Norway Coast and Bergen
We woke up lazily. Most of our day would be spent on board. On our way to breakfast we saw we'd made land. As we dined we made our first of three stops (Bergen being the last, late afternoon).
Our dinner buffet seemed Scandinavian. There were several seafood offerings. However, breakfast was the standard English breakfast of eggs, bacon and sausage, potatoes, and baked beans. However, the coffee was quite strong and definitely Scandinavian, perhaps Gevalia. I'm starting to think that good coffee is the true yardstick of civilisation. Which doesn't say much for England, where the best coffee tends to be had at Starbucks.
After breakfast, we spent a bit of time on deck.
Afterwards we spent some time in the swimming pools and saunas. Then we mostly split up, at least one of us watching Sarah in the play area at all times. I got to wander topside now and then. We could see decent hills inland - nearly mountainous. It was also great to see evergreen trees again. Here are some pictures I got during our voyage.
By late afternoon we were approaching Bergen.
We de-boarded, cleared Customs, and walked a few blocks to our hotel, the Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz. (The Guildernstern is across town, wa wa wa.) Entering the room I saw lots of deep, dark red wood in the flooring and furniture, so I hummed a few bars of "Norwegian Wood".
As we got our first looks at the city, and Norway in general, the nearby mountains and evergreens really reminded me of the Pacific Northwest. That, plus seeing wood-frame construction again, street signs on posts, and a near-grid of streets had me feeling quite at home.
Then we set off to get some dinner, following a recommendation from the Rick Steves guidebook: inexpensive local food in a family-owned restaurant. Along the way I got this picture of the Fish Market, at the end of a channel that cuts through part of the town centre.
Our dinner was fine. It was inexpensive compared to other restaurants, but still quite expensive - like eating at an airport. Dining is quite expensive in Scandinavia so we expect to be getting picnic foods for the most part. But this was our first meal in Scandinavia, if you overlook the shipboard buffet.
I ordered Norwegian sausages. Margo had reindeer with Brussels sprouts and lingenberries. We assured Sarah it wasn't one of the flying kind. Sarah had fish and chips. My sausages didn't look like, well, sausages ... they had the texture of hot dogs and were shaped like hamburger patties with sharper edges. I also enjoyed a Norwegian pear cider, which can be seen in front of a spanking head.
Not only was the restaurant family-owned, it seemed only family were employed there as well. On a Saturday night that grew busier as we watched, to a total of ten tables, there was just one waiter/server/busboy, and one cook. Our waiter grew to be noticeably perspiring, quickly walking from table to kitchen to table in a near-trance of concentration. We were very impressed with his performance and tipped likewise.
On the way back, the sun was setting and I got a few more first pictures of Bergen.
We'll spend most of our day in Bergen tomorrow, before taking a late ferry to Balestrand, so we'll have more Bergen pictures and stories tomorrow, though it may be a few days before we can post them, depending on our wireless access.
Our dinner buffet seemed Scandinavian. There were several seafood offerings. However, breakfast was the standard English breakfast of eggs, bacon and sausage, potatoes, and baked beans. However, the coffee was quite strong and definitely Scandinavian, perhaps Gevalia. I'm starting to think that good coffee is the true yardstick of civilisation. Which doesn't say much for England, where the best coffee tends to be had at Starbucks.
After breakfast, we spent a bit of time on deck.
Afterwards we spent some time in the swimming pools and saunas. Then we mostly split up, at least one of us watching Sarah in the play area at all times. I got to wander topside now and then. We could see decent hills inland - nearly mountainous. It was also great to see evergreen trees again. Here are some pictures I got during our voyage.
By late afternoon we were approaching Bergen.
We de-boarded, cleared Customs, and walked a few blocks to our hotel, the Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz. (The Guildernstern is across town, wa wa wa.) Entering the room I saw lots of deep, dark red wood in the flooring and furniture, so I hummed a few bars of "Norwegian Wood".
As we got our first looks at the city, and Norway in general, the nearby mountains and evergreens really reminded me of the Pacific Northwest. That, plus seeing wood-frame construction again, street signs on posts, and a near-grid of streets had me feeling quite at home.
Then we set off to get some dinner, following a recommendation from the Rick Steves guidebook: inexpensive local food in a family-owned restaurant. Along the way I got this picture of the Fish Market, at the end of a channel that cuts through part of the town centre.
Our dinner was fine. It was inexpensive compared to other restaurants, but still quite expensive - like eating at an airport. Dining is quite expensive in Scandinavia so we expect to be getting picnic foods for the most part. But this was our first meal in Scandinavia, if you overlook the shipboard buffet.
I ordered Norwegian sausages. Margo had reindeer with Brussels sprouts and lingenberries. We assured Sarah it wasn't one of the flying kind. Sarah had fish and chips. My sausages didn't look like, well, sausages ... they had the texture of hot dogs and were shaped like hamburger patties with sharper edges. I also enjoyed a Norwegian pear cider, which can be seen in front of a spanking head.
Not only was the restaurant family-owned, it seemed only family were employed there as well. On a Saturday night that grew busier as we watched, to a total of ten tables, there was just one waiter/server/busboy, and one cook. Our waiter grew to be noticeably perspiring, quickly walking from table to kitchen to table in a near-trance of concentration. We were very impressed with his performance and tipped likewise.
On the way back, the sun was setting and I got a few more first pictures of Bergen.
We'll spend most of our day in Bergen tomorrow, before taking a late ferry to Balestrand, so we'll have more Bergen pictures and stories tomorrow, though it may be a few days before we can post them, depending on our wireless access.
posted by Michael Nelson at 12:01 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home