After jumping hills in Lillehammer and views of Snøhetta you can read about here we headed for Norway's third largest city Trondheim. It wasn't easy to find somewhere to park the motorhome but after some searching we found Lade Caravan park, a rather boring but functional car park just outside the city.
Trondheim
Trondheim is perhaps best known for its great cathedral, Nidaros Cathedral. It is the second largest in the Nordic countries after Uppsala Cathedral and was consecrated in 1070. It is indeed a mighty church and is said to have around 5000 sculptures in and around the church, one of which bears the face of Bob Dylan. Not because Bob Dylan is from the 1000s but because some craftsman chose to make a little prank in connection with a renovation. Unfortunately, we did not find this different tribute to the star, as there are about 5000 statues to look among.
The town dates from the 10th century but has been destroyed by an unusual number of fires over the years, so only parts of the old buildings remain, mainly in the Bakklandet area, which dates from the 17th and 19th centuries. Bakklandet is today full of small shops and cafés and you can reach the area by passing over Gamle Bybro when you come from Nidaros Cathedral.
Once you've finished shopping in Bakklandet, it's a good idea to visit one of the city's three Michelin-starred restaurants. The downside of spontaneous campervan tours is that you don't plan much and Michelin-starred restaurants usually need to be booked in advance. Luckily, one of the three restaurants is the Spontaneous wine bar, where you can make a quick stop for a glass of wine without booking in advance.
Our afternoon in Trondheim was unfortunately a bit rainy, but when we woke up the next day and travelled on, the sun shone for a while and we could enjoy this beautiful view. The photo was taken somewhere between Trondheim and Kristiansund which was our next destination. The nature along the Norwegian roads is absolutely beautiful and I don't think I have ever photographed so much from the car. I felt extremely touristy hanging out of the window and I was so close to dropping my phone a number of times. However, I noticed that I wasn't the only one taking photos, sometimes there was even a queue. For those who are now worried, I can tell you that I was not the one driving. 🙂
Kristiansund
The next stop was the small town of Kristiansund which is spread over four islands. This is a real summer town that may not have shown its best side on this cold June day, but at least there was a break so we could stroll around a bit. We experienced the city as somewhat sleepy but there is really something for everyone. For example, Kristiansund has Norway's oldest opera with an annual opera festival and over 100 evenings of performances per year. In summer, there's also the Nordic Light Festival of Photography and a festival celebrating rock fishing, where you can eat fishan, the town's version of fish n' chips, until you drop.
Like most communities in Norway, Kristiansund was closed on Sundays but we found the Patrick Volkmar trading house located down in the harbour area. Here is a café and coffee roastery that has Norway's oldest working coffee roaster. Every day, coffee is still roasted in this over a hundred year old musketeer. Fun and quirky, definitely a given visit for the coffee enthusiast.
The Atlantic Road
One of Norway's most famous views must surely be that of the Atlantic Road. The mighty arched bridge has featured in several films, including one of the Bond films. The road begins with a tunnel that goes 250 metres underwater, one of the deepest undersea tunnels in the world. Although it is a large and modern tunnel, I was very happy when we passed the almost six kilometres and came up above ground and out on the road again.
Along the way there are a number of rest stops where you can stop for a coffee or take photos. The largest rest area, Eldhusøya, has a small café and a roundabout where you can look at the road and the magnificent nature around it.
Campsite Skogly
After a long day of beautiful views and many exciting discoveries, it was time to park the motorhome in the cosy Campsite Skogly just west of Eide. The rain was pouring down but we found a small shelter down by the water and during a short break in the showers we lit the barbecue and set up for dinner. Now we were ready to plan the next trip that would take us towards Geiranger which you can read about here.
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