Day 4: Bergen - The day we killed Christmas

Myra thinks waking up early is better than getting enough sleep. I disagree. We settled on agreeing to get to bed earlier than midnight next time. (Myra: I got enough sleep...)

So we got a bit of a late start on our first day in Bergen (since Mia slept so long), but since we had all agreed not to push ourselves too hard, it didn't really bother us. We went to a grocery store to pick up sausages (hot dogs), eggs, and sweet rolls for breakfast, then returned to the apartment to cook it. We didn't begin sightseeing until around 11. We started at Hâkon's Hall,

where we paid 50 kroner to see three rooms, two if which were filled with tables and chairs and were really boring. The hall itself looked nice, but nothing inspiring (it is used for some ceremonial occasions and concerts). Vastly disappointed, we headed out to explore the grounds. On the way out we passed by Rosenkrantz Tower

and decided to take a peek inside. As soon as I saw the map of the tower, I decided it would be worth the entry fee. We got a 50% discount because of our Hâkon's Hall tickets, so the tower only cost us 25 kroner (roughly $5) and it was absolutely worth it. It was much bigger than the hall and much more authentic. It also had exhibits and signs and doors and staircases. I loved it.

(It had stairs, how could she not?)

After the tower we returned to the apartment so I could change my shoes and Rich could eat lunch. Myra and I weren't hungry, so we just drank water and rested. Here I will make a note on the water - I read before we left that Norway had the best tap water in the world, and the water from our sink in Bergen lives up to that reputation. It tastes a bit like the bottled water from Costco that I like.
-Mia

From Myra:

After that, we did a little shopping, then went to the other side of the inlet to do a walking tour. It wasn't really exciting but it gave us a really good sightsee of Bergen and all its cute little houses and cobblestone streets.

We saw a church (Nykirken),

a witch burning stone,

the National Theater

(with a statue outside that was so ugly it was kept in storage for years -- but the building was pretty),

statues of Ole Bull, the founder of the National Theater,

the West Norway Museum of Applied Art, and lots of cool house areas.
Then we went in search of a restaurant our host said many people recommended, a Thai Norwegian place. In honor of Rich's birthday we had decided to eat out, and since the prices here didn't make us faint in horror (just wince), and it had reindeer, we decided to eat there. Mia got a curry dish, Rich and I each got a soup combo that had the reindeer soup ('we've killed Christmas' says Rich), a beef stew, and chicken soup with saffron.

It was good food, expensive but good, it was also just nice to have a good, warm meal -- especially because it had started raining.
And guess what, it didn't stop.
Ever.
Again.

We went to check out a laundromat for Rich, but the place closed at 6 and since it was 4:30 that wasn't enough time. It doesn't open until 10 tomorrow either so we gave up on that idea. We went back to the apartment for a while, hoping the rain would clear, but it didn't, so at about 7 we decided to go ahead with our planned excursion even so.

The Fløbanen Funicular took about 6 minutes to climb the mountain, then we were at the top where the wind threatened to catch our umbrellas and pull us over the edge of the overlook.

We survived, barely, and set off down the mountain. (There were creatures in the woods.)

It was a nice hike, once we went numb, and we made it back to the apartment mostly alive.

We saw everything on my agenda, so I can call it a successful day, though I sure am happy to be back inside. Bergen is a nice place and it would have been nice to stay a bit longer, but we look forward to the sunny forecast in Denmark.

Hooray to another day of adventures!

-Myra

P.S. from Mia to Dad - We found Joe's Norwegian apartment.

It looks like he kept this one a little cleaner then the one he lived in in SLC. But this one was bigger.