Trondheim - a delightful, and cultured city on Norway's central, west coast

This post examines Trondheim, an historic port, and Norway’s third largest city. The settlement lies on a sheltered peninsula on the southern shore of the deeply indented Trondheims Fjord. As a significant industrial and commercial hub for the surrounding region, Trondheim offers visitors an authentic experience of urban life in Norway.  

Our cruise ship docked conveniently close to the city centre, allowing for easy access. Upon disembarking, I joined numerous other passengers making the brief walk into town. We traversed the train tracks and marshalling yards via an elevated walkway. Although I had obtained a map upon leaving the vessel, I ultimately chose to follow the crowds as they made their way towards the centre of Trondheim.

The day began with overcast skies, though the sun eventually emerged. One aspect of Trondheim that stood out to me was its abundance of shops, cafés, and dining establishments; initially, there appeared to be fewer locations serving beer. However, prior to considering refreshments, I wished to explore some of the city's cultural highlights. My primary destination was Trondheim’s renowned Nidaros Cathedral, burial site of King Olav II, who became the patron saint of the nation. The cathedral is the traditional location for the consecration of new Norwegian monarchs.  

On my way to the cathedral, I paused in a garden situated opposite the Stiftsgårdsparken, an elegant Baroque-style townhouse belonging to the Norwegian royal family. I sat there for a while studying the map, looking for likely watering holes - more about that later. Upon arrival at the cathedral, which is widely regarded as one of Norway’s most exceptional stone structures, I learned that admission required the purchase of a ticket. 

As I was on a tight schedule, I chose not to enter, and whilst I understand the necessity of admission fees for churches and other religious sites—given the significant maintenance costs for such landmarks—I have mixed feelings about their implementation.

Once I had taken the obligatory photographs, I decided to exchange some of the Euros I had brought with me—a decision I now recognize as a mistake. My reasoning was influenced by a travel blog authored by an American writer who claimed that Euros were widely accepted in Norway.

Consequently, instead of converting Sterling into the local currency and potentially ending up with notes or coins not usable elsewhere, it seemed logical to use Euros. In hindsight, this was misguided, and I acknowledge that I should have conducted more thorough research on local currency requirements prior to my trip.

While passing a foreign exchange office (FOREX), I decided to follow through with my plan to trade some Euros for Norwegian crowns (Krone). There were a few students ahead of me in the line, so I waited until they finished their transactions before approaching one of the windows myself. 

Watching these two young women being asked to show their passports, I was reminded that, for security reasons, I'd intentionally left mine back on the ship. I had a sinking feeling that my request to exchange currency might be denied. Sure enough, when I spoke to the cashier and told them my passport was back on board, they asked if I had any other form of identification. I did and handed over my UK driving license. Although it's not quite as good as a passport, it does feature my photo and is an official piece of UK government-issued identification.

“I’m afraid your Driving Licence is unacceptable”, said the cashier, “because United Kingdom is not part of the European Union”. “I know”, I replied, “but surely neither is Norway, and unlike the UK it has never been part of the EU”. He smiled and laughed, before countering with the remark that whilst Norway was indeed not part of the European Union, it was part of the European Free Trade area, unlike the UK. 

Membership of the EFT was part of the deal originally offered to the UK by the EU, but the offer was rejected by Boris Johson's Tory government, in order to appease the hardliners of the cynically named, European Research Group (ERG). I accepted my defeat, with good grace, and a couple of days later, when our cruise ship docked in Tromso, I took my passport with me and, at a different Forex, managed to change some of my Euro’s into Norwegian Krone.

The day was wearing on, and it was time for some refreshment, but first I found a supermarket where, under instructions from Mrs PBT’s, I picked up a selection of biscuits, nibbles and other “healthy snacks” from a well-stocked supermarket. But where to go for a beer? I had compiled a shortlist of possible places and thought it would just be a matter of navigating to them using my phone, even though I’m not really a fan of following directions on a small screen. 

I set off, in the approximate direction of the port, and when I happened to glance up, I noticed a large building, with an impressive frontage. It turned out to be a craft beer bar named "Habitat", and what more it was open. I stepped inside and found an inviting open-plan layout, that was offering some delicious-looking pizza, as well as an extensive selection of “craft beers”.  

It seemed the perfect spot, and after ordering a pizza, I chose a selection of three different beers. A pale ale, an IPA, and then a rather weighty Imperial Double Stout, which came in at an impressive 14.5% abv. The pale ale and the IPA both paired nicely with the pizza, though I’m less sure about the double stout! It was still an excellent beer, even if it hadn’t been part of my original plan. Habitat wasn't overly crowded, and I had the pick of the tables. This was despite signs indicating they were reserved, but this turned out to be for later that afternoon. 

I was therefore quite happy, sitting there enjoying the beer, just taking in the atmosphere, but after that heavyweight double stout, thought it best to make my way back to the ship. I took a slightly different route back to the port, which enabled me to see a different part of Trondheim, even if it was just the area close to the river and the docks. As for the city itself, as well as being the principle city for this part of central Norway, Trondheim is well worth a longer stay in order to do it proper justice.