Trondheim is the commercial center for northern Norway, with 200,000 people.
It is noted for its beautiful Gothic cathedral, whose spire can be seen from all over the city. On September 7, 2025, we took a walking tour past the cathedral and up to the fortress guarding the city. We also visited a museum of musical instruments and a living history museum, to which old buildings had been transported from all over Norway.
Our guide told us that only 17% of Norwegians attend church regularly. It was a Sunday morning as we passed this cathedral, but we assumed it had few takers.
A highlight of our day was the Ringve Music History Museum.
A wealthy resident of Trondheim collected musical instruments and, when her house was overflowing, she turned her house into a museum.
We walked from room to room of the elegant, 19th century home as our guide described each instrument and then played a piece on it. The pieces were by Grieg or other Scandinavian composers. The instruments we saw and heard were ancestors of the piano, although the house included another section with other instruments.
The collection also included early record players.
At the end of the tour, we were ushered into a small concert hall, where our guide played a Mozart sonata and Dave and I sipped apple cider while everyone else sipped champagne.
I love flower gardens, including the Ringve Museum's clematis vines that outshone mine by many magnitudes.
The highlight of the living history museum was its rural village, composed of houses from all over northern Norway. This highly decorated wood house was used as the model for Anna's summer house in "Frozen." Disney artists traveled to Trondheim to study it for their designs.
Our guide ushered us into a hall which was used for wedding feasts. She then sang us one of the traditional Norwegian wedding songs in a high, sweet voice.
We paused to rest before exploring the urban village, filled with homes and shops from Norwegian villages.
We walked to the fortress above the city and then walked back down to the river leading into the sea. On this unusually sunny Sunday afternoon, we watched people sunbathing and lounging in sidewalk cafes.
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