Molde, Norway... Part 1 of 2

I was up early for sail into Molde, a new port for me. Molde was heavily hit during World War II, which along with a fire in 1916 explains Molde’s clean lines and lack of the typical old wooden houses you find in most Norwegian cities. We had prebooked a local taxi and our driver Maciej picked us up at the pier for a scenic tour to the Atlantic Road, Bud and Varden. Tucked away in the Midwest part of the Norwegian coastline, the coastal Atlantic Road is one of the most scenic drives in the world. Driving along this road is like teetering on the edge of the sea. The drive to the Atlantic Road was a spectacular scenic postcard picture at every turn. We stopped at Eldhusya, an elevated walking path and took a stroll along the water’s edge. Driving back from the Atlantic Road we took the road to Farnstan along picturesque farmland and the scenic Atlantic coastline. We went on to Bud a fishing village and stopped at the Bud Museum a nice lookout point over the village and the sea. The village of Bud was taken over by the Germans in World War II and the remains of the underground bunkers are still visible today. From here we drove back towards Molde and drove up to the Varden a viewport 2000 feet above the city. It was unfortunate the views of the Romsdalsfjord with its multitude of snow-covered peaks was hazy. Maciej dropped us at the ship, and we toured the center town area. We walked around the city, enjoyed the sunshine at Molde’s beautiful harbor, and popped into a couple of shops and went up the cathedral and bell tower. We had a grand day in Molde!  It was another wonderful stop in Norway…