Alesund, Norway

Following two relaxing days at sea we arrived at our first port of call, Alesund, early this morning. I was up and on deck in time to watch the lovely sunrise casting gorgeous dusky light over the surrounding hills before going down for breakfast. I always enjoy watching the crew bring the ship alongside preparing for mooring. I hadn't booked an excursion today and so when I went ashore I found a red Hop-On-Hop-Off bus and decided to take it so that I could visit various places at my leisure. I got off the bus at the highest point where there was a superb view down over Alesund and you could clearly see how the town spreads out over several islands. It is an interesting place to visit, not only because of its fascinating geography but also because of its architecture. As with most Norwegian towns the houses are mainly of wood construction and in the early 20th century a fire wiped out the entire town, since when it has been completely rebuilt in Art Nouveau style. You can see MS Boudicca on the left with Nordlys, one of the Hurtigruten ships, lying behind her.

In the afternoon I had plenty of time to wander about the streets taking photos of the picturesque buildings lining the main waterway between two of the larger islands which I had spotted from the hill. There were many sculptures as I walked around, this being quite a tradition in Norway but I particularly smiled at a couple of wooden trolls. I strolled back to the ship in plenty of time for leaving the port and was ready on deck to watch us casting off and easing out of from the head of the fjord on our way to Olden. The sea was calm and the evening light magical as we headed out into open water. Eventually I had to drag myself away from deck as it was getting chilly and dark and dinner beckoned. A fabulous start.