Trondheim was a short trip from Alesund, only 86 nautical miles. Our latitude is now 66.25 degrees north, only 3 degrees from the Arctic Circle. The sunrise was at 3:28am and sunset will be at 11:16pm. It’s cloudy as we dock, but is expected to clear up, with the temperature reaching a high of 63 degrees F. This is a city of 193,666 (as of 2017) was established as a trading post in 997 and served as the capital of the country during the Viking Age until 1217. It is notable for the presence of two well-regarded universities.
We have not booked any excursions today, as our intention is to take in two interesting activities. The first is a tram ride through part of the city and then up into the hills surrounding Trondheim. The second is to visit Nidaros Cathedral in the heart of the city.
As a ride on the tram was to be part of a couple of the excursions, we decided to beat the crowd. After a shuttle bus ride from the cruise pier to the city center, and a trip to the tourist bureau there where we are able to purchase tram tickets in advance, we walked the six or so blocks to the beginning of the line at St. Olav’s Gate.
The tramway, known as the Grakallen Line, is the last of what were originally four lines running through the city, and now holds the distinction of being the most northern tramway in the world. The other three lines were eliminated one by one from 1968 through the mid ‘80s, and their total elimination was the hot political topic through two mayoral administrations. Finally, with a new mayor having been elected in 1988 due to his support for maintaining the line, the line saw a future. A new company was formed, funded by 1,400 “idealists” (as described in the Wikipedia article on the subject). It is now part of the greater Trondheim municipal transportation system.
The line runs from the city center 8.8 kilometers (around 5.5 miles) to the Byasen district on the west side of the city. It has 21 station stops while slowly gaining altitude, and ends at a station named Lian, which is at the edge of a large park and nature reserve. It takes us about twenty minutes to make the ride. It’s a beautiful day, and the ride gives us a very good look at neighborhoods and residences adjacent to the line.
We arrive at the end at 10:30, and the driver tells us we have forty minutes before the next tram is to leave. We wander over to the park, where there is a lake, woods and some picnic tables – a very tranquil place to enjoy the warm (in the 60s!) weather. Steve wanders around taking photographs and Cathy makes friends with a family coming for a picnic. These folks are from Syria, which Cathy learns when she and the gtrandfather of the family, Rashid, find a common language – French. He is a tour guide here in Norway for French tourists. He told us that Norwegians are not friendly. They speak to their dogs more than to each other.
Although we have been graciously invited to join them for lunch, we decline and head for the tram shelter, which is actually an adorable wooden one. The return trip is just as delightful as the way up. We are back to town by 11:30 and are in walking distance to our second activity – the visit to Nidaros Cathedral.
Here I am stealing from a Wikipedia article on the subject, which will explain why this is such an important place to visit when in Trondheim: “Nidaros Cathedral (Norwegian: Nidarosdomen / Nidaros Domkirke) is a cathedral of the Church of Norway located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of King Olav II (c. 995-1030, reigned 1015-1028), who became the patron saint of the nation, and is the traditional location for the consecration of new kings of Norway. It was built over a long period of 230 years, from 1070 to 1300 when it was substantially completed. But additional work, additions and renovations continued occasionally intermittently for seven more centuries until 2001, and designated as the cathedral for the Diocese of Nidaros in 1152. After going the turmoil and controversies of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, it was taken from the Catholic Church by the newly reformed established state Church of Norway in 1537, which adopted and following the teachings and reforms of Martin Luther, Phillip Melancthon and others, becoming Evangelical Lutheran. Nidaros is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.
“Nidaros Cathedral was built beginning in 1070 to memorialize the burial place of Olav II of Norway, the king who was killed in 1030 in the Battle of Stiklestad. He was canonized as Saint Olav a year later by Grimketel, the Bishop of Nidaros (the canonization was later confirmed by the pope). It was designated the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537 under the Reformation.
“Since the Reformation, it has served as the cathedral of the Lutheran bishops of Trondheim (or Nidaros) in the Diocese of Nidaros. The architectural style of the cathedral is Romanesque and Gothic. Historically it has been an important destination for pilgrims coming from all of Northern Europe.
“Along with Vår Frue Church, the cathedral is part of the Nidaros og Vår Frue parish in the Nidaros deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros.”
We arrive to find the area surrounding this enormous medieval cathedral is packed with tourists. Interestingly, in order to enter, you need to buy a $20 ticket – unless you are a pilgrim, in which case entrance is free. There is a special card that denotes a pilgrim, and pilgrimages to this site are quite common in Norway. We decide to pass on a tour, mainly because we will be herded from place to place in a huge crowd.
We do circumnavigate the cathedral on the peaceful grounds, with Steve taking photos – as well as you can take photos from such a huge structure. It’s a nice walk, and good people-watching time as well. We decide to sit and wait for the 1:10 shuttle back to our ship, and – surprise, surprise – Cathy gets in a conversation with Oceania passengers while Steve wanders around – another surprise – taking photographs.
We return to the ship and finally, finally it is warm enough to eat outdoors on the stern of Nautica in the Terrace Café. We return to our stateroom for some quiet time. We sit on our veranda to watch our ship sail away at 4:00pm. We are now heading for Hammerfest, a distance of 586 nautical miles. We will cross the Arctic Circle at approximately 6:00am tomorrow morning.
