6/10/12 day 46: Ålesund, Norway

Cold as overcast today and with no plan of attack, Chris and I left the ship shortly after lunch. It was a ghost town. All the shops were closed and everyone seemed to be at home staying warm. Towering over the town is a rocky ridge, at the top of which is a small cafe. We decided to make our way up. It was a good steep ascent, the kind where you are warmed up by the time you finish. At points precarious, this trail has definitely been there for a while. Old knee-high railings and crumbling cement steps. In a litigious society, this path would be closed down for repair but not in Norway. We made it to the top and discovered a small little cafe with souvenirs and sandwiches. The photos hanging in the entrance showed this little spot through the ages. Apparently all the hip Norwegians have been hanging here since the 50s. A little further past the cafe are a couple old cement bunkers, so clearly this spot was used in WWII. I know that the nazi army invaded Norway and set up shop along some key spots, so maybe these were their not-so-sweet remains.

After snapping a couple pics of the town, we decided to walk towards
what looked to be the "old" part of town. We passed a small harbor and rounded the corner and met up with Liam, the Scottish sound engineer on the boat. We walked for about a mile before giving up and conceding defeat: it seemed like the entire city was out of town. Desperate for wifi and a good sit, we discovered what could have possibly been the only open pub in town, Dirty Nelly's. We stopped in for a pint and blazing hot Internet speeds. We are all so used to terribly slow Internet, we couldn't believe our fortune. After updating all apps, OS, and even browsing (yes, browsing) the facebook news feed I felt like I had just plugged into the matrix. I headed back to the ship for a quick snooze before dinner and then a full night of performing.

Tonight there was an all crew, late dinner in one of the guest restaurants on the ship. The theme was Tuscany and the chefs prepared a couple different pastas and some focaccia pizzas as well as some of the desserts that the guests get for the entire crew. Considering I have a 745 wake up tomorrow to escort a tour, I quietly bowed out after a plate of tasty grub. This old cat can't hang like the youngens can.