21/07/15 LN873
Woke to a rather dull, wet and grey morning but that wasn’t going to spoil our sense of adventure.There were a number of key attractions starting with a visit to a small boat yard which was home to the Gustine an old sailing boat dating back to the 18th century. The boat was undergoing it’s second restoration. Twice a week masters in the art of boat making would volunteer their time and to restore this amazing boat to its original beauty. The launch date is set for July 2017!!! Rain and wind had set in so the next stop was to have a much needed coffee on the way to the Baronet Rosendal.The Baroiet Rosendal is the smallest Palace in Europe dating back to the 1665, when it was the home to Ludvig Rosenkrantz and his wife Karen Mowat. The law of theland was that it could only be passed on to a son so even though they had been blessed with 3 sons and a few daughters ,all their sons died over the years. With no son to pass the Palace onto, sometime during the 19th Century it was handed back to the state and bought by a nobel family. After an informative tour of the Palace we wandered through the grounds admiring the extensive rose garden and vegetable/herb gardens. Stopping for lunch in the Palace grounds was must. Delicious open sandwiches, salads and soup all made using the local grown produce. The next stop was the stone garden, close to the Palace grounds. An amazing display of volcanic rocks crafted into stone benches, tables and chairs. On the way back to the Lord Nelson a quick visit to the Tourist Information centre to watch two films one on the Fjords the the other on the marine life to be found in this dramatic area of Norway. Back at the Lord Nelson a delicious evening meal was served providing us with renewed energy to venture back out in to the town. The first stop was the Music Bar where some of use induldged in the local, very expensive wine at £50 a bottle. I don’t think the beer was a much better option at around £10 a pint!! Live music and great spirits soon had some of the more daring clientale up and dancing. Meantime back at the Lord Nelson the Eendracht, a Dutch ship was moored alongside our ship. The Dutch being the perfect hosts invited us to join them on board for a party. Fun was had by all and a brilliant end to the day.
