Alesund, Norway was everything tourist brochures promise. Contrary to the forecast, it was sunny and warm, which helped Norway look gorgeous. It was the first day we enjoyed our deck for both the scenery and the weather.
Alesund has a lovey waterfront and pocket gardens dotted about. The city center buildings were an interesting mix. Many were decorated in unusual styles including Art Nouveau flowers an local motifs worked into decorative additions. Later, on a guided tour we paid attention to a particular block. The guide noted that two architects were commissioned. Each started at a different end of the block. When their buildings met in the middle, they didn’t meet. Apparently, the architects had neglected to measure out distance, or perhaps vodka was involved. So they mutually decided to fill the gap with Norway’s narrowest three story house and for the dollop of whipped cream, fronted it in stone that was completely different from the buildings on either side.
Between morning and afternoon city ramble,s was a trip to Alnes, possessing of both a lighthouse and lovely beach. The fjords are beautiful and we were perhaps all the more enamored in gratitude for sunshine. The primal meeting of land, sea and sunshine still the spirit.
Coming back to Alesund, our “lucky bus” wound up to a lookout point above the city. “Lucky busses” are those under eleven meters. Everything above that is banned on the steep switchback road to the lookout point. Our Norwegian guide joked about flatland European tourists and their inability to drive properly on Norway’s mountains. Indeed, our driver stopped and backed up several times to allow the car in front to recalibrate their turning radius. “They don’t know how to driver here. Go to Belgium, the tallest mountain is a cow.” We did. She was right.
As vacation days go, this one neared perfection.
For the start of the journey:
https://www.clarenovak.com/location/reykjavik-a-year-in-the-arriving/
For more on Alesund:
