Ålesund & Mount Aksla

Set the alarm early today (6:30 am), not only to avoid the breakfast rush, but especially to see the sunrise (8:42 am). Because the boat was still sailing on open water, the swell was clearly palpable and also visible in the dining room. Walking with a full plate was not an option. Immediately after breakfast I put on my winter outfit and took my camera with me. Our cabin is on deck 5 and that is also the deck where you can walk around. Ideal for discovering the area in which we sail. Once outside it turns out that the temperature is about -5 degrees and the wind from the East was doing its best. Or the feeling temperature was quite cold, but the surroundings were breathtakingly beautiful. Still a bit too dark for beauty, but that slowly improved.Before we dock in Ålesund, the boat first makes a stop at the town of Torvik to pick up 4 big bags of sand and continue. As we sail through the fjords the first white-tailed eagle shows itself, unfortunately the telephoto lens we brought especially for this purpose was still inside. A little later than the timetable indicated, we set foot at the Hurtigruten Ålesund Terminal where the buses are ready and the many excursions can begin.We were on the list for a city walk with a visit to Mount Aksla. It had snowed quite a bit the past two days and that provided a wintery view of the city. On the other hand, the city walk was slightly less. Much of the city center (1904) burned down and is now known for its Art Nouveau architecture. There were 6 groups walking through the city, but our guide preferred to focus on the various statues of, among others, the herring lady and a 14-year-old fisherman. Fortunately, Hilde's sanitary stop put an early end to our city walk. Around 8 o'clock tonight we leave for the Royal City of Trondheim.