Trondheim - Deborah Dishes

Monday night was the first we tried one of the specialty restaurants, The Captain’s Table. It’s a fixed menu with wine pairings, and they change the courses every three days. Last night’s delightful dinner was a British theme, starting with a Scotch egg amuse bouche, a fish and chip course, a gin and tonic granita as a palate cleanser (which I’m determined to replicate in my VitaMix), a braised brisket with Yorkshire pudding and a Whim Wham trifle for dessert. With the beautiful wine pairings it was a delightful and memorable meal. We’ve booked twice more, an Asian inspired night and also a Norwegian menu on Valentine’s Day. And yes, it’s all about the food…

Thankfully we had a blissfully calm night that night and arrived in Trondheim early this morning. It was our first time off the boat since boarding, and it felt good to walk outside in the brisk air. Our Panoramic tour of Trondheim by bus gave us an overview of this beautiful city of 200,000; 30,000 of them being students. The University focuses on science and technology, and is a huge research center. The city also boasts a Stave Church from 1170; the Kristiansten Fortress, a fortification built in the 1680’s; The Royal Residence in which the royalty reside when they visit, the northernmost tram in the world, and Nidaros Cathedral which is the pilgrimage goal of the north and the coronation church of Norwegian royalty. There is a marker with Kilometer 0 on it for the pilgrims that reach the cathedral. The original church was built over the tomb of King Olav II around 1300, and has since grown to include additional buildings and the huge façade we saw today. The postcards boast an Angel Gabriel on a turret with the face of Bob Dylan. Whatever. But the Trondheim Rose stained glass window is stunning, and the statues on the façade, including King Olav, are certainly interesting. Unfortunately Covid protocol did not allow us access, but it was beautiful from the outside.

When we got back to the ship we enjoyed a “Taste of Norway” buffet lunch, with braised reindeer in lingonberries, venison burgers, salmon and various fish in sauces, king crab, shrimp, lobster tails, lovely game meat salamis, and the best almond cake I’ve ever had. Vegetables? I’m sure they were there, but with all the other good stuff they certainly were not my focus. Maybe tonight. So with a couple of glasses of Prosecco at lunch I was able to talk Steve into a trip to the infinity pool and hot tub. High winds, freezing temps and it felt awesome. And after, when we got back inside they had a vat of really, really good hot chocolate at our disposal. Heaven.