– I have been all the way back home and worked at the tourist information office in the city, both sometimes and during holidays, she says.
She was also there for many years, before studies led her to London and a master’s in international politics. Then the trip went to Germany.
– I have always dreamed of living in Berlin, which is why I moved there when I got the opportunity for an internship there, she says.
Then what often happens happened: She met a man, fell in love, and accompanied him home to Munich, where he comes from.
– Being Norwegian in Germany is really brilliant, and I have actually used it as an ice-breaker. Because if you tell a German that you are Norwegian, the feedback is mostly that they love Norway, have either been here, or have a terrible desire to go here, says Linn.
Married in Ålesund
But when the couple got married a few years ago, the wedding took place in Ålesund.
– We had an absolutely fantastic day and a memory for life, up there at Fjellstua in August 2021, recalls Linn.
Linn Giske Friedl and Florian Friedl, married at Fjellstua in beautiful summer weather in 2021.
Photo: Kerek Photo
In Munich, Linn worked as a project manager in the course and conference market.
– A varied and exciting job, where you meet many different people. A job I simply really enjoyed. But when this job appeared in Ålesund, I never really had any doubts that I should apply, she says.
On 20 December last year, she was offered the job as general manager of the Ålesund Cruise Network, and did not take very long to adjust to the fact that she was going back to Ålesund.
Back to Ålesund
On 1 April, she started her new job, and last Friday she bought a house for herself, her husband and their common son, on Ellingsøya.
– I probably have quite a lot of trust in my husband, because he is still in Germany and has only seen the house in pictures and on Facetime, says Linn.
Florian Friedl is still in Munich, where he is about to finish his job in data security. But in July he too will move into the house on Ellingsøya with Linn and his son.
General manager of the Ålesund & Sunnmøre cruise network
– After all, I had worked in this system for many years before, and knew what a fantastic foundation the people who are, and have been in the organization in the past, have laid. There are not a few hours I have spent on the quay, wearing a thermal suit, together with Bente Saxon, among others, says Linn.
And she praises the work Bente and many others have done, over many years, to build Ålesund into the largest cruise destination in Norway.
– There are probably many people who should take credit for this, but I probably have to admit that both Bente and my predecessor Monic Berstad just have to settle for being role models and good role models for me in my new job, says a new and humble cruise manager.
Ålesund to top job in Norwegian cruise industry
The whole of Sunnmøre
– Don’t forget to mention that it’s not just Ålesund, but the whole of Sunnmøre that I work for. Because the cooperation between the various cruise destinations in our area is a very important success factor, explains Linn.
The various destinations on Sunnmøre have different qualities to offer, but largely the same weather. So now that the cruise season has been extended at both ends and the likelihood of cold and muggy sunny weather is greater, are the tourists as excited?
– Of course, it was not quite optimal last Wednesday, when we had snow so close that at times we could hardly see Fjellstua from the quay, and two large cruise ships in Ålesund at the same time. But the range of activities has gradually become so good that the tourists were still happy and satisfied. So I think that the cafe drivers in Ålesund must have been reasonably happy with the day in any case, concludes Linn Giske Friedl.
And last Wednesday, as the ships left Ålesund, it cleared up and they could sail out with a bit of blue sky on a mirror-bright fjord.
