Cruise Day 7 - Alesund, Norway

We arrived in the port of Alesund nice and early.

We then got on a bus and took a ferry across the Fjord there.

We were able to get off the bus and wander around the ferry and take in the landscape.

Again, it's another stunning fjord.

We then got to take a gondola to the top of Mt. Stranda.

Mt. Stranda is popular for skiing in the winter at 2,592 feet tall.

If you have a fear of heights, being in a Gondola on the way up the mountain may not be for you.

Leaving the Gondola, we climbed a bit higher over the very rocky terrain, and were just under the clouds and able to have a beautiful view.

There was still a patch of snow on the mountain.

Maneuvering amongst the rocks took quite a bit of balance work, as the rocks often shifted, some were slippery, and there were bits of moss and muck abounding.  

I definitely got a workout walking the mountain.  After some time sightseeing, we then made our way back to the Gondola station to take it back down and continue with the tour.

Since we had worked up an appetite on our trek up and down Mt. Stranda, the next stop was a feast.

It was an amazing buffet of traditional Norwegian food. Cooked salmon, gravalax, and much more, including many interesting local beverages to try.

The food was amazing, the desserts heavenly, and everyone was very well fed before they left.

We then toured Alesund, including the heights above it where the Germans had emplaced some bunkers in World War 2 and learned a lot of the hisotry of the town.

Sadly we weren't allowed to explore those, but we went to a promontory to view the town from above.

The tour guide gave an excellent narration throughout the day, covering the history and culture of the area.  She also noted that strawberries in Norway will be sweeter than strawberries we are used to as the northern climate encourages them to make sugar quicker.

So, after the tour ended, we wandered into a grocery store to buy some and test the theory.

We then walked to a park we had seen on the way and tried the strawberries.

The survey was unanimous that these were some of the best strawberries we've ever had, so her claim had definite merit.

It was a great day in Alesund and the area around it.