Bergtatt marble

1 Feb: Docked Trondheim 0630-0930. Prompt to brekker, thinking we'd have a walk. It was dark and slushy and it's 25 mins to exit the port so changed our minds. Bit of reading and packing instead, before the Gathering at 11 which had disembarking info as well as usual routing stuff. Laura said how lucky we'd been with the weather, just 3 ports skipped due to F9 winds on day 3 but no big waves. The next trip is forecast high winds all the time. We slipped Laura a half bottle of brandy because we couldn't drink it all and couldn't take it home. 

Beautiful weather today, and suddenly the lower hills are green, not white. The view from the panorama lounge on deck 7 is splendid as always. Surprisingly few people come up here.

After a large lunch, as usual, we gave the Coastal Kitchen event a swerve - didn't feel the need to see how to gut a large salmon and then eat it raw. Lots of reading and gazing.

Docked in Kristiansund 10 mins early which just gave us enough time to walk carefully to nearby Spar to buy brown cheese (Brunost) for Lesley. The harbour entrance is particularly narrow.

the Bergtatt Marble Mine excursion. 3 hrs in bus, of which 2.5 hrs was dark. Did some reading and dozing, although the guide did keep talking most of the time. Stopped on the Atlantic Highway to look at the 'James Bond bridge', pic courtesy of Liz.

Oddly, the mine is in the top of the hill rather than the bottom, an interesting rough snowy z bendy track for the coach, which then to our surprise drove right into the mine. After donning safety helmets and life jackets, we sat in floating wooden crates that had tiny electric outboard. We motored around on absolutely clear water, marvelling at the marble rock faces and dutifully photographing the maid of the mountain fashioned of course from marble. 

Turns out this marble, limestone really, is used as fertiliser and to make glossy paper! Not kitchen worktops or Italianate villas. A very big business it seems. Quite difficult to understand the mine guide due to accent and booming sound system (same problem on bus). We were given soup, thin broth with veg and occasional lumps of meat, and their 'wonderful water'. Afterwards Liz & Iain agreed it was a 7 out of 10. 

We arrived in Molde in time to see our ship arriving, which was novel. Straight up to our usual 3 course dinner, then coffees in the panorama lounge talking to Liz & Iain, the latter being very interesting about his 30 year writing career after 20 years as a journalist. Late to bed but relaxed as we're 3/4 packed already.