Landing in lush, cool, misty Bergen was quite a shock coming from the sun-drenched Croatian coast. Another shock was paying 72 kronors for the airport bus into the city.
My host Line lived with her family in a house on the water with breathtaking views. This was taken at approximately 3am, about as dark as it gets on these long summer days.
I even got to stay in my own sub-unit, adorably furnished.
Line's mom was an artist, and the whole house was decorated with her work from paintings to pottery.
Dinner out on the patio.
Norwegian girls wear black.
We spent a day at the family's country house on a secluded island 45 minutes from Bergen. Line's little sister and her friends swam and played in the water. We rowed out to a neighboring island and picked wild blueberries, visited with the sheep and goats, and went fishing.
We caught one! I'm glad I wasn't the one gutting.
Here she is holding her older sister's six-week-old baby. The father is from Virginia (that Lutheran connection). Rustic-looking, eh? They built it all from scratch, as Norwegians tend to do.
Next day I went on the 'Norway in a Nutshell' tour. Looking down at the valley from our luxury coach.
How verdant are the mountains!
The fjord cruise was scenic and impressive though the Japanese tourists tended to hog the best picture-taking spots for the entirety of the ride.
These little road-inaccessible communities along the fjord must be tired of the camera-snapping creatures that float by all summer long.
The Flåm railway was a disappointment. It was billed as a feat of engineering due to the steepness and varied terrain and promised incredible scenery, but in reality it was slow and tunneled with obscured views. At one point we stopped here and were treated to a three-minute Tolkein-reminiscent choregraphed song and dance by performers on little platforms around the waterfall.
My second host was a German girl named Marika, a bit tomboyish, working as a tour guide. Here she introduces me to the wonderful cherry tree on her street, laden with sweet, delicious fruit.
Cute houses in the neighborhood.
An amazing quilt stitched together from her own used clothing.
We walked up many a hill in search of a more complete view of the city.
Fish market near Old Bryggen.
A lovely dinner we cooked with a flatmate and a friend.
Munch munch :)
I went back on my last day in Bergen while Marika was working. How I wished I could reach, but all the low branches had been picked clean. Where's a tall friend when you need one!
My host Line lived with her family in a house on the water with breathtaking views. This was taken at approximately 3am, about as dark as it gets on these long summer days.
I even got to stay in my own sub-unit, adorably furnished.
Line's mom was an artist, and the whole house was decorated with her work from paintings to pottery.
Dinner out on the patio.
Norwegian girls wear black.
We spent a day at the family's country house on a secluded island 45 minutes from Bergen. Line's little sister and her friends swam and played in the water. We rowed out to a neighboring island and picked wild blueberries, visited with the sheep and goats, and went fishing.
We caught one! I'm glad I wasn't the one gutting.
Here she is holding her older sister's six-week-old baby. The father is from Virginia (that Lutheran connection). Rustic-looking, eh? They built it all from scratch, as Norwegians tend to do.
Next day I went on the 'Norway in a Nutshell' tour. Looking down at the valley from our luxury coach.
How verdant are the mountains!
The fjord cruise was scenic and impressive though the Japanese tourists tended to hog the best picture-taking spots for the entirety of the ride.
These little road-inaccessible communities along the fjord must be tired of the camera-snapping creatures that float by all summer long.
The Flåm railway was a disappointment. It was billed as a feat of engineering due to the steepness and varied terrain and promised incredible scenery, but in reality it was slow and tunneled with obscured views. At one point we stopped here and were treated to a three-minute Tolkein-reminiscent choregraphed song and dance by performers on little platforms around the waterfall.
My second host was a German girl named Marika, a bit tomboyish, working as a tour guide. Here she introduces me to the wonderful cherry tree on her street, laden with sweet, delicious fruit.
Cute houses in the neighborhood.
An amazing quilt stitched together from her own used clothing.
We walked up many a hill in search of a more complete view of the city.
Fish market near Old Bryggen.
A lovely dinner we cooked with a flatmate and a friend.
Munch munch :)
I went back on my last day in Bergen while Marika was working. How I wished I could reach, but all the low branches had been picked clean. Where's a tall friend when you need one!
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