Fredrikstad, Norway 59:12.380N 010:56.359E
Pelagia
Frans & Sarah Toonen
Tue 20 Jun 2017 17:00
Tuesday 20 June 2017. 15nm. Dry and warm. Water temp 14C. 1.2 engine hours. The city of Fredrikstad is on the mighty Glomma river and we had to push considerable adverse current to reach the city. The bridges in the city only open at certain times and so we were lucky to get a spot on a pontoon to wait for the bridges. The pontoon was marked ‘ICA and Pizza’ so we thought we could shop in the ICA supermarket and eat Pizza if necessary. Upon enquiry at the Pizza place it seemed ok to leave Pelagia and so we set off exploring this targeted destination. The old town (1567) which is on the east side of the river is Scandinavia’s best preserved fortress town with cobbled streets, many historic wooden houses, warehouses, garrisons and military infrastructure. Substantial trees line the ramparts and some of the 200 canons remain on display. The last military use was as an officers training camp which closed in 2002. The use is now purely historic and recreational with plenty of visitors using the free water bus to cross the river. We used the water bus to cruise up the river and walked back to check with the Pizza man if anyone ‘official’ had been looking for us. He said the police might come back later but nobody turned up. We decided to move on with the 6am bridge lift and passage west towards the area where we will collect Jane and Steve on Friday. Fortress from the Glomma river  Inside the fortress town - immaculate and deserted  |