Day 14 *19.07.2023

After an extensive breakfast, we decided to stay another night at the campsite and spend the day in Trondheim. First, we headed to Porbadet, a huge, well-equipped, but completely overcrowded water park right on the Trondheim Fjord. We spent 3 hours there.

Trondheim is a wonderful place. It is located on the Trondheim Fjord, where the river Nidelva flows into. Famous photos of Trondheim are the little colorful wooden houses by the canal. You can also have a great view of the houses from the Gamle Bybroa, the old city bridge, which connects the city center with the Bakklandet district. Many cafes and creative spaces have established themselves in these small houses. Some of the houses date back to the 18th century.

Next, we went to the cathedral...

The Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim (formerly known as Nidaros) is one of the most important churches in Norway and is considered a national sanctuary. It has been the cathedral of the Norwegian Metropolitans since 1152. Because the shrine of St. Olav was behind the high altar, the cathedral was also known as the "Heart of Norway". After the Reformation, it became the cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran bishops of the Diocese of Nidaros. Since 2011, it has also been the seat of the newly created office of the Chair of the Norwegian Bishops' Conference. In the Middle Ages and from 1818 to 1906, the Nidaros Cathedral was the coronation site of the Norwegian kings. Seven kings were crowned here and ten were buried here. The decorative facades are made of soapstone. The west facade, in the style of High Gothic architecture influenced by English models such as Westminster Abbey, is considered the show side of the cathedral. In the 19th century, only five of the formerly 40 ornamental statues remained. The redesign starting in 1929 was done as a cassette facade with a large number of new statues that artistically depict people and stories from the Old Testament.

Then we took advantage of our stay in the city to visit McDonald's 😉 There were hardly any burgers we were familiar with... But the one we chose was not bad either. 😌 We ate in the market square. In 1920, a 17-meter-high column with an oversized statue of the city's founder and Viking king, Olav I Trygvason, was erected in the middle of the market. Together with the paving of the square, it forms a giant sundial. The paving also has the shape of a compass rose, reminiscent of the navigation skills of the Vikings. (I wanted to take a photo after eating, but I forgot)

Around 6 p.m., we went back to the campsite to relax and actually go to bed before midnight.