June 4. Kristiansund

 We've reached our northenmost destination now; the sun sets about 11.30pm and rises about 3.30am.

When we woke this morning we were sailing past an oil rig on the outskirts of Kristiansund. This is a fishing town spread across several adjacent islands. We hadn't booked any acivities today, so after breakfast we went ashore and walked through the town. It turns out that it's an ordinary community, not geared for tourists; most of the people walking about were from the ship looking for things to do. While we complain about places being touristy, when they're not, we're at a bit of a loss. The hairdressers, interior design shops and banks are not that interesting.

We did find the Kirkelandet Church which was very impressive (on the inside, a drab concrete on the outside). Then it was a short walk to Varden, a scenic viewing point, though not that much higher than the surrounding town.

We walked back into town and caught one of the free ferries that link the islands where they are closest to each other. However, for the reasons outlined above we couldn't decide on anything worth getting off for (not even the cod museum) and so it was a round trip.

Sundbaten Ferry

At this point we were right next to the ship, so we went back for some lunch and a break before venturing out again. We walked through the town and still couldn't find much of interest. So I set off to the western side of the island to see what was there. I stumbled on a network of hiking trails that didn't appear on google or the maps and which wound over the hills and into the little bays. I followed the trails north for some time then found a path inland and back to the town. Although it was only about 12℃ today this warmed me up.

Now, as for the last few days, we're sitting in the lounge above the bridge waiting to watch the ship leave and wind its way out through the islands.