Kristiansund

Kristiansund was the farthest north of our planned stops (we ended up driving up to Trondheim the day we left here, so we actually got a little farther north).

I didn't have high expectations for our two-day stay here - although I was hoping we'd have nice weather for the trip out to the Atlanterhavsviein Road (next post). It was cloudy the afternoon we arrived, but beautiful the rest of the time.

Our hotel, which we had reserved months earlier, sounded fairly uninspiring (it was a Quality Inn), and although we were put in a very generic addition to the older hotel, the view was of the harbor was great from our 6th-floor perch. The hotel was great. There was an attached gym. And a free soft-serve machine in the lobby, with sprinkles, including licorice. And like all the other places we stayed, a nice breakfast buffet in the morning.

I enjoyed watching the boats, including the big Hurtigruten ferries, coming in and out of the harbor. The light on the surrounding islands was perfect - evening, morning, and even in the middle of the night (it was never really dark). And although we didn't actually attend, we were entertained each evening with music from the Tahitifestivalen going on across the water. The whole thing was actually pretty magical.

Kristiansund isn't terribly big. And it's certainly out of the way. But the following week, Sting was playing in the arena. Now that would have been really neat!