Our last Norwegian stop of the cruise was in Arendal, Norway. We passed a few small islands on the way into harbor, several of them with pretty little lighthouses.
The main part of town is a bunch of restaurants and the Trinity Church.
I will start off by saying this was likely the least touristy stop, but with that it was the one with the least to do. It was raining pretty much all day, and we had an excursion to visit a prison that has been converted into a hotel. Sounded interesting. The guy who runs the hotel greets you at the door upon arrival, and is dressed the part!
I liked the “Joker” artwork at reception.
This building served as a prison from 1862 until it’s closure in 2020. A local group purchased it and in 2022 it opened as a hotel as well as a tourist attraction. Our guide is one of the owners and was an actual prisoner for a period of time. He talks about the daily life of prisoners and the hardships they faced.
He went into great detail on the issue of solitary confinement and mental health.
The inside of one of the solitary confinement cells, with it’s rudimentary bathroom.
This was the “yard” area, where they would be allowed outside for an hour a day. Doesn’t look all that outside to me. Somebody has added artwork at some point.
This is one of the hotel rooms, #13. This was the room for our tour guide while he was a prisoner, so it’s his favorite! There’s a fully exposed toilet in the corner, which likely makes for some awkward moments for a couple staying here.
One last look at the exterior. I’d say the tour guide droned on quite a bit about how the prisoners were treated, but he was obviously very passionate about this project!
We then walked towards an overlook called the Glass Elevator.
You have to walk through the parking lot tunnel to access the elevator. It looked like a bunch of kindergartners had gone on a painting spree!
The views of Arendal from the top are excellent, with Trinity Church on the right and our ship on the left.
A better view of Trinity Church.
If only it wasn’t so overcast. At least it had stopped raining for a bit!
Here is a shot of the Glass Elevator from below.
We tried to get into Trinity Church but it was closed and appears to be undergoing refurbishment. I told you there wasn’t much to see here!
This statue sits adjacent to the church. The title “Til Minne” means “In Memory” of the locals who lost their lives during WWII.
We spent the rest of the afternoon on the ship, and finished another puzzle that was in the Observation Lounge. Rough life on a cruise! Next up, we visit our ships last destination, Skagen, Denmark, where we have a long bike ride!