Winter anywhere is a study in muted colors. Norway is no exception.
Alesund was the first port of call providing us the opportunity to leave the ship. The ship line has 34 ports of call for every ship heading north and every ship heading south. It’s the transportation link for all of the communities along the Norwegian coast north of Bergen, so the ships carry freight, local passengers and tourists. Some stops are up to six hours, while others are 15 minutes.
Our local guide, Odd (a common Norwegian name) warmed us up by recounting a business trip to Buffalo where he introduced himself “I’m Odd”, and was followed by his colleague who then introduced himself with his (also common) Norwegian given name “and I’m Even.” Joachim Ronneberg is the Norwegian resistance fighter who trained in England and led the raid of Norwegian saboteurs who blew up the Nazi production facility working on the production of heavy water during WWII, thereby setting back German production of an atomic bomb. “Is” because he still can be seen walking the streets of Alesund.
Alesund is known as the scene of a devastating fire in 1904 following which 10,000 of its 12,000 residents were made homeless. Aid poured in from around the world and Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany organized the rebuilding of the town as a gesture of goodwill.
