In the Footsteps of Olaf the Bloody, Trondheim, Trondheim, Norway

She is walking briskly. Past the old bridge, along the back side of the colourful wooden warehouses on stilts, towards the train station. It is Sunday afternoon, last day of the Norwegian holidays and the train to Oslo will depart soon. She is carrying a sturdy pair of hiking boots, a 40-litre backpack, and wearing a large smile between satisfaction and serenity. Her face is bright red after days spent in the outdoors. Like her, every year, many complete the Saint Olaf pilgrimage to Trondheim, and even more so during the Saint Olaf festival taking place around July 29, the Saint’s day. To get the official stamp, walking 100 kilometres along the millennium-old hiking path is required. However, many cover much more, and often the 640 kilometres (400 miles) between Oslo and Norway’s third city.

Funnily enough, most pilgrims, while in Trondheim, fail to actually visit the holiest point in Norway and the cradle of the country that has been excavated only recently. Walk in the footsteps of the founder of Norway and let Saint Olaf, the Viking chief who Christianized and united Norway into one kingdom, be your guide in Trondheim and its beautiful surrounding region of Trøndelag… ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).