Day 14, Molde, June 28, 2017

Not quite sure why but we arrived later in Molde than expected.  That was okay, things like tides and winds change sailing times.  One has to be flexible and we are.  As a result, we missed one of our scheduled tours, The Romsdal Open Air Museum, and the other, The Molde Highlights, was rescheduled to a later start.  Well, if we had to miss one let it be the Open Air Museum.

Molde is known as the “Town of Roses” for its rose gardens and lush vegetation.  Its a lovely town of about 24,000 residents and is surrounded by mountains.  The “Molde Panorama” is a breathtaking view of 222 mountain peaks.  Sailing in was beautiful.  Here are a couple of shots from our veranda.

The Molde Highlights Tour should really have been called the “Atlantic Road and Country Highlights Tour” since we only passed through Molde as we made our way to the Atlantic Road.  More about the road in a moment.  After passing through the town we stopped at a mountain overlook for a panoramic view of the town and surrounding area.

The area has one beautiful sight after another.  As we came down the mountain, on our way the the Road, we experienced much natural beauty and other photographic sights as well as a glimpse of some Molde neighborhoods.  It certainly looked like a livable town.

The day was crystal clear and we were rapidly approaching the Atlanterhavsveien (the Atlantic Road).  The Road is a scenic 5 mile stretch that connects the mainland with Averoya Island.  It twists and turns as it passes over several bridges and islands.  Some of my photos were taken from the bus as we approached the main and largest bridge on the Road.

We paused for a photo opportunity on one of the islands.  The main bridge is quite striking.  We were able to get a good look at it and  I took a number of photos of it and the surrounding area.  The ocean, the rocks, the flora are all lovely.

The trip on the Road was terrific and one of the highlights of the entire cruise.

From there we travelled on to the  west coast fishing village of Bud.  On the high ground sat a deserted, World War II, German machine gun emplacement which commanded a menacing view over the harbor.  Here are some pictures of Bud.

Once again, I took a number of photos from the bus as we worked our way back to Molde.  Unlike the scenery of the Arctic Circle areas, grass and farmland was everyawhere. And the ocean was a constant companion.

Lunch!  Something not to be missed.  We decided to stay in Molde, instead of returning to the Star, and have a beer and light meal.  We stopped at Rod, a little bistro/bar on the main street.  It was a pleasant place with seating outside where we could watch the activity around us.  Like many places in Norway, you ordered inside, carried your drink to the table and then were served your food.  Good beer and a good cheese platter.  Here is a picture of Rod’s window.

After lunch, we strolled around the town to get a feel for the place.  It is certainly a warm and attractive community.  “Town of Roses” and other flowers as well.

Our last stop was the Molde Cathedral.  It is a double nave structure which was completed in 1957.  It became a Cathedral in 1983 when the Diocese of More was created.  Notice the ship’s model suspended in the nave.  From the time of St. Gregory the Great (540-604) models, such as this, were hung in churches to signify that the church is a ship transporting one through life, from birth to death.

From the Cathedral it was back to the ship for sailing.  Sailing from a port is a favorite part of the day for us.  We search out a comfortable place, with a good view of the sea, from which to unwind from the activity of the day and watch the beauty of the location glide past.  We settled on the first level of the Explorer’s Lounge as our favorite spot for sailing.  Some photos as we left Molde.

A wonderful day.