Vinayak Hegde

The journey from Tromso in the north to Trondheim in the west was long and involved 2 ferry rides, 2 bus trips and a overnight train journey. I traveled a about 800 kms in one day. I found Trondheim to be a charming university and historical town. Even today about a quarter of it’s population is students.

The Nidaros Cathedral

Trondheim was the capital of Norway until 1217 AD and was founded more than a millennium ago in 997 AD. The region around Trondheim has been populated since Prehistoric times. Nidaros Cathedral is a Church built in Gothic style. A church was initially built on the same place in 1070 though it has been damaged and rebuilt several times since then. The West front of the Cathedral contains many statues. A legend to the statues can be found here. The complex also has the Archbishop’s Palace and a small museum. Beneath the Cathedral there is a crypt chamber which has many old coffins recovered during excavation and restoration of the Cathedral. It is also possible to go to the Church Spires to get magnificent views of Trondheim City.

Monk’s Island

Munkholmen or Monk’s Island is a small island just off Trondheim port. It used to be an execution ground in ancient times until Benedictine monks built a monastery in the 11th Century. Over the years it has been used as a prison, fort and also a monastery. During World War II it was also used as an anti-aircarft gun station. Today it is a place for recreation with several small restaurants and cafes.

Camera Obscura

As a traveler, once in a while you hit across something that is not there on any website or guidebooks but delights you. The Camera Obscura (A Pinhole Camera) is such an attraction on banks of the Nidelva River. The building of the Camera Obscura was actually built by students of NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology). The building is made of wood and has a small hole and lens at the top which lets light through. The image is formed on the floor of the Camera Obscura after being reflected from a small mirror system. The images are really sharp and there are various levers to adjust the aperture of the pinhole and the orientation of the pinhole. It is really educative for people who do not know how cameras work as you are actually inside the Camera Obscura itself. More details at the website of the Camera Obscura.

Kite Festival

During my stay, I walked up to the Kristiansten Fortress situated on a hill. While I enjoyed the view of Trondheim Fjord from the hill, there was a sudden rush of students and their parents from the architecture section of NTNU who were organizing a impromptu Kite Festival as a part of the coursework. It was funny to see students trying to fly kites of different sizes and shapes including some monolithic duds which has no chance of flying. In the end the kites that flew well and stayed afloat were the ones which had the simplest design. A good engineering lesson learnt the hard way .