At 3am in the morning we were awoken by kettles and telephones and bottles flying around the cabin. A storm the captain had told us about the evening before had persisted and grown into a Force 12 hurricane which we all felt as he turned the ship to approach Alesund. Good stuff, want to know one is on a ship at the mercy of the elements.

We did our first excursion to Giske and Godøy with oddly people of Scottish extraction as guide and driver! Alesund is in a complex of islands linked by bridges and particularly tunnels, some of which have been blasted deep under the Fjords. Norway builds tunnels even for a few school children to get to school. Dusty as cars have iron studs in their tyres for snow. A man walked illegally along one such tunnel, the coach driver honked and we later saw police going to arrest him.

Giske Church was interesting. Pre-reformation it was Catholic, the Church had kissing crosses on it which pilgrims could kiss to get 100 days of time off purgatory. Post Reformation it became Lutheran. A notable called Altarpiece Jacob carved the current ornate altarpiece and pulpit, and even painted them with his blend of paints. I saw that the 2 on the hymn numbers was more like a 9. A lot of surnames of Giske in the graveyard.

We had squidgy cake at Alnes lighthouse, which I climbed for good views of the Atlantic battering against the rocky beaches. Picturesque. A bay surfers use. Last stop was to look over Alesund rebuilt after fire in 1905 in an Art Nouveau style. Oddly reminiscent of Venice or Amsterdam.

The excursion was not as cold as expected!

In the evening a good show 'Oceans' by the youngish theatre company, a medley of mostly nautical related songs. Not pretentious or artistic, just belting the numbers out.