Travel Diary: Bergen, Norway

Thursday, September 22, 8:09pm:

Well, I hate to say it, but Bergen has turned out to be a bit of a bust. I don't blame the city though. It's exciting, yet quaint, and very appealing to the eye. This city definitely has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the weather has been just awful, which has pretty much shoved its potential in a box. It's also ruined most of my plans - namely, my grandiose fjord adventures.

I suppose I knew all this going into the trip. Before I bought the ticket, I actually expected a lot of rain everywhere I went (it being September and all), but after the beautiful, sunny days in Copenhagen, I guess I just got my hopes up.

9:08 pm:

I have spent the last hour planning the rest of my time in Bergen tomorrow and the beginning of my trip to Stockholm. Something tells me Stockholm might be the highlight of my trip. I hate to put all the rest of my eggs into one basket, but I really do just have a good feeling about it. I do realize, however, that I have neglected to share my experiences in Bergen so far.

So far, my favorite part of this city is Bryggen - the medieval fish market street with rebuilt medieval houses along the water making it a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today, I also went up the funicular to Mount Floien. Beautiful views overlooking Bergen. You can see how the city sits in a fjord between two towering mountains. Even through all the fog and rain, it was a remarkable sight. It reminded me of standing atop Mt. Timpa in Brasov, Romania.

There are houses that sit just perched on top of hills here - almost like in Laguna Beach, but in an obviously completely different environment. At night, looking out the window of my hostel, I can see all the lights on inside the houses. It reminds me of my mother's Christmas village knick-knacks she would decorate the house with during the holidays. It turns out they really do exist!

Wednesday, September 23, 3:30 pm:

Today, I walked around with Anton, a Russian expat musician living and working in Bergen. Anton was kind enough to show me around the outer parts of Bergen. (You know, the parts that require getting on a bus - something most tourists don't dare to do.)

At the bus stop, we waited for a bus for a while. Anton told me that Bergen has just completely reorganized their bus system, so it's pretty much brand new for him as well. We finally found our bus though, and it took us 15 minutes out to the city's outskirts.

We then hiked a bit along the highway and Anton pointed out some student housing to me. Naturally, I asked if there was a university in the area and he told me that, no, there wasn't. Mostly international students live in these dorms and bus in every day to the university in the center of town, he says. Hmmm, so Bergen makes all non-Norwegian students live at the city limits? Very interesting.

After a bit more hiking alongside the road, we enter the forest and all of a sudden, in the middle of nowhere there's a church. But it's not real, it turns out. It's just a model of an old church that was burnt down years ago. I cannot remember the Norwegian translation, but I believe it's Wooden Church in English.

From here, we hiked more downhill, out of the forest, through quaint suburban neighborhoods to a castle along the fjord's inlet. This castle, Gamlehaugen, was used as a summerhouse for Norwegian royalty. It's very beautiful, but not like the castle I saw in Denmark.

5:05 pm:

It rains for 5 minutes, then stops for 5 minutes, then continues this pattern endlessly. This incessant rain is crazier than Seattle. I'm at the end of my trip and to be honest, I'm just ready to move on. I realize that the way I've described my adventures here in Bergen make it seem like I had a miserable time. I absolutely did not. I loved this city. It's just that my expectations for it were way to high.

Well, it's time for me to head out. The only thing more obnoxious than this rain is the American from Colorado staying in my hostel who keeps making conversation with people who obviously don't care. "We've got more elk per capita in Estes Park than any other town, city, or state. They outnumber humans 10 to 1. I'm not lyin'!" That's... super.