Michi Photostory

I think Norway is the only country that celebrates Mother’s Day or Morsdag every February. And because of that, I was not able to celebrate Mother’s Day last May 2017 and May 2019. Well, it is not a big deal if I don’t have any celebration because I already accepted the fact that I won’t have my Mother’s celebration every time I’m here in Norway. 

Moving on, last February, I made this Heart with Mama and Happy Mother’s Day Cake Topper; I just gave it to my mom when we arrived here in Norway last March. Nagamit naman sa ice cream. :)

Fast forward to last month, my mom gifted me this “Jesus Calling for Moms” book by Sarah Young. 

We also went to Melissa restaurant to celebrate Mother’s Day. There are only a few restaurants in Ørland and one of their go-to restaurants is Melissa. I already tried this restaurant five years ago so I already have an idea of what to order. But still, I checked their online menu and they have an English menu too. 

It was past 12NN so the restaurant is not crowded because it is too early for their middag (dinner). Pero hindi ako sanay sa late na kain so I still follow the 11 to 12NN lunch in the Philippines. Gutom na ko kapag ganyan oras. hehehe! They served the softdrinks first, it is 45NOK per glass.

I ordered Black & White; a combination of beef and pork fillet with bearnaise sauce, pepper sauce, creamed potatoes, and vegetables for 335NOK. 

My mom ordered Crispy Fried Chicken with salad and chips 195NOK. 

My son ordered from the children’s menu, he ordered the same thing which is Mini Steak 175NOK, it has steak with bearnaise sauce, salad, and chips.  

As usual, they have big servings so it is hard to finish the food so we just took our time eating. Good thing that the food is good or else nakakahinayang sa presyo. If I will convert the price kasi nung order ko sa PHP, para na akong nagbuffet sa hotel. Waah! But it was Mother’s Day and my mom’s treat so happy tummy. 

Note: They have English Menu in the restaurant too, just request it. The staff will take your order but for payment, you need to go to the counter. 

Several weeks ago, my aunt invited us to go with her to Orkanger and we gladly accepted the invitation because the last time that we went there, we only visited the hospital. At least, this time we visited one of the malls in Orkanger which is COOP Mega so iba na ang ambiance. 

We had early lunch at Thai Thai restaurant, which is an all-day buffet restaurant that serves hot dishes, salad, appetizers, sushi, and desserts. Thai food mostly used chili, ginger, galanga, coriander, lemongrass, lime leaves, garlic, fish sauce, mussel sauce, and sweet hot chili sauce. There are rice, noodles, fresh vegetables, and fruits. 

Even though this is not Filipino cuisine, I’m still happy because it is still Asian cuisine #riceislife. We’ve been to Bangkok, Thailand before so I know that they have a lot of spicy dishes so even though there were several dishes on the buffet spread, I have to skip the spicy food. Available drinks are coffee, tea, and water. 

Thai Thai restaurant has different branches in Norway, you can find their restaurant in City Barn, Trondheim Torg, Ålesund, Kristiansand, Orkanger, Namsos, and Steinkjer. All Day Buffet Price may vary depending on the branch and time. 

City Barn, Trondheim Torg, Ålesund & Kristiansand 229NOK 

Orkanger, Namsos & Steinkjer 209NOK 

City Barn, Trondheim Torg, Ålesund & Kristiansand 249NOK 

Orkanger, Namsos & Steinkjer 229NOK 

If you are not a fan of buffets, you can order Ala carte dishes or Thai Box, for the Thai box, you can pick and mix your own cup from the buffet spread and you pay for your food per hectogram (100g). 

Dine In: 32NOK per 100 g 

Take Out: 29NOK per 100g 

But since we want to try different dishes, we always avail the buffet meals. For Trondheim branches, they offer catering dishes too. 

We had early lunch so the buffet spread is not yet complete so we just ate whatever is available. And we will just go back again to check if there are new dishes already, at least bagong luto pa. Hehehe! The only downside of the Orkanger branch is they don’t serve soup so maybe that is the reason why they have different rates too. Anyway, my son and I still enjoy our first Thai Thai buffet experience. The rate is reasonable already because it is an unlimited meal for two hours. 

Last week, we had a Walking Tour in Trondheim City so we had a chance to eat at Thai Thai restaurant in Trondheim Torg. Some food dishes are quite similar in Orkanger branch but this time, we have soup. It is just a plain soup where you can put your own ingredients like noodles, chicken, shrimp, vegetables and etc. 

The restaurant has a “Clean as you go” policy so don’t forget to clear your table before leaving. Anyway, if ever you are craving Asian meals in Norway, visit Thai Thai restaurant. 

The first one is when I was still in High School, my mom’s cousin lives in Trondheim so she invited us to stay in their house and she toured us around Trondheim pero sa sobrang tagal, the only thing that I can remember is Royal Residence and Tyholttårnet. Tyholt Tower is a 126-meter tall radio tower and it is currently the tallest building in Norway that was built in 1985. It has an observation deck and a revolving restaurant at an altitude of 81 meters. A complete revolution is every hour. 

The second one is when my husband is flying back to the Philippines so before he rode the bus to the airport, we had a quick tour of Trondheim city. You can check my Day Trip in Trondheim blog post to see the different tourist attractions that we have visited even for a limited time. 

For the past several weeks, I’ve been contemplating revisiting Kristiansund, Oslo, or Trondheim but the weather is not cooperating because, since the last week of April, the weather is either cloudy with flurries or rainy so even we wanted to travel to different places we can’t go out. I was already losing hope so I gave up on planning but God is good because out of the blue, my mom received a message that she has a doctor’s appointment in Trondheim so we had reason to go to Trondheim. Yey!

We left the house around 7AM to catch the 7:30AM Ferry Boat Trip from Brekstad Hurtigbåtterminal to Trondheim Hurtigbåtterminal (Ferry Boat Terminal). Travel time is more than an hour because of the two stopovers at Hasselvika and Lensvik. The ticket price is Adult NOK277 and Student 129NOK. 

We started our walking tour at Trondheim Ferry Boat Terminal and we went straight to Nidaros Cathedral. Five years ago, we visited this cathedral but we were not able to enter because it was already closed, check the opening hours below so you can plan your trip. 

Monday to Friday - 9:00 to 14:00 

Saturday - 9:00 to 13:00 

Sunday - 13:00 to 16:00 

You can purchase the ticket at the Visitor Center, which is also a gift shop and cafe. There are three attractions that you can visit within the area, Nidaros Cathedral, The Crown Regalia,  and The Archbishop’s Palace Museum. You can purchase a single ticket or a combined ticket. It was past 9AM so we only purchased the Nidaros Cathedral because the two attractions are still closed, and the opening time is 11:00AM. The staff informed us that if we go back and plan to visit the two other attractions, she will just upgrade our ticket to a combined ticket. 

Ticket Prices 

Adult 120NOK 

Child/Student 60NOK 

Family 300NOK 

Adult 240NOK 

Child/Student 120NOK 

Family 600NOK 

Note: Family Ticket is good for 2 adults and 3 children under the age of 16. 

The staff gave us a map with tasks that we can solve to find the place where St. Olav was buried in 1030. Guided tours are available from June to August, you can choose from 4 languages; Norwegian, English, German or French. Since it was an impromptu visit, I have no idea that we need to book a guided tour in advance since our trip is outside the main season. Also, we were not able to climb the tower because it is not summer season yet. 

Anyway, we are still happy to be able to visit Nidaros Cathedral. It is the biggest church in Norway and the world’s northernmost gothic cathedral. This is an important pilgrimage site too. Do you know that this cathedral started as a wooden chapel that was built on the tomb of St. Olav, the Viking King who became the patron saint of Norway? 

Note: You can get a Trondheim City Map at the Visitor Center. 

Our next stop is NTNU Vitenskapmuseet or Trondheim Museum of Natural History, this museum exhibits archaeology, natural history, and cultural history. It is located in the Gunnerushuset building.

Adult 120NOK 

Children 6-16/Students/Seniors (67+) 70NOK 

Family (a group with children and adults (max of 5 people) 325NOK 

Groups (10 people or more) when purchased together 110/60NOK 

Children under 6, students with teachers, individuals assisting people with disabilities, and ICOM, ECSITE, Norges Museumforbund - FREE 

Monday: Closed 

Tuesday to Friday: 10:00 to 16:00 

Saturday to Sunday - 11:00 to 16:00 

The staff gave us a paper to give us an idea of what we can see inside the museum. They have exhibits for Mid-Norway’s Prehistory, Science on the edge of the word, Nature and Environment, The Man in the Well, The Amazing Forest, Wolf, The Ark, and Comb Jellies. 

The staff also informed us that we can visit the Trondheim Medieval Museum located in Suhmhuset, a few minutes walk from the Trondheim Museum of Natural History. We just showed our receipt when we entered the building. 

This museum will give you an idea of how Norwegians lived in Trondheim way back 800 years ago. You can see their house, buildings, vessels, shopping street, archeological objects, and Viking age objects.

It was time for lunch so we went to Trondheim Torg, the largest shopping center in Trondheim. We are Asians so we had lunch at Thai Thai restaurant. It is an all-day buffet restaurant that offers Asian meals. They have different branches in Norway and so far we ate at Orkanger and Trondheim branches, I will blog about this in a separate post. 

After lunch, we continue our walking tour, and just outside the Trondheim Torg, at the center of the city square, you will see the 18meter statue of Olav Tryggvason, it was a sculpture to honor him as the king and founder of the city. It also serves as a gigantic sundial which is calibrated to UTC +1. It is so high that it is hard to take a picture. 

From the statue, you can already see the Stiftsgården or Royal Residence in Trondheim. It was built in 1774 and has 140 rooms that houses royalty and their guests since 1800. This is considered the largest wooden building in Scandinavia. 

From the Royal Residence, you can walk until you reach the end of Munkegata. It is where you can find Ravnkloa, this is Trondheim’s center for trading fish and shellfish. At the square, you can find an amphitheater, Nils Aas sculpture “The Last Viking” and a copy of the old Ravnklo clock. This is also the port if you want to visit Munkholmen. 

Munkholmen is a historic island in the Trondheimsfjord which is popular for excursions in summer. This has been used as a courthouse, fortress, defense facility, monastery, and prison. Unfortunately, it was still closed during our visit so hanggang tingin na lang ako. Hehehe! 

This is a spot where you can see the Bakke Bridge, Gamle Bybro, and the colorful wharves, warehouses, and boathouses lined on both sides of the Nidelva River. The most photogenic area in Trondheim.

Within the area, you can find Vitensenteret or Trondheim Science Center. It is the place for learning Science and Technology. You can experiment with many exciting models and visit Norway’s first and only 3D planetarium. We did not enter this museum anymore and just went to Byhaven Mall. 

Another shopping center in Trondheim, this is where we kill our time while waiting for our next boat trip. Actually, we can explore Trondheim City until evening because the last boat trip is at 21:00 but my son has online classes at midnight so we need to go home before 6PM. We need to rest and sleep. 

Despite the limited time again, we're thankful for blessing us with good weather during our trip.