4 June

Last night I actually had roommates for the first time in a while. I had my own room (accidently) in Flåm and the hostel in Stryn was pretty much deserted. I was sleeping in uninterrupted silence and it was great! So I had gotten to the point of taking it for granted. Unfortunately, I had a rude awakening. (Get it?!) I was accompanied last night by a symphony of snoring, with sounds ranging from clogged drain to flatulence to band saw.

Some time before I fell asleep I resolved to switch to a single room for my last night in Norway, since I have done so well on my budgeting thus far. After taking care of that upon waking, I grabbed a quick breakfast, checked my email, and headed out into the rain to explore Trondheim. As I mentioned in my last post, Trondheim's Nidaros Cathedral, whose construction began in the eleventh century, is the largest cathedral in Scandinavia and the northernmost in the world. The nearby archbishop's palace also host's the Norwegian crown jewels.

When I woke up this morning I had around 1300 NOK left, and only two meals to pay for. I initially resolved to go shopping, given the crappy weather, but there was a non-rip-off exchange desk at the train station where I changed most of my money into SEK (Swedish crowns).

So all I bought in my shopping excursion was a pineapple.

However, the cashier rang it up as a kiwi. So I got a big, ripe, extra-sweet Costa Rican pineapple for less than a dollar. Definitely the best buy I have made since my arrival in Norway.

I spent my day visiting the cathedral and a few other sights and window shopping in a few different malls to avoid the rain. I also got the reservations for my train travel in Sweden tomorrow. I'll be traveling on an X2000, which sounds more like a fighter jet than a train. Fine with me!

The Nidaros Cathedral

Detail of the masonry

Trondheim canal with Nidaros in the background