Greetings from Norway

Ålesund Harbour with the fishing fleet waiting for the herring to get to the coast to spawn:


This picture from the south side of town is from January 1959.

Here from the inner harbour:

The first boats have arrived to report their catch for sale at the auction office:

The main method of catching was by purse seine:


No power block or fish pump to ease the heavy work at the time.

The other method was by Driftnets:
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The last 4 pictures are probably from early 1950s

Good news:

Here in mid-Norway the spot price for electric power dipped below Zero for a brief time this morning. The average today is 2.53 øre (NOK 0.0253)

Tonight it will be blowing and raining so the spot price will be below Zero from midnight until 0900 hrs.
Tomorrow’s posted spot price:
Highest price at 19.00-20.00: 12.20 øre/kWh
Average: 2.50 øre/kWh
Lowest price at 03.00-04.00: -2.67 øre/kWh

Fjellstua, the lookout point on top of Aksla in Ålesund. It is popular with tourists and locals alike:


Fjellstua sits at the top of the mountain Aksla in Ålesund. PHOTO: STAALE WATTØ (ARCHIVE)

The access route from the City Park have 418 steps to reach Fjellstua. The route can be clearly seen on the picture above. (There are also a Via Ferrata climbing route for the more adventurous)

When you get there you are rewarded with a spectacular view of the town and the mountains and islands around (Clockwise from NE to SE) :








Picture are by different photographer and different times of the day and year.
Here is a link, if you want to view the scenery by webcam at any time:

Some happy cruisers who have made it to the top:

Sunset is a popular motif, especially in the summer, when the sun set in the NNW and close to midnight CET:

Obvious on the first picture >>>
Why is Alesund a clinically white city?

Other Norwegian cities are colorful and have houses in very different colors…

It is not, although it may look that way in that picture of a section of town that consist of a mixture of Jugend style (Art nouveau)buildings from 1904-09 and newer buildings from the last 50 years or so)

The reason for this can be found in the history of the great fire in Jan. 1904 and the reconstruction of the town centre with the help from Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany who were a regular visitor to the Norwegian fjords and Ålesund, both before and after the Ålesund Fire:

In my youth the town was almost “clinically gray”, since the stone and concrete houses were not painted, incl. the decorations that had been added to the houses during the construction period (1904-1909) where hardly noticed.

Today the houses are largely painted externally and the decorations painstakingly highlighted to where they are among the most photographed subjects by the many tourists that walk the streets, especially in the cruise season (April - Sept.)
Here are some that attract a lot of attention:


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The old restaurated fish processing buildings along the inner harbour gets their fair share of “clicks”:

As does the narrowest house in Ålesund:

https://nordfolks.com/blogs/interviews/join-us-for-a-visit-in-the-most-narrow-building-in-our-hometown-alesund

PS> Fjellstua in Ålesund is one of the buildings that will be colored purple on Thursday 17 November to mark World Prematurity Day.

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OK, thanks.
The squeezed house, large less than three meters, disturbs my tectonic understanding. I always thought that the continental plates did not press against each other in Norway.

I did not understand your ‘Judgen style’, until I pronounced it for myself:
It is probably the German ‘Jugend Stil’, an art, furniture and architectural epoch (Style of the Youth)…

Sorry about the misspelling.
If you want to know more about the Jugend town Ålesund, visit Jugendstilsenteret:


Jugendstilsenteret and Kube seen from water level in Brosundet.

A link to more information on website “Bypatrioten” (The City Patriot):

Info about the narrow house, the steps to Fjellstua and a lot more can also be found here.

PS> The real “White Ålesund”:

One house that doesn’t need painting, EVER!!:


Photo: Sigurd Larsen

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The stairs to Fjellstua deserve a special mentioning.
Construction started already in 1885 as a combination of gravel path and stone steps.
Over the years the steps became worn to the degree that they were deemed dangerous:

In 2014-15 the old steps were replaced with new concrete steps to cater to the ever growing popularity and the number of cruise ship visits that could be up to 4 or 5 on some days.
(Now limited to 10000 Pax. capacity/day)

The new steps are kept in a light colour to be clearly visible, with some steps numbered so you don’t have to count yourself, with benches for those who need a rest on the way up (or down)
A bit after half way up there is a viewpoint called “Byrampen”:


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(The name is a play on word; By = City. Rampe = Platform, but also Ramp = Prankster. I.e Byrampen = The City Prankster)

You can also use the Via Ferrata route to get to Fjellstua.
It is not for free, though:

PS> But the steps are free for everybody.

Autumn is here:


Winter is coming:

But there will be spring:

And finally SUMMER!!:

Source: The Flam Railway – World's best train journey! | Norways best

Our oldest son took this picture on a flight from Oslo to Ålesund last Sunday:


Hardly any snow to be seen on the mountains here in North West Norway.
While Southern Norway is experiencing heavy snowfall:

In Karasjok on the high plateau in Finnmark (Finnmarksvidda) the temperature was down to -29C a few days ago, but now it is a balmy -14C

View from Ålesund Bus Terminal 70 years ago:

Nearest I could find to the same view today:


PS> Taken a few years ago from a position not far from the original.

More recent drone picture:

Still no fresh snow to be seen on the mountains near Ålesund:


The few “snow spots” to be seen are multi-year snow, or glaciers.
PS> Temperature at sea level is still around +10C.

Nice to be a Pensioner in Norway, at least according to this report:

Note: This includes all types of pensions, not just Retirement Pension but also Disability Pension etc.

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SNOW has appeared, at least on the mountains tops (above 800 m.asl.):

Its getting cold in Ålesund. Time to get a fire going and test this years Christmas Aquavit:


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No it is not a black and white photo:


The half-moon is “lighting up” a clear but too early dark afternoon in Ålesund.
(Sunset was at 1514 hrs. today)

Here is a Troll giving you the evil eye:


POPULAR: The Norwegian film “Troll” has struck a chord with the public.
PHOTO: PRESS PHOTO

Source: smp.no today

Snow has come to Ålesund:


Likely to stay on the ground for at least the next week due to unusual low temperatures forecasted. (Clear w/ temp. down to -9 -10C at night for Saturday - Wednesday)

Good possibilities of seeing Northern Lights in Ålesund for the nearest nights:


Photo: Norwegian Society of Texas via FB

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It has been an unusually long period of clear sky and freezing temperatures (-3-6C) with snow on the ground here in Ålesund:


It is forecast to last for another few days, before turning to a more normal +4-5C and rain by the end of the week.

The good thing is that Winter Solstice is only a bit over a week away, when days gets longer and brighter again. (Today the sun rise was at 09:54 hrs. and the sun will set again at 15:03 hrs.)