Departing Bergen

Ready now to get to the fjords and the mountains. It's a beautiful summer morning in Bergen. Warm with sun and passing clouds. Enjoyed the brief acclimation period after jetting over. The Rica Hotel was not luxurious but was fine for my purposes. And, the big breakfast that was included was much appreciated, after the sticker shock of trying to find sustenance yesterday. I settled on fish pie and a local soft drink (see below) at The Penguin, for $32. It was really delicious, and I even ate the carrot side dish . . . you know I must've been pretty hungry!

I didn't really learn about Bergen's history. Guess I can backfill my knowledge deficit if I decide to, but modern Bergen seemed like a busy port and touristy down by the wharves where a flotilla of tall ships were gathered for a race this weekend. I'm not clear if they raced to get to Bergen or will be racing once they leave Bergen, but they were all moored to be admired while I was there.

This morning there were three large cruise ships that had joined the tall ships some time during the night. One thing I was a bit surpised by was the prevalence of graffiti. It's not quite as in-your-face large scale as back home can be, and, like Philly, they seem to have allowed/encouraged some art graffiti.

I did learn that Bergen has a population north of a quarter million. And, I wandered through some in-city neighborhoods that seemed like places I might choose to live. 

It appears that Bergen is also the regional cultural capital. I saw some museums, a theater or two, etc. But it's the upcoming popular cultural events that caught my attention. Wish I could be back in Bergen next Friday . . . and if only I'd extended my stay through Monday I could finally have seen Steel Panther live!

Did not do any souvenir shopping. Though I was tempted by The Moose Shop!

Trolls seem to be a big thing in Norway. I will have to find out more about why.

And, to conclude the Bergen portion of the journey, here are a couple of landscape shots.

Rain? Seriously?!

Have arrived in Bergen by the Sea . . . the North Sea, that is. And, while the unreal heat (101 in Oslo this week) has abated, it's as humid as any summer day in Boston. Sitting in the lobby of what will be my hotel for this first night, waiting for rooms to be ready, I am watching it rain. Hoping this is not a preview for the coming week.

Flying in, the rocky islands reminded me of Maine. They seemed very wind and wave scarred. Bergen itself is tucked in between hills and surrounded by bays. Guess I'll grab my umbrella and go explore! Though, weirdly, the country is on alert for a potential terrorist attack. Every paper has the story on its front page.

Fortunately, I did not see anyone with a machine gun when I deplaned. Hopefully, Bergen is far down any target list. Hopefully, there isn't a target list.

Okay, the radio station that's playing in the lobby is now featuring "Beat It" by MJ. Time to get out of here!