Alesund

Here's your history lesson for today: Nearly the entire coastal town of Alesund, where we're currently holed up in our hotel room due to poor weather, was burned to the ground in January of 1904. Afterwards, with a little help from Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm, the town was re-built (this time in concrete & stone) in the Art Nouveau style. The "sentrum" (that's norske for downtown) is just gorgeous - cobble stone streets; windy, narrow roads; bayfront hotels and cafes.

Unfortunately, it's been cold and rainy all day today so we haven't been able to do as much walking and exploring as we'd like. It has let up a little bit now (at approx 9 pm), so I think we'll venture out. We're all a little stuffed from another excellent fish dinner and could probably use a little exercise. If you're ever over in these parts, be sure to try the monkfish (a.k.a. The Angler). It's one of the ugliest fish in the sea, but it tastes mighty good!

P.S. A big thanks to Frank, Ann, Hannah and Ellen for being such amazing hosts in Molde!