Strand Hotel - Rica Partner Bergen

... on the fjord so I had to go to the tourist office and wouldn't you figure it, that feral old man was there so I had to hide behind the booths until he left. Phew! It was close, I almost walked right into him. I also saw him outside while I was on the bust to Ulriken but thankfully didn't see me. The place is too small for the both of us. I met this lovely ...

... are probably a little hazy-looking. We'll let you be the judge. For the way home, we opted to walk the way down and see some of the neighborhoods. It was about 1.8 kilometers and it was fun walk. Nick got adventurous and wanted us to take a "short-cut." Needless to say, it was delay but there was a certain cool-factor associated with it. Had we all been wearing mountain boots (instead of flip-flops), it would have been great. <br>

... a limb is a miracle. I was in agony too, convinced I would have to abandon the hike or Frank would want to quit once we reached the bottom. At the base however, there was some elation that we had almost surely got over the worst part and although in pain, Floyen couldn't be as bad and we would give it one last big push! <br> Ascending Floyen was a joy compared to the other mountains thanks to a well surfaced tarmac road that became a equally ...

... on your left. They claim they are still in boxes, (and there are a couple) but it's already beautifully decorated and put together. As you continue in the house opens up into a beautiful dining room and living room. To the right is their office and to the left is their bedroom. Nancy gave me a tour of their room, and they really set that up well. A beautiful master suite with a large bathroom. (And a claw foot tub, Mom, I know you love that!) When you continue in past the staircase ...

... No joke) We could see all the people running as fast as they could to reach safety. Luckily, the falling ice was on the other side of the glacier and no one was hurt. We did think it was funny though, to see all the people running like little ants. After our hike back to the bus, we had a short ride to the town of Loen, where we checked into a hotel for the night. At the hotel we ate at a restaurant, which had buffet tables that looked like they were ...

Hello everyone! We arrived in Norway today. We docked in to Bergen around 0800. (Yes, we use military time on the ship and they use it here as well.) Bergen is fantastic! It is a really neat town. They have a really cool fish market about a 10 minute walk from our ship. I tried whale meat there! It is not illegal to kill whales here, so I tried it at the ...

... to run with a big backpack on your back and an ice-cream in one hand is no easy feat and needless to say the doors closed just as i was about to step on. Thankfully some helpful Swedish guy seeing my plight managed to open the doors from the inside of the tram and i got on, ice-cream, backpack and dignity intact. The driver of the tram was completely enclosed in glass and there were no slots for me to ask about the tickets but again the Swedish guy came to my aide by explaining ...

... tells me he's a psychologist. and as we are talking he says that it is important for everyone to know their history and where the come from because otherwise they are not able to settle down and successfully raise families, etc. something to that affect...and of course he has me in tears by this point as it is hitting home a bit to much for me. and had said just before this that i am not interested in finding out what the story is with them as i have a ...

... I expected to see a vast row of wooden houses directly at the waterfront, instead I found just a half dozen of them behind a bus stop and a small car park.... As expected, the appartment in which we were supposed to stay was pretty much on a hill, and at some points the streets were so steep that I reckon cars parking there would have their brakes used up pretty fast. I ...

... to catch up with him, reminisce about home, discuss the challenges we've had with the Norwegian education system and making friends (guess it happens in Bergen too!), and give each other some American company. He is going through the same kind of things that we are, and he summed up how I feel: "So I'm here in Norway, and it's great and all, but I have a partner who isn't here to share this with me, I miss my family, I miss the life I left behind. I'm glad that I'm here, but ...