Sunday, 16 February 2025
Originally we were scheduled to arrive in Brønnøysund at 10.00am this morning but it was announced last night that we would, in fact, arrive at 8.00am. As efficiently as ever we docked just before 8.00am this morning. Brønnøysund is notable for being the mid-point along the coast of Norway.
Since we hadn’t expected to be here until mid-morning we decided to be a bit lazy sleeping in a little compared with yesterday and then having a leisurely breakfast in the dining room. We eventually ventured out just after 10.00am despite the fact that Bernie looked up the weather forecast and it was for ‘thunder snow’. Despite how ominous that sounded we rugged up and headed off the ship anyway.
We walked along the quay where we found the sign that confirms that Brønnøysund is ‘the coastal town in the middle of Norway’. The sign indicates that it is 840km as the crow flies to Nordkapp in the north or Lindesnes (South Cape) in the south. We took goofy photos of ourselves in the middle of Norway.
We continued past a great looking playground but found it quite deserted on a snowy Sunday morning. It included a climbing wall and looked like it would be a fun place for kids in the summertime? We walked through some of the old timber buildings in what was originally Sørbyen (the south town) before the north and south districts of the town became one. The buildings had blue signs on them which allegedly provided information about the people who use to live there or the building’s historical significance. The information would have been very interesting but seemed to be only in Norwegian.
We continued around to the Brønnøy Church which is the oldest building in Brønnøysund. Neo-Gothic in style it dates to 1870 and is now built mainly from stone. Parts of it were originally made of wood but after several lightening strikes and fires restorations were carried out in stone. Despite the snow or perhaps because of the snow, the church looked incredibly picturesque this morning so we photographed it from many angles.
With the snow falling more heavily we decided to head back to the ship. We had been out in the elements for about an hour and a half which is enough when it’s -1°C and feeling like -5°C! Our gear continues to keep us warm and dry enough for these forays into the small coastal towns so we are very happy about that. Even better, our ice grippers have ensured that neither of us has taken a tumble in the slippery conditions.
We set sail this afternoon at 2.00pm commencing what will be one of our longest legs between ports. We will not arrive in Ålesund until 10.00am tomorrow morning. As we sailed away from Brønnøysund they announced that the ship is experiencing an outbreak of a mild gastro bug. Great. I’m already paranoid enough about germs without being told this news. We were assured that the outbreak is due to an individual bringing it on board and not due to any deficiency in their hygiene controls. We were reminded to wash our hands frequently with soap and water and to confine ourselves to our cabin and report our condition to reception if we experience any sign of illness.
About half an hour out of Brønnøysund we were invited up to Deck 9 to hear all about Torghatten Mountain as we approached. Ahem, we headed up to Deck 9 to stand in driving sleet while we were told about this mountain that has a hole piercing through its centre. As we sailed alongside we could certainly see the mountain but not the hole. As we continued south to reach the point where we would be able to view the hole the weather deteriorated and we could not see much of anything at all let alone a hole in the mountain! Very disappointing.
Even though Maryann stopped the boat and turned us broadside to the mountain – for the dozen or so intrepid passengers who had actually ventured up on deck – and waited for a minute or so to see if the weather would lift, we saw nothing!
Now we are back in our cabin to fill in some time writing in the travel diary, processing photos and reading our books until the daily briefing at 5.00pm when we will learn about what there is to see and do in Ålesund.
Dinner tonight coincided with an open sea crossing with a bit of a swell. One of our dining group left the table part way through having decided that the conditions were a bit to rough for her to continue with her meal. The rest of us managed to get our dinner down and … keep it down!
Steps: 9,629 (6.17km)
