We woke early and opened the curtains to some fabulous scenery around the Vestnes area. The waters were calm and still, everything was just so peaceful. I wished my son, Lewis, a happy birthday for his 28 years young birthday.

We got ready for breakfast and went to the Røst Restaurant. There was a good choice of cold meats, cheeses, salad and fish. There was also a menu where you could choose from eggs cooked any style as well as smoked salmon.

We had service with a smile again from our server Victoria, who is very knowledgeable about the coastal route that we are travelling on. Our port of call today was Åndalsnes and she recommended that we did the cable car up to the top of the mountains. It was already something I’d researched beforehand so we decided to do this first.

We left the MS Trollfjord, moored in Isfjordsvegen, at about 9am. We went in the direction of the Romsdalen Gondola cable car station which is a short walk from the quayside. It was easy to buy tickets, however they were a bit pricey at 1100 NOK, which is roughly £40 per person.

Despite the price, the views were amazing. We walked around quite a big area at the top, just taking in the surroundings. The weather was perfect for this walk, and we could see for miles. We saw people who didn’t have the correct footwear on. Hiking boots are the only footwear that should be worn up there. There were many different mountains that we could see from the top of Eggen and Rampestreken. Something that attracted my attention was Trollveggen, aka the Troll Wall. This is a rock face with a jagged ridge, and is the tallest in Europe (1200 metres).

Trollveggen – The Troll Wall

We decided to go back down by cable car even though JC would have preferred the 20 minute walk down instead. Once we got back down we walked around for a bit. There is not a lot to see in Åndalsnes itself. The shops and bars were closed (it was Sunday morning after all). There was a souvenir shop that was open, where the lady shop assistant looked pleased to see us. I managed to buy a Christmas bauble with a picture of a troll on it, and a fridge magnet of course.

We walked around this ghost town before heading back to the ship at lunchtime. We had booked a table in Røst for 1pm, so it was good timing after our morning outing to Åndalsnes.

We then went to the 1893 bar where we got a good seat at the front of the ship and an even greater view of the scenery as we headed out of Isfjordvegen and back to open water. We had a relaxing afternoon before going back to our suite and watching the world pass us by uninterrupted.

Back to Røst for our 7pm evening meal and we had yet another surprise set menu. I did as our waitress, Tina, what would happen if there was something that we really didn’t want to eat, and she shared the menu with me so it was still a surprise for JC. I must have had a bit of foresight as one thing I choose not to eat is duck, and this was the main course for today. She was really lovely and offered to ask the chef for something else, and she came back with a suggestion of veal. I really don’t eat this either, through choice, but went with it.

Potato cracker with fermented sea trout with dill and horseradish cream

Anyway, here is the evening menu:
First course – cold potato and leek soup with mussels, cucumber and dill;
Second course – potato cracker with fermented sea trout with dill and horseradish cream (this was amazing);
Third course – veal with roast swede and tomato jus;
Fourth course – goats cheese and strawberry (couldn’t eat it, hate goats cheese);
Fifth course – lemon tart with marscapone cheese and raspberries.

I keep convincing myself that I’m ok with the five courses every evening meal, as the portion sizes are small. However, something tells me that I’ll have to go on a diet when we get home…..

Next stop tomorrow – Træna
Svalbard Line 2025 | Midnight Sun Cruise | Hurtigruten UK