Alesund, Norway - Norway's Prettiest City

 At the entrance to the Geraingerfjord sits the port town of Alesund.  After a fire destroyed much of the city in 1904, it was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style. It's now widely regarded as Norway's prettiest city. And it was the second stop on our Holland America cruise through the fjords of Norway.

We arrived before the light of day and had this view from our balcony. I loved seeing the city waking up with the lights coming on and early morning delivery trucks on the street. 

That's Mount Aksla in the background

One of Alesund's most popular things to do is walk - or take a bus - to Mount Aksla and its famous viewpoint.Though it's considered a "must do" we decided that we were here to see fjords so we signed up for an excursion to explore one of the nearby ones. (There will be more on that in another post) So after breakfast we walked to the next pier and board a boat to go exploring by water.

The view from Mount Aksla

Boats heading out to the fjord

Another cruise ship in port - the Iona

View of Alesund from the water

She's a big one!

After our return from our excursion we walked the short distance into town. Despite being a gloomy and chilly day, we decided that we just wanted to wander. We tucked into a few shops, passed lots of Art Nouveau architecture and a "probably the best Fish in Chips in the world" shop. We didn't have an aim - just see Alesund. And that we did. 

The weather was a bit gloomy so I'm sure I would have been impressed more by Alesund in some sunshine. Or maybe if we'd gone to the top of Mount Aksla for the fantastic views. It just didn't hit the mark for me compared to our other stops in Norway. But am I happy I was able to go there? Absolutely!

How about you? Have you been to Alesund?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!