From Akureyri, we set sail to cross the, potentially tempestuous, Norwegian Sea. Despite a cold northerly wind, sea conditions proved no problem for Oriana.
We arrived on the Norwegian Coast at ALESUND, a town with a superb setting, built on 3 islands, with the spectacular Sunmore Alps as a backdrop.
In 1904, a fire devastated the town, leaving 10,000 people homeless, but within 4 years, the town had been re-built in Art Nouveau style, making its appearance most attractive.
In World War 2, German troops occupied Alesund, but local fishing boats managed to carry out many Norwegian partisans across the North Sea to places including The Shetlands.
About 60 cruise ships stop here each summer, but the entire coastal fringe of Norway is served by a coastal express vessel (The Hurtigruten) which can reach Bergen in 13 hours.