The decision on what to do for an Alesund Shore Excursion was not easy, because there are so many options. Originally I thought of doing the ever popular Troll Road, but that tour takes 7.5 hours, which I decided was too much time spent mainly riding in a bus. Next I checked out the cruise on the MS Bruvik combined with a bus ride through the Sunnmore Alps, but it was too late to find availability.
Eventually I settled on a Holland America excursion to the ancient church on the island of Giske and to the Alnes Lighthouse on the island of Godoy. Other tours to these islands couldn’t guarantee access to the church or lighthouse interiors, so the Holland America Alesund Shore Excursion turned out to be the best choice. This also gave us the opportunity to do our own walking tour of Alesund before the excursion started.
We started our walk through the town of Alesund as soon as we were permitted off the ship by heading to the west side of the small harbor called the Brosundet. Within a few minutes we had passed the Jugendstil art nouveau building, the Fisherman Statue, the Vinforretning & the Express Buildings and the Brosundet Viewpoint. Then after enjoying the town views across the water from the Crane Statue, we ventured up hill to the Alesund Church. As soon as you get a couple blocks off the most popular tourist routes, there is no one around.
Next we crossed over to the east side of the harbor. Many of the art nouveau buildings that Alesund is famous for are highlighted nicely by the view across the harbor here. At Alesund Square we crossed between the picturesque Ronve and Apothek buildings and then uphill past the Alesund Museum to the viewpoint at the Museums Park.
From there is was more uphill trudging to see the Rollo Statue in the giant park at the base of Mount Aksla. My wife wasn’t interested in climbing all the way to the Mount Aksla viewpoint. I started the ascent while she waited in the park, but when the view began to open up, I realized the cloudy gray weather was not going to create a memorable impression and I rejoined my partner in the park.
From the park, we headed back down the steep road ways to the pedestrian-only Kongens Gate Street. This area was lined with nice architecture and numerous troll statues luring tourists into clothing and souvenir shops. Then we completed our self guided tour of Alesund at the WWII Monument on the harbor, but it was now time to seek out some Norwegian brown cheese before we returned to the ship.
The Walderhaug pastry stop was really a highlight of Alesund for me. One reason was their version of Norwegian brown cheese. This very sweet cheese was placed within a pancake, like a grilled cheese sandwich that had been turned into a pastry. The cheese tasted like a mild syrup that made this pastry taste delicious.
While we sipped our lattes, we also enjoyed the ambiance. The customers were all Norwegian and a large group of older men were enjoying some great conversation. One of the staff also came by and chatted with us in excellent English. I always enjoy finding ways to join with the locals instead of groups of tourists. My great grandfather emigrated from Norway and I had this comforting feeling that this pastry shop represented my idyllic Norwegian heritage, though I know full well that my ancestors left Norway due to the extreme poverty back then.
Our organized tour later that day started with a quick trip through a tunnel to the tiny village on the island of Giske. The Viking chieftain Ganger-Rolv (Rollo) was born here. Several hundred years later, in the late 1100s, the wealthy Giske family built the marble church here. In 1668 a local girl knitted the altar cloth that still protects the altar today and in the mid 1700s a local man carved the wooden altar and pulpit.
During our visit, a young woman from the small village provided us with an excellent and very professional history of the church, while we sat in the pews. This personalized experience gave us a deep appreciation for the people who are still carrying on the long history of the island of Giske. Our experience was further heightened as we learned that our guide had grown up in Giske and had numerous stories of his childhood experiences at many of the quaint traditional homes and farmsteads that still survive in Giske today. Our Alesund Shore Excursion to Giske was deeply moving.
From Giske our bus drove a few short minutes through yet another tunnel to bring us to the island of Godoy. The main attraction here is the Alnes Lighthouse, which was built in 1852 for the protection of the small fishing community of Alnes. Many of us climbed the old, narrow wooden staircases up to the top of the lighthouse. At the top, the narrow railed ledge made it possible to enjoy views over the village of Alnes and the neighboring islands, including Alesund and Runde.
The Alesund Shore Excursion to Giske and Godoy was an amazing tour, because of the local guides who shared the continuing story of the small farming and fishing communities that dot the coast of Norway. This also happened to us previously in Olden, where our guide grew up in the small community we were visiting. Norway offered us a refreshing change in that way, as shore excursions around the world can often be provided by a guide with little connection to the community. Well done Norway!
