Molde, Norway: Roses, Romsdalsfjord Views, and Trollstigen's Mountain Road

The Romsdalsmuseet, the regional open-air museum on Bjørnstadneset 2 kilometres from the city center, is one of the better regional collections in western Norway: 40 historic buildings relocated from across the Romsdal district and reassembled in a coastal setting, including farmsteads, a schoolhouse, and traditional wooden town buildings from the nineteenth century. The maritime section covers the history of coastal trade and fishing along the fjord, and the collection of traditional Romsdal boats — the flat-bottomed færing rowboat and the larger seksæring — represents construction techniques that changed very slowly over five centuries. The museum is set in gardens with views of the fjord and the Fannefjord bridge; in summer the rose garden flanking the approach path is typically in flower.

Trollstigen ('Troll's Ladder'), the mountain road climbing 850 metres through 11 hairpin turns up the face of the Romsdal Alps 25 kilometres southeast of Molde, is Norway's most visited mountain road and one of the most technically demanding paved roads in Scandinavia. The road was built between 1916 and 1936 with hand tools and dynamite by workers who were lowered down the cliff face on ropes; the construction is documented at the visitor center at the summit, which opened in 2012 with a cantilevered viewing platform extending over the valley below. The Stigfossen waterfall drops 320 metres alongside the road's upper section; the viewing platform at the top is directly opposite the waterfall at eye level. The road is open only from May to October; access by car or organized tour from Molde takes about 90 minutes each way.

The Atlantic Road (Atlanterhavsveien), 60 kilometres northwest of Molde along the coast, connects a series of small islands via a series of bridges and causeways with no topographic pretense that land and sea are separate — the road crests one bridge, descends to a causeway, rises over the next island, and repeats for 8 kilometres, with the Atlantic Ocean visible on all sides. The most photographed section is the Storseisundbrua bridge, which curves and drops to a vanishing point that appears from the approach to lead directly into the sea. The road is on most lists of the most beautiful drives in the world; it is at its most dramatic in storm conditions, which are not infrequent. The surrounding islands have fishing village infrastructure — cafés, harbors, rental boats — that is accessible from the road.

The Molde International Jazz Festival, held annually in July since 1961, is one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe and has hosted performers from across the spectrum of jazz and related genres since its founding. King Olav V attended every year for decades; the festival has a specific Norwegian royal association that distinguishes it from most jazz gatherings. The festival venues are spread across the city, including outdoor stages on the waterfront. For a cruise call that coincides with the festival (typically mid-July), the combination of the music, the fjord setting, and the summer light (which barely darkens in July this far north) is unusual.