Ålesund, Norway

Welcome back! Today, I am going to take you back to Norway and the beautiful town of Ålesund, a sea port in the district of Sunnmøre, which is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture.


Above: Ålesund harbour in the centre of town with Art Nouveau buildings on both sides.

The port of Ålesund was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 and it received town rights in 1848. Today, the town has a population of about 40,000 and it is a popular destination for cruise ships. One of the main attractions is Mount Aksla, a prominent hill in the centre of town which affords great views at the top.


Above: The view from the top of Mount Aksla. There are over 400 steps to climb to reach the summit.

From across the harbour, you get a great view of Mount Aksla and the observation centre on top of the hill.


Above: The view of Mount Aksla from across the harbour.

Our first visit to Ålesund took place on May 17th which is Norway's Constitution Day. On this day Norwegians fill the streets with cheers and flags in celebration of the adoption of the Norwegian constitution in 1814. I watched a parade made up of marching bands and local school children wind through the centre of town with local residents dressed in their best watching on, many of them in the national costume known as the bunad.


Above: Constitution Day parade in Ålesund.

On the night of 23 January 1904, the town was the scene of the Ålesund Fire, one of the most terrible of the many fires to which Norwegian towns, once built largely of wood, have been subjected. Practically the entire town was destroyed during the night, a gale aiding the flames, and the population had to leave the town in the middle of the night with only a few minutes' notice. Only one person died in the fire but more than 10,000 people were left without shelter.


Above: Alesund at night.

800 houses burned down, and the source of the fire was believed to have been started in the Canning Factory with a dropped Paraffin Lamp. Today the Canning Factory is a museum which tourists can visit.


Above: The Canning Factory on the right of the picture. Note the overhanging roofs which had pulley systems to carry fish from the harbour into the building. The yellow building behind is a school.

After a period of planning, the town was rebuilt in stone, brick, and mortar in Jugendstil (Art Nouveau), the architectural style of the time. The structures were designed by approximately 20 master builders and 30 Norwegian architects, most of them educated in Trondheim and Berlin, drawing inspiration from all over Europe.


Above: The centre of town was rebuilt in Art Nouveau style.

The town has an unusually consistent architecture, most of the buildings having been built between 1904 and 1907. The Art Nouveau style was at its peak at the turn of the 20th Century with the Eifel Tower being an example of the style and the Helsinki Railway Station (see previous post) being the final important example of the style, built in 1918.


Above: A different view of Ålesund from the top of Mount Aksla.

During WWII 3,500 residents of the town fled to England - you could make Kings Cross in 3 days by taking a boat to the Shetland Islands and travelling by train down to London. There is a statue in the harbour which is dedicated to the families who fled the town during the War. Ålesund has the most important fishing harbour in Norway and the town's fishing fleet is one of the most modern in Europe.


Above: Street musicians performing along the most famous street in Ålesund.

During one of my visits to Ålesund I took a shore excursion to the islands of Giske and Godoy. Many of the islands in this part of Norway are linked by some of the world's longest sub-marine tunnels which travel deep under the fjords. Some of the tunnels are so deep that they are constructed in a helix shape so that the road can travel beneath the fjord within a relatively short distance.

The island of Giske is known as the birthplace of the famous Viking King Gangerolv, or Rollo, who conquered Normandy in 911. On this island we visited Giske Chapel - a Roman marble church dating from 1135.


Above: Giske Chapel with the Altar carving dating from the 18th century.

On the island of Godoy we visited the little fishing village of Alnes and its lighthouse, situated on the windswept coast.


Above: The Alnes Lighthouse on the island of Godoy.

I hope you enjoyed this look at Ålesund. Next time we're off to the Mediterranean and Spain! I'm jumping between cruises to keep things fresh! Speak soon.

Berlin, Germany

Welcome back to my blog! Today I want to show you a glimpse of Berlin, the capital of Germany. Our ship docked at Warnemunde (see my previous blog) and then a number of buses took guests on the 2.5 hour drive to Berlin. I was lucky enough to go with them!


Above: The Brandenburg Gate.

Berlin has a population of 3.5 million people making it Germany's largest city and the second largest in Europe. First documented in the 13th century, Berlin was the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the Third Reich (1933–1945). After World War II, the city became divided into East Berlin and West Berlin(1961–1989). Following German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of Germany.


Above: The Brandenburg Gate with the monument to a soldier shouting across the Berlin Wall on the left and the famous Fernsehturm (TV tower measuring 368 metres and built in 1969) in the distance.

Our tour took us to many of the famous sights including the Brandenburg Gate (see above and below). The Gate is a former city gate, rebuilt in the late 18th century as a neoclassical triumphal arch, and now one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. Having suffered considerable damage in World War II, the Brandenburg Gate was fully restored in 2000. During the post-war Partition of Germany the gate was isolated and inaccessible immediately next to the Berlin Wall.


Above: A close-up of the Gate and the Quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory.

Close by to the Brandenburg Gate is the Reichstag, the traditional seat of the German Parliament, renovated in the 1950s after severe World War II damage. The building was again remodelled by British architect Norman Foster in the 1990s and features a glass dome over the session area, which allows free public access to the parliamentary proceedings and magnificent views of the city.


Above: The Reichstag.

The 20th Century was a tumultuous time for Berlin and on our tour we saw and learned about some of the city's history. When Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power on 30 January 1933, Berlin's Jewish community began to be wiped out, with thousands of the city's Jews imprisoned in the nearby Sachsenhausen concentration camp following Kristallnacht in 1938. Later, in early 1943, many more were shipped to death camps, such as Auschwitz.


Above: A typical Berlin neighbourhood which we walked around.

During World War II, large parts of Berlin were destroyed in the 1943–45 air raids and during the Battle of Berlin. Among the hundreds of thousands who died during the Battle for Berlin, an estimated 125,000 were civilians. After the end of the war in Europe in 1945, the victorious powers divided the city into four sectors, analogous to the occupation zones into which Germany was divided. The sectors of the Western Allies (the United States, the United Kingdom and France) formed West Berlin, while the Soviet sector formed East Berlin.


Above: The East Side Gallery is an open-air exhibition of art painted directly on the last existing portions of the Berlin Wall. It is the largest remaining evidence of the city's historical division.

As a result of the political and economical tensions brought on by the Cold War, on 13 August 1961, East Germany began building of the Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin and similar barriers around West Berlin, and events escalated to a tank standoff at Checkpoint Charlie on 27 October 1961. On our tour we stopped at Checkpoint Charlie which was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.


Above: A recreation of Checkpoint Charlie.

Berlin was completely divided. Although it was possible for Westerners to pass from one to the other (but only through strictly controlled checkpoints) for most Easterners, travel to West Berlin or West Germany was no longer possible.


Above: A single piece of the Berlin Wall, decorated with art.

In 1989, with the end of the Cold War and pressure from the East German population, the Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989 and was subsequently mostly demolished, with little of its physical structure remaining today. On 3 October 1990, the two parts of Germany were reunified as the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin again became the official German capital.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was one of the churches destroyed in the Second World War and left in ruins. The building is now wrapped in tarpaulin as work is under way to preserve the ruins but I got to take a look inside both the ruin and a beautiful new church which has been built opposite:


Above: Inside the Church.

On our tour we also passed by Berlin Cathedral, emperor William II's ambitious attempt to create a Protestant counterpart to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome (see a future blog post!). Like many other buildings, it suffered extensive damage during the Second World War and had to be restored.


Above: Berlin Cathedral.

Our final visit was a brief photo stop at Charlottenburg Palace, the largest palace in Berlin, and the only surviving royal residence in the city. dating back to the time of the Hohenzollern family. The palace was built at the end of the 17th century and was greatly expanded during the 18th century. It includes much exotic internal decoration in baroque and rococo styles. During the Second World War, the palace was badly damaged but has since been reconstructed.


Above: Charlottenburg Palace.


Above: A statue of Friedrich Wilhelm I, elector of Brandenburg at the front of the Palace.

I hope you enjoyed this very brief glimpse of Berlin. I'm looking forward to showing you some more amazing Baltic (and Mediterranean) ports soon!

Ulvik, Norway

Welcome back to my blog! Today, I want to show you a little more of Norway, specifically Ulvik, located in the county of Hordaland.


Above: The village of Ulvik, as viewed from our ship.

Ulvik is a charming little village, located at the end of the Ulvik fjord, a side arm of the Hardangerfjord. Named after a farm, the village is visited by numerous cruise ships in the summer.


Above: The village centre.

Ulvik has a population of about 700 people, with more living in farms that surround the village and fjord. The centre of the village, Brakanes, has a cinema as well as a few shops.


Above: Inside the village church, built in 1859.

The village of Ulvik was nearly totally destroyed on 25 April 1940, during the German invasion of Norway, when fighting erupted between a German landing party arriving in boats, and a Norwegian force on land. Most of the village was burned down, and three civilians were killed. An unknown number of German soldiers were also killed in the fighting.

We visited Ulvik twice, but I only got off the second time. It was a glorious day, and I had a few hours to go hiking so I set off in search of a mountain lake, armed with a map!


Above: Looking back at the village and the Ryndam at the start of my hike.

On my walk, I passed many farms and settlements located in the hills and mountains surrounding the village. It must be a lonely and hard existence, especially in winter, but also a very peaceful one!


Above: One of the mountain farms I passed by.

The lake I was headed to was called Frystetjørn but even with a map, I managed to get lost a couple of times! Wandering through the wilderness without a path in sight was a little disconcerting.


Above: Getting lost up a mountain.

I eventually made it to the lake, which was a little anticlimactic but still pretty. The ground around the water was very boggy so it was tricky finding a safe place to take a photo from.


Above: Frystetjørn Lake, an 8 km round trip from the village centre.

Hiking back down from the lake, I got another good view of Ulvik and its surroundings (if you look carefully, you can just make out the Ryndam through the trees).


Above: Ulvik from above.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more blog posts soon.

Warnemünde, Germany

Welcome back to my blog! Today, I want to show you Warnemünde, a quaint German town on the Baltic coast.


Above: Warnemünde at dusk, as viewed from the ship.

Warnemünde (meaning Warnow mouth) is a sea resort, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow. Founded in about 1200, Warnemünde was for centuries a mere fishing village and in 1323 Warnemünde lost its autonomous status as it was purchased by the city of Rostock in order to safeguard the city’s access to the Baltic Sea.


Above: The bridge that lead into the town centre from the ships.

It was not until the 19th century that Warnemünde began to develop into an important sea resort. Today Warnemünde has approximately 8,400 inhabitants and aside from the Aker Warnow Werft ship yard, the economy largely depends on tourism. The construction of a modern cruise line centre in 2005 has contributed to Warnemünde’s establishment as the most important harbour for cruise line ships in Germany.


Above: Many boats on the river had been transformed into shops, selling fish to tourists.

For many cruise ship passengers Warnemünde is simply the gateway to Berlin, as many shore excursions visit the capital which is 2.5 hours away by coach or train. I took a tour to Berlin on my second time here and I'll be blogging about that soon.


Above: Collapsed deck chair / huts on the deserted beach!

Unfortunately it rained rather a lot during my first visit but I still had fun trying out a few bits of German I still remember from school!


Above: The Warnemünde Lighthouse, a famous attraction in town.

We were docked until the evening to allow guests to return from Berlin and so the ship hired an Oompa Band to come onboard and entertain the passengers. Upon our departure the port authority arranged a firework display for us which was rather fun!

Above: The Rostock Brass Band performing in the Lido.

I'll be bringing back the sunshine for my next blog: beautiful Ulvik, in Norway!