Day trip to Tautra

In the Trondheim fjord there is an island with the name Tautra. I have been there several times by car, there is a molo out to the island built some years ago. Today was the first time I went there by boat. Went there with my colleagues at work, 16 all in all. We went with the ship MS Willie Wilhelmsen from 1939.

As summer is fading here in Trondheim, and autumn is coming fast, we were all quite anxious about the weather. A boat trip can be two different things in rain and wind or in a sunny summer's day. We woke up to the latter though. Very good temperatues for the season, and a beautiful, sunny day.

The trip to Tautra took about two hours, two hours spent together with good friends, drinking coffee, eating a light breakfast, singing and talking. Everything out on deck. And soon enough Tautra was in sight.

On the island we first walked to a  Cictersiencer monastery situated there. The monastery have 8 nuns for the moment, and they have been at Tautra since 1999. They now live in a few old farm houses, but this spring they started the process of building a new monastery which will be finished next summer - with the help of God.

The photo, which I took from the boat shows the farm where the monastery is today, the new church and other buildings will be built to the right of this - with a wonderful view of the sea. The nun who showed us around told us that all nuns living there love the sea so much, the new refectorium will be built in such a way that they all can be seated on the same side of a long table with a view of their beloved sea :-)

The nuns at Tautra make herb soap for their living, and this soap is so popular here in Trondheim they have problems producing enough. I have used it for some time, and now  can think of no other soap I want to use instead.

We took part in one of the prayers at the monastery, and also had time to walk around enjoying the beautiful autumn nature.

After our time with the nuns it was time for lunch and we walked over to the other part of the island and Klostergården. The lunch was indoors, herb marinated salmon and local vegetables, and after the meal I had coffee and dessert out in the courtyard with one of my colleagus.

On our way home we had an adventurous experience, the ship was borded, both by some nuns we had never seen before don't tell anybody but I think they were a bit crazy! And by pirates - ha, even the Trondheim fjord is never safe :-)