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Today we are in the small town of Alesund... The A in Alesund has one of those funky circle-y deals over it, but what that does to its pronunciation is beyond me (I'm not sure Heather knows what it is either).
We didn't do an official shore excursion tour, so we slept in a bit this morning. The sun made an appearance, which made for a nice leisurely walk around town. Alesund burned to the ground in 1904, and nearly all the buildings were rebuilt in the Art Deco style with touches of traditional Nordic motifs (good gravy, did I just use the word motif in a sentence?). We started at a really nice church (aptly named Alesund Church on all the tourist maps), but only took pictures outside as there was a service going at the time. At this point we realized that today is Sunday... Amazing how one loses track of the days of the week on a cruise. Days are measured in port names and sea days.
Anyway... So we went from the church to the Art Nouveau Centre (or the Jugenstilsenteret, for those who speak Norwegian). Heather is better at trying to pronounce the Norwegian words, but in the end, we both end up sounding like the Swedish Chef from the Muppets. So the Art Nouveau Centre is a museum of various Art Deco pieces (jewelry, furniture, ceramics and what-not), a short movie about art deco, and a really funky "experience" they called the Time Machine. Basically you step into an elevator sized room (through elevator like doors), and hit the English button. What follows is some light flashes, small vibrations and humming while two small screens show visual images of mostly American points in history (Martin Luther King, Nixon, etc) while they roll back a counter to the year 1904. The doors on the other side of the room open and you make your way from room to room watching small movies about the great fire and how the rest of Norway and the surrounding countries helped to rebuild it.
After the Time Machine, we walked around town, admiring the architecture and the views along the waterfront. We had nearly gone full circle when the rain came in so we decided to call it a day and came back on board the ship. Tonight is a formal dinner night, so back in the suit jacket and tie for me.... Erk... But looking forward to a nice dinner.
Tomorrow, is Skjolden (or Skjolden-folden-molden if you speak Swedish Chef-ese), and a 7 hour tour on the fjord. Sunset tonight is 11:32, Sunrise tomorrow is 3:42 for those wondering how much darkness we don't have, and it was about 60 degrees for a high for those melting in the heat at home.
Thanks to all for reading!
- comments
momt WPW Wow - 2 blog entries at once! We are really enjoying your pictures - love the old buildings & little villages & gorgeous waterfalls - and the temps!! Can't imagine how short the days are! Thanks for keeping up the blog - it's really interesting. We are still very warm here. Dad is outside reading (because he loves this warm weather) while I am inside catching up on email & reading. Picked raspberries at the Sather's house this morning. They are gone for 10 days, so I get to pick (and eat) their berries. What a treat!! I went out picking at 9:30 am & came in dripping from the heat (sorry about the image - yuck!) We'll have raspberries & ice cream tonight!
Fran Yo Yo what up man? That is from Steven. Margo says, "Hope you are having a fun time". They are on the couch on this hot day playing Puzzle and Steven is watching Perry. It is so darn hot. Even the dog is too hot to go into her pool which we got all ready for her. Tonight after dark which is at 10 not 11:32 like in your world we will set off sparklers then to bed. Mauer is going to the All Star Game. Amazing. I went to your house and the flowers looked good but so hot. I watered them but hope it rains this week for them. Julie was there and said the kitties are so fun. They are growing. I told them you guys would be back next Sat. They were a little too busy to listen to me. :) I watched Steven play baseball this morning and then stopped by Colleens to see her new born puppy's. Steven wanted to bring them all home. They are cute. Have a great day. Wow amazing how light it is. Also amazing how wonderfully cool it is. love mom
ak As usual, I got behind on blogs but it sounds like you are having a wonderful time!! The pictures are beautiful! I must mention the heat as everyone else has. I am melting away (wish that was literal:) My kitty wakes me up at dawn when the birds start singing and I thank goodness dawn is not at 3:30am here. Keep up the great blogs...I am vacationing in my mind...
Karen I am equally behind on the blog, but then I get to enjoy a few at a time. Two thing, first thing is LaBossiere's are huge goat cheese fans!!!! Yum and second I love the Swedish Chef on the Muppets. He makes me laugh, so I can only imagine how much I would be laughing if I was with you. All is well here and there is no new news. Will keep you posted, but have fun!