Trondheim Guide Introduces Me to City’s History, Culture, Best Coffee

Days 4-5, 2025 European Odyssey

Wednesday and Thursday, July 2-3, 2025; Trondheim, Norway, and Norwegian Sea.

I was late to the game in signing up for a walking tour of Trondheim, Norway. A fellow cruiser on our Cruise Critic roll call (social media threads for each and every cruise) put together this private tour, but I hadn’t seen the post until the group was full.

In my disappointment, I actually emailed the tour guide to see if she could add just one more, but she declined. However, she offered to meet me at the end of the tour for coffee and to share some hidden gems of Trondheim.

With no early deadline, I enjoyed walking through the city. A side street decorated with hanging umbrellas caught my attention. It looked a lot like the street I painted earlier this year in Port Louis, Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

I returned to the Old Town Bridge at the old neighborhood of Bakklandet, where I painted in 2023 and thought I might again, but the skies started spitting just as I arrived.

On to the Nidaros Cathedral, which ironically was my destination two years ago when I wrote about getting sidetracked and having an epiphany that I didn’t have to see everything on the tourist “must-see” lists. I never made it to Nidaros that day.

Today as I waited there for Wanda’s tour to end, I noted a stone signifying the end of the Pilgrim’s Route, or St. Olav’s Way. There are nine paths that end at the cathedral, with the ancient traditional path starting 400 miles away in Oslo. Norwegians sure like their outdoor activities.

Today I admired this imposing medieval structure built over the burial site of Saint Olav, Norway’s patron saint. Restoration has continued over the centuries, including on the West Face with its many statues. Only five remain from the Middle Ages, with the rest restored between 1905 and 1983.

Thirty years ago, a sculptor created a new statue of the archangel Michael for the top of the north tower. Wanda said he used Bob Dylan’s face as his inspiration, due to Dylan’s leadership in the movement against nuclear weapons. My iPhone zoom isn’t up to the challenge of fact-checking the accuracy of his sculpting.

Wanda, a native of Romania, is cheerful and enthusiastic about her adopted home – just what you want in a guide. She also was generous with her time, making this my best experience of the trip so far. We walked a few blocks to the city library cafe Isak Bakeri for what she described as the best coffee and pastries in town. I had to agree as we shared pistachio and rhubarb pastries.

The library, like many buildings in the city, is built on top of previous ruins, and the main floor is built around excavations. It is a community gathering place, where residents can offer small pots of cuttings from their plants and seed packets to others for the taking. What a wonderful use for an outdated card catalog!

Like many residents of Trondheim, Wanda and her husband moved to this university city to continue their education. After working for tour companies as a guide for a few years, she has branched out to offer her own tours. If you are ever in Trondheim, be sure to book Wanda Piescu at https://www.trondheimforyou.com/.

My day ended with an “exclusive” reception by the Lido Pool for 3-, 4- and 5-star Mariners. I actually thought it would be more crowded, as the criteria for the 3-star level is 75 cruise day credits. You get one credit for each cruise day (doubled if you book a suite) and another for each $300 of on-board spending. It was a fun party with all the bubbly, wine and hors d’oeuvres you wanted.

The 24 hours of sunlight have thrown off my body clock, even with room-darkening curtains, and I’m sleeping a bit later than usual. First thing I’m up to the Crow’s Nest for coffee, followed by my typical oatmeal and fruit breakfast. On sea days Cruise and Travel Director Tjalling is carrying on the tradition of coffee chats with the ship’s officers and staff.

Tonight, I joined three other single women from our online roll call for a fun Pinnacle Grill dinner (but no one thought to take a photo). It sometimes surprises me how many single women are cruising alone. We all agreed it is a great way to see the world.

When I’m late to the Crow’s Nest or drop in during the late afternoon and evening, it’s packed. I’ve had to settle for one of the bar stools. The good thing is that it seems to leave me more open to chatting with others – including a number of people I know from previous cruises. It truly is a family, and it seems the Crow’s Nest is our home.