Published: 23.02.2020
After an early morning train ride, I arrived in Trondheim around six thirty and was picked up by Mom at the train station. After a short nap to recover, the discovery tour began. Since Trondheim's streets are arranged almost like a chessboard (after a city fire, the city planner wanted to prevent further devastation by fire), it was relatively easy to find my way around.
Along the Nidelva River
For us, the Nidelva River was the first stop, which leaves the center of Trondheim on a peninsula. The warehouses on both sides created a nice atmosphere.
Gamle Bru
The Gamle Bybru, also known as the old city bridge, was built in 1862 to connect the center peninsula and the district that includes the fortress. There, I literally hung out.
Nidaros Cathedral
Just a few hundred meters further along the river is the Nidaros Cathedral, which was built over the grave of Saint Olaf. For centuries, many pilgrims went there, making it a national sanctuary of Norway. The construction began in 1070, but the oldest parts that still exist today are from the mid-12th century. Especially striking is the large rose window on the front.
Stiftsgården
If you turn your attention back to the city center a bit, you inevitably pass by Stiftsgården. The large yellow building, in which nobody lives and which only served as a meeting place at the time, testifies to Trondheim's cultural and economic heyday in the 17th and 18th centuries. At that time, trade in wood, fish, and copper from Røros flourished. The trade was mainly managed by some merchant families from southern Schleswig, especially from Flensburg, and it was they who had the largest wooden palace in Scandinavia built.
Kristiansten Fortress
In the 17th century, Denmark-Norway had several conflicts with Sweden, which is only about 100 kilometers from the border. The fortress was built in 1681, after a city fire, to defend the city against attacks from the east. You could walk around the entire complex and luckily the sun was shining, which almost gave a feeling of spring. The "arduous" path to the fortress was also worth it. It went uphill a bit and some of the paths were still icy. From the fortress, you had a great view of the Nidaros Cathedral and Munkholmen, the island that is located in front of Trondheim. We also saw a Hurtigruten ship that was just leaving.
Feasting
Saturday was our last day in Trondheim, so we wanted to take it easy. After our train from Røros was an hour late the day before and we came back late at night, we slept in. Then we started with pancakes and a milkshake for breakfast.
Afterwards, we went to various tourist shops. When the sun peeked out a bit, we went to the fortress. After that, it was time to eat again: lasagna with strawberry smoothie.
After a little break in the hotel, we went to the hairdresser.
In Trondheim, there was an opportunity to try out the app "Too Good To Go". Food that is left over after closing time is sold for a low price instead of being thrown away. For just 39 kronor (about 4 euros), we got a salad with chicken and pasta, a wrap, a pecan nut cookie, and a waffle.
However, in the evening we went to a diner in the American style. With fries, chicken nuggets, and a milkshake, we ended the evening.
On Sunday morning, we took the bus to the airport, where Mom flew to Oslo (with turbulence) and I just a few minutes later (without turbulence).
After this long journey, I completed the great trio of Norway. Trondheim is actually the third largest city with its 193,000 inhabitants, after Oslo and Bergen. And I have now visited all three of these cities.
Thank you, Mom, for this adventure in central Norway!