Corona, Northern Lights
Trondheim
The Seven Sisters, Majestic Mountains of Norway
The MV Trollfjord docked at Trondheim for an hour and a half. We had breakfast and disembarked to walk around the docks. Trondheim city center is too far from the Hurtigruten terminal to comfortably walk there and back in an hour. It could probably be done, we chose not to try.
Laundry
The MS Trollfjord has four small washers and four small dryers. With the round trip cruise ending tomorrow, most everyone is focused on doing laundry. One of the washers was not working, the other seven were in use when we checked. We’ll check again late tonight. Worst case, we’ll do laundry in Stockholm in a few days.
The Arctic Pool
One of Two Outdoor Jacuzzi Tubs
The Sauna has Three Floor to Ceiling Windows
Inexplicable to me, the ship’s sauna and jacuzzi are almost never used. With all the washers and dryers in use, my morning was free. I headed to the Sauna and it was empty. After a quick rinse, I lounged in the Sauna for a while. Then rinsed and walked out on deck to the outdoor Jacuzzi. It should have felt cold and windy walking on deck, but not after a sauna. I felt toasty walking the deck. Jacuzzi jets on and in I went. The Jacuzzi was warm and serving up jets and bubbles. Heaven. The weather obliged by sliding into a small local snow storm that made lounging in the Jacuzzi extra special. Once the cycle completed,, I grabbed my towel and sauntered across the deck in the wind and snow back to the sauna. I’m sure more than one person on deck thought I was crazy. I walked slowly; I was warm and there was no need to scurry. Back at the sauna, I rinsed, lounged in the sauna, then showered. What an amazing way to relax.
It Actually Started Snowing when I Jumped In.
Our last tour on this cruise is to a marble mine. I’ll post photos later this evening.
That’s it for now! I’m taking a cat nap.
Marble Mines
We had bus trouble a second time. The rear doors would not close. Henry, one of the guests worked with the bus driver and with help from engineering on a cell phone Tried to solve the problem numerous times. On this tour the ship left us at the dock. The bus was expected to take us to the mines then on to the ships next port of call. With a disabled bus, we could have been stranded. After nearly an hour of trying, the doors chose to function and we were off. The delay meant we took a more direct (less scenic) route to the mine and skipped 30 minutes outdoors. No Problem.
The marble mined in Norway is a purer variety than that in Italy. It is harder to mine and prone to fracturing when quarried in blocks making the price prohibitive. So what is Norway’s pure white marble used for? Paper! Up to 20% of high gloss paper is made with liquefied marble. We had the pleasure of touring an underground mine taking small ferries through a flooded tunnel. It was fabulous.
Some photos:
Ellen Picks a Hard Hat
And Dons a Life Jacket
With Kristen Starting Out
Dave & Kirsten in the Boat
