Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-09-05

are buried the early Norwegian kings,
but those who have reigned since the
union have been buried in Sweden.
The church was originally erected
as the ecclesiastical headquarters of
the Roman Catholic church In Scan.
dinavia. but after Olaf, the greatest
of the Norwegian kings, was buried
| here it became shrine. His remains
We're placed in "A silver casket upon
the high altar and attracted hosts
| of pilgrims. The St Olaf cult made
Trondhjem the largest and richest
town in northern Norway, and not
only enriched the cathedral but caus
the erection of fourteen other church
es and five monasteries. The import
ance Of the place continued until the
reformation. when it was invaded by
the Protestants. The cathedral was
partially destroyed by fanatics and
adventures, and the reliquary of the
| saint. which was of 225 pounds of
pure silver. was stolen by sacrilegious
hands. Nobody knows what became
of the body of st. Olaf There is n
tradition that few conscientious sol
diers in the Lutheran army rescued it
and buried 1t secretly in the suburbs
OF the city.
The cathedral was neglected for
several hundred years, but since 1869
ii nas been undergoing what il
| called restoration, the money being
furnished by the government, by n
lottery and by private subscription,
at ho
not be completed for century The
material is soapstone or blush sap
| onite, which is easily carved, but the
Norwegians are not skilled in mason
ry. Most of their buildings are OF
wood.
The next place of interest at Trondh-
jem is Mulkholmen, an island in the
Ijord covered with dismantled forti
fications and the ruins of Benedic-
tine monastery that was built in 1923
and has been the scene of many thrill
ing events. In the sagas 1t Is called
"Nidarholm. Here King Olaf had
the head of his murdered antagonist
Earl Haakon, exposed on stake;
here the Danish statesman, Count
Griifenfeldt, was imprisoned for Is
years; here Victor Hugo lays the
scene of his story Han dIslande."
Trondhjem, as | have told you, is
| the starting point for the North Cape.
| and here you make your last prepar-
| ations. There is a good deal of un-
| necessary excitement, for. although
| the cruise is one of the most fascinat-
ing and enjoyable that can be, no es-
pecial preparations are necessary.
You'll need winter clothing after you
pass the arctic circle-one suit of win
ter flannels, a heavy overcoat and an
ordinary travelling rug. That is all
Many persons load themselves up
with furs and wraps and blankets az
If they were starting on an expedi
tion to the north pole. The steamers
are small but comfortable; the captain
and subordinate officers can talk Eng
lish and are polite and attentive. The
first mate acts as purser and the sec
ond mate as chief steward. Both are
thoroughly informed about the inter
esting features of the country, and are
always ready to answer questions and
give information TO the passengers
1t Is customary, too. for she captain
to post on a bulletin board an an
nouncement of the objects to be look
ed for during the day. The guide
books will give you the rest.
You will find among the passengers
representatives of all races. but Amer
leans are always most numerous. At
the dinner table. where everybody Is
prompt and sociable, the chorus of
voices suggests what might have been
heard at the tower of Babel.