Bergen Schmergen

Train travel brings  its own pace and peace. Its the rhythm, the view, the larger seat space... airline travel sucks in comparison. 

The journey from Oslo was full of surprises. No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition... nor the snow capped mountains and semi-freddo rivers en route to Bergen from Oslo. We journeyed for five and a half hours through gorgeous pine and birch filled countryside with water & mountain views a near constant companion.  As we climbed into the pass, the urge to pull on a pair of skis strengthened with every passing kilometre... until I came to my senses. It was freezing out there. 

Purty as a pitcha... Bergen.

Bergen is a picturesque small city nestled amongst the rolling fjordland hills. Tourism and fish are BIG here... as is Viking history. There are museums that tell a rollicking good yarn at times. Not sure the travelling shoe exhibition did it for me earlier today tho'. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants narrative has it all over this one.

I overheard a guide  speaking about the double seated toilet on display. She stated something along the lines of "today we go to a cafe to share news and gossip but back in the 1300s... okay, i'll take it over from here... it was a gossipy chat whilst on the communal crapper that was all the go. 

Tourism... I did make comment today that if ever there was an interest in joining the cruise boat travel scene... I was to remember sharing the port of Bergen with the population of several cruise ships. Shoot me. Shoot me now.
Everything was a problem from not enough English translation in museums to  total ignorance regarding basic elements.. like queueing up or respecting space. 

Anne was slow in taking her seat in the finnicula... and almost sat on the person (from a cruise ship) who slipped in underneath her to claim a seat in the front of the finnicula carriage. Talking about the quick and the dead... I nearly died laughing!

So, the view was worth a seat sneak I guess...! :-)

Not too shabby a view from the top o'the hill.

So, the surprise meal to date has been at the Nine Dragons Chinese Restaurant here in Bergen. After all, there is only so much reindeer one can eat in one trip and it is a few steps away from our apartment. Normally when the menu lists asian meals from most of south east asia, its not a good sign. The Nine D ran counter to that.  The Nine Dragons Special of crumbed scampi  sushi was exceptional. Great presentation and superb taste. 

The ways we have seen written communication occur over the past week has been many and varied. So this runic letter piqued my interest. Written in the 1300s it is apparently a business letter. Given the lack of shelter on the Viking ships... weather or rather water proof letters would be a critical aspect in effective written communication!

"and don't forget to bring home some milk and fish for the kids...?"