver) flap.