Only the Bergen-ing

It seems I've fallen slightly behind.  I put so much energy into creating my Easter egg and the corresponding hint -- which no one seems to have unraveled yet -- I haven't blogged for the past two days.  Bendy, bumpy, eight and 12-hour car rides are not exactly conducive to writing blog posts either.  So here I am sitting in Trondheim and here you are sitting like sheep in the middle of the road with no idea of how I got here.

Bright and early Sunday morning Sigrid and Hogne sent us off with a marvelous farewell breakfast.  We were lucky to be leaving at all, really.  When we went to go pick up our rental vehicle they said they had no record of our reservation.  For some reason I doubt that and think it more likely that they were just saying that to cover up the fact that they had given our reserved vehicle away when we didn't show up at the rental place until an hour after they had officially closed.  Norwegians are always so polite.  If you are or know a Norwegian, you'll know I'm only being half sarcastic.

Despite showing up late, we were lucky enough to get a car.  So after one more cup of coffee and one more cup of tea we left for our long trip to Bergen.  We made it past the first roundabout without incident.  After that, things became much more complicated.  Every turn, every speed limit, every town -- between Patti, my father, and the navigation system that frequently contradicted the directions Sigrid and Hogne gave us, I wonder how we even got out of Akershus fylke (county).  Once we got acquainted with the French car, the Norwegian roads, the navigation directions in German, and the American (my father) at the wheel, it wasn't so bad.

We made it to Bergen in good time.  I think we only had to stop for the bathroom three or four or twenty-seven times.  We didn't stop for anything apart from bathroom and food.  It was cloudy and rainy most of the way there so getting out to sight-see wouldn't have been much fun but even from the car the steep cliffs rising hundreds of feet over us were impressive, made even more impressive by the moon roof stretching from the front of the front seat to the back of the back seat.  One minute we'd be surrounded by trees, the next we'd be in the barren highlands, with only one lonely hytte and the sheep standing in the middle of the road to keep us company.  It was one of the most diverse and most beautiful drives I've ever been on, at least the parts I was awake for.

Once in Bergen we dropped our bags off at the hotel and set off to explore the famous Bergen Brygge.  We poked our noses in some of the shops, had dinner at the fish market, and road up the Fløiban to the observation deck overlooking the city.  It was a fantastic view!  There are only a few other views of cities I've seen that compare to the view of Bergen.  It is an absolute must.

Though Bergen is known for its rainy weather, the only rain that affected us were the ten minutes of rain as we were walking back to our hotel.  To stay dry we ducked into a shop along the waterfront.  When the rain stopped we went back to the hotel to put our feet up and plan our next day in Bergen.

There's no better way to start off the day with a good Norwegian breakfast buffet.  My dad and I went to the Hanseatic Museum where I put a sight and smell to many of the things I learned about in my Norwegian History class, specifically the Hanseatic League that dominated Norway's economy from the 14th to the 17th century.  After that we picked Patti up from the hotel where she had been waiting for her hair to dry and went across the street to two of the oldest buildings in Norway -- Håkons Hall and Rosenkrantz Tower.  The narrow winding passages of Rosenkrantz Tower were like a labyrinth compared to the open rooms of Håkons Hall.  The buildings themselves and the history behind them were fascinating.

Inside Håkons Hall

Håkons Hall (foreground) and Rosenkrantz Tower (background)

From there we jumped several centuries into the future and went on a tour of Troldhaugen -- Edvard Grieg's home, burial site, and museum devoted to his life and music.  Before visiting his grave and exploring his house, we went to a concert of Grieg's lyrical music, performed by a German pianist.  She was very good and the music was excellent.  It was crazy to think that the person who composed the songs we listened to and so many of the songs I've played on piano stood where I stood, walked where I walked, and composed the very notes my fingers have played just a few feet away beyond the barrier of a glass door.  The entire estate overlooks a beautiful fjord filled with islands.  Though I'm sure it has changed much since the time Grieg was composing, I could still hear and see the sounds of Grieg's music all around me -- the quintessence of Norwegian classical music.

Grieg's composing piano in his composing hytte

After riding the tram back into Bergen, we were tired enough to warrant a quick nap at the hotel.  After that we ate dinner at an interesting restaurant that featured an embellished cuisine from the time of Bergen's Hanseatic hay-day.  It was surprisingly filling and very tasty.  The old-building smell was a little off-putting but it was just a part of the experience, I suppose.

When we'd finished our dinner we walked around the city a little more and visited a few more shops.  It was a lot of fun but by the end of the day my feet were very tired and I was almost glad that I'd be spending the entire next day sitting in a car on the way to Trondheim; almost being the key word here.  But that's a story for the next post.  Until then.  Stay tuned.  -NLD

View from Troldhaugen