Norway is something else!

Trip Start Jun 29, 2008
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Trip End Nov 27, 2008


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Flag of Norway  , Western Fjords,
Tuesday, August 5, 2008

This is our first trip to Norway, and it hasn't disappointed so far.  Due to some issues with flight changes, Ben and I ended up flying from Paris to Bergen on separate flights, but eventually both arrived safely and found each other at the hotel in Bergen, a quaint little town on the West Coast of Norway.  Other than Oslo, this is the big tourist destination in Norway, as there is easy access to a trip up the fjords and is one end of the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour which runs between Bergen and Oslo via train, bus and boat, and can be done over one long day or you can break the journey.

We were delighted that the weather in Bergen was fabulous - sunny and 27 degrees!  This is because Bergen is know for rain!!  There is a joke that goes:  A tourist asks one of the local children: "Does it ever stop raining here", and the child replies "I haven't seen it happen, but I am only 9".  Obviously that is a little over the top, but Bergen does have an average of 270 rainy days per year.  We headed first to the Fish Market, which is an amazing market where we tried samples of the fantastic salmon, and even the whale - which, to be honest, I don't think tastes that great.  They also had fur shawls for around your shoulders (with the claws of the fox left attached??), as well as floor coverings and other fur objects.  They were furs from lots of different animals - moose, reindeer, even seals (sorry Tera - they even had seal meat on the menu here last night, which naturally I did not eat).

After our visit to the markets, we walked around the town, including past the Bryggen (the wooden warehouse buildings from 1702, on the harbour), and the castle/hall and tower grounds and the main central park.  It was a really attractive small harbour town, with fantastic souvenir shops with viking gear, trolls, animals... we restrained ourselves, but I'm not sure why!  After this, we had a fantastic dinner at Bolgen & Moi - a fancy place with nice views, delightful staff, and great food and wine.  All up, it was a lovely afternoon and evening in Bergen.
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