Trondheim

Early in the morning, we arrived in Trondheim. The City has a population of 200,000, which is apparently enough to make it the third largest in Norway. When we left for a bus tour, it was still quite dark so there was little opportunity for photos. This is quite a picturesque city on the Trondheim Fjord, which is one of the longest and largest fjords in the world.

Some of the city space has been reclaimed from the fjord and contains many modern structures. The old city however, has a wonderful sense of history. Most of the homes and even many of the larger building are build of wood and painted in a wonderful array of colours. The main wide city streets are  joined and connected by very narrow one lane streets crowded with tiny wooden homes. It is a remarkable blend of old and new, large and small.

Our primary destination was the Nidaros Cathedral, which is the national cathedral of Norway, built over the grave of St. Olav, the patron saint of Norway. Olav was a Viking King who spent much of his life raiding and plundering. Somewhere along the way though, he was converted to christianity. He also decided to convert his entire realm.

After his death, rumours circulated of him performing miracles. Those sent to investigate opened his grave to find that his hair and beard had grown and his skin looked like that of a man who was simply sleeping. He was canonized on the spot and a small church was built. Over time the church grew and grew and was burned and repaired several time. The final result is Europe's northernmost medieval gothic cathedral.

I was not allowed to take any pictures inside the cathedral.

Amazing front face

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Rose Window

Wooden Buildings

Along the Water