I wasn’t sure that I could like Gaslight Anthem any more than I already did. Then they went and did a solid Replacements cover.

As someone who had previously never been overseas, I can’t imagine a better way to expose myself to the outside world. The weather was beautiful, Norway was everything I never could’ve expected, and we had a great time from start to finish. From Oslo to Finse to Bergen to Voss to Flåm to Gundvagen and back to Bergen, our expectations were more than met at every point. The people were accommodating and inviting, especially in Bergen. I’m very sad to be leaving.

But, all journeys must come to an end, as they say (whoever “they” are).

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the things that I’ve learned in my first trip:

1) people don’t move out of your way on the sidewalk. It doesn’t matter if they’re walking four-abreast and it’s narrow, they will not move for you.

2) when you go out to eat, ask for your check. If you don’t, you’ll be stuck there forever. Also, if there is no one at the front to seat you, just sit down and flag down a server at the first chance.

3) if you even remotely look like a local, state that you don’t speak the language immediately, or face a long string of words you don’t understand followed by a perturbed look when you say, “In english, please.”

4) no matter where you are, Europeans love their soccer…sorry, football. Tonight, the local Bergen football (soccer) club had a very important away game. It was simulcast on an 60 foot (20 meter) screen in the main square just outside of the city centre. There were easily 10,000 to 15,000 people there, if not more. they blocked two main streets and when their club scored a goal, fireworks were set off and the roar was deafening. These people LOVE their football.

5) if you plan on smoking pot, don’t do it in Norway. Amsterdam this isn’t. Two nights ago, the “popular” Brit singer Amy Winehouse was in town and was busted with a 1/4 ounce of marijuana, sent to jail for the night and had to pay an 800 kroner fine (about 175 dollars). The kicker is, she was busted in the university district by someone calling the police on her for smoking. In the university district! I thought college kids were supposed to be all crazy and stuff…oh well, if someone had to end up in jail, I’m more than glad it was her. Maybe it’s time she actually went to rehab…

I was going to get to a recap of our trip on the Flåm railway, but I’m using a public-access computer right now and there are people waiting for me to finish. I guess I’ll have to cheat and post it state-side. I hope none of you hold it against me. If you want an idea of how cool the railway was, check the pictures on our Flickr account by clicking on the photos to the right.

We knew there was a sporting event today, judging by all the people walking around in team uniforms, but we assumed it was still part of the rugby world cup. It was actually an inter-country soccer match during tournament season.  Bergen just recently got a team and were doing very well as a start up. As we got to the square it just got louder and louder. We decided we wanted to enter the fray for a bit to get the true “experience”.

There had to be at least 10,000 people there, watching a 50 ft jumbrtron. It was nuts, and as soon as Bergen scored, it was really nuts. Fireworks, flags and fares sailed through the sky as the crowd erupted in cheers. I know Nebraskans love their football and all, but I can’t say I have seen anything quite like this.

After a few more minutes of experiencing “European football” we went to look for dinner. We passed by a place Nate had suggested the night we ended up going to Soho. I still thought it looked touristy (as I had told him the other night) , but the bar side was packed with football fans and the dinner menu looked good. I had a steak with creamed potatoes and a chocolate cake slice with raspberry sauce for desert. Nate had a traditional Norwegian fish dish that was also apparently delicious. He had the home made applecake for dessert.

We then went to the bar in our hotel, which, in any other circumstances may sound lame, but the bar in our hotel was in a wine cellar that dates back over 400 years. The bar is made of cement with backlit glass stones and the cellar area had wooden beams and really spectacular blown glass lights- I took some pictures and will post them as soon as I can get wi-fi again.

So all in all it was a great end to a wonderful trip- our only regret is not coming sooner.

We have taken that lesson to heart and are actively planning our next trip- now we just have to hope the dollar recovers soon!

We arrived and the theater was packed. I was really excited to see the movie, the only problem was, we couldn’t hear it. The sound was messed up and we only heard one on the people interviewed in the first 10 minutes. The lights came up and a guy next to use translated that ” They were working on the problem and it would only be a few minutes.” The lights dimmed again. Still nothing.

We were given vouchers and faced with a delima- go see the other showing on Friday (Day 3) and risk the weather not being as nice, or take our Norway in a Nutshell Tour and see the fjords on the better weather day. It was a tough choice since as I mentioned an earlier post, the weather people here are about as spot on as they are in the states.

Not wanting to temp fate and hoping they would reschedule the movie, we decided on day to do the Norway in a Nutshell tour. ( I found out today that the DVD will be released on Nov. 6 so we pre-ordered it)

Since we had plenty of time and hadn’t had dinner we decided to go to this place we had seen near the theater. We had see it advertised on our tourist map and was named “Soho” so we were a little weary, but we had see someone eating Sushi in the bar menu that looked good and the menu sounded delicious.

I was going for the safety meal with lamb. The waiter kindly informed me that they had just changed their menu and they did not have the lamb yet. That was ok, I was kinda tired of eating cute little wooley creatures. Next he suggested the venison or french dove. Not wanting to Ozzy-esk I opted to stay away from the dove. Although when they say venison- or deer meat, I am not sure if that doesn’t mean reindeer- which they eat a lot of here.

I may have eaten Rudolph.  And he was delicious.

Nate opted to try the seafood scene and got sushi. They served him this special soy blend that they make fresh at the restaurant.  He said it was some of the best he has ever had.  We finished the meal with the most decadent chocolate flombant served with homemade raspberry sorbet. It was the best meal we’ve had all trip.

Bergen Day 3- Norway in a Nutshell- Bergen Train Line, Flåm RR, Ausfjord Boat Ride and Bus Tour.

Wow. There are not enough words to describe our day.

The weather started out sunny and after we took the train to Mydral ( The same line we took in from Oslo) We got off to go on the Flambana or Flåm Railroad.

We had a 45 minute layover in Mydral so we went exploring. There were a couple of rental cabins and a closed B&B and that was it. We were in a valley surrounded by snow tipped peaks, and a fjord in the distance. Gorgeous.

We started on the train and saw a lake with a snow capped peak. The train then slowed and we stopped off at what would be the first of many waterfalls.

The train ride was nice and went through 20 tunnels (which is how you miss so much scenery!) and through some isolated, yet quaint little towns. The 50 minute train ride was worth it, but Nate and I both wished we had more time as there are trails to hike all the way down.

The sun that was shining on us disappeared as we arrived in Flåm (a tourist trap if I have ever see one)

Nate and I walked around a bit and then split a lunch of Norwegian Meatballs and creamed peas. A nice warm lunch hit the spot especially since we had a cold fjord ride in the Ausfjord ahead of us.

We got on the ferry and found some seats outside. It was probably 40 degrees or so out, but we were determined to make it through the two our fjord cruise outside. Aside from Nate borrowing my second set of gloves and a hot chocolate and lefsa break, we made it.

As we pulled out the the fjord it was cloudy, but still beautiful. Some of the fall colors were still around and yellow trees darted out from the gray landscape and reflected themselves in the cool agate green waters. There were waterfalls abound, cascading down large bluffs and diving straight into the fjord.

The landscape was very carved and dramatic. Parts of it reminded us both of the Columbia River Gorge back home in Oregon.

Once we took the bend in the fjord, the sun started to peak out. We got some fabulous pictures of the foliage,  waterfalls and general fjords. There are tons of photos on our fliker account. (So many that I can’t add anymore photos to the account, so there will be no photos from today on there. )

We then took a bus ride through small towns that dotted the landscape. We then arrived in Voss and hung out in the train depot until our train arrived for our hour train ride back.

We grabbed some McDonalds and went back to the hotel. It was a busy 12 hour day, but well worth it.

Day 4 Bergen

After staying up late posting photos ( we caved and paid the 100k or $20 for wi-fi) and watching crappy American movies with Norwegian subtitles ( Hackers and Transformers) we decided to sleep in for our last full day.

After waking up at nine thirty and having the same breakfast for the ninth day we went out to do some last-day shopping and to use our free movie voucher at the BIFF. Since we had money left I went back to my favorite store and got a really cool shirt I had my eye on.

We then went back to the Opera Cafe were we had previously had  a good and inexpensive lunch on Thursday (Day 2) We shared the grilled ham and cheese panini I had previously had along with th famous Opera Chicken Soup that was only served on Saturdays. Although cloudy, the weather was decent so we sat outside and enjoyed a nice meal.

We then went to see Colour Me Free, a documentary about democratic revolutions in the post-soviet era bloc nations. It focused mainly on the Belarussian elections of 2006. It was scary to see the true face of  tyrrany. As much as there are things I do not like about the US, it made me thankful to live there.

Speaking of the US, with happy and a bit heavy hearts, we leave Norway tomorrow. We are back at the hotel packing our stuff and then plan to have a nice dinner and a few drinks to toast to our wonderful trip.

Then its up in the morning for one last breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast- oh and 24 straight hours of travel. YEAH!

I may be able to post in a airport, but if not I will do a recap post sometime early next week in the states.

In case anyone doesn’t remember or never knew, Bjorn Borg was a Swedish tennis star in the 70′s and 80′s. Now, he has his own line of “sexy underwear” and, apparently, hotel body and hair wash.

So, for the past three days, after showering with Bjorn Borg Brand body wash, I apparently smell like this:

Well, it’s our last full day in Norway. It’s been quite the trip. We’ve had wonderful weather for most of it, with barely a hint of rain on any of the days we’ve been here, which is pretty amazing, considering that in Bergen, it rains 260 days of the year.

The norse gods are smiling on us. I can’t remember which one is supposed to control the weather…Odin? Thor? Loki?

Anyway, we’ve had a great time. It’s been hard to post the past few days in Bergen, because we have no free internet in our room and the city seems to have no internet cafes or free wi-fi anywhere. We even went up and wandered around the university with my laptop in tow and my iPhone out, checking for open wi-fi networks to leech off of. It was to no avail. For everything else that is great about this city; the atmosphere, the scenery, the people, the history – they seem to have forgotten that people might want to surf the web now and again.

Since it’s been a few days since I’ve posted about ou travels, let’s catch up a bit, shall we?

As Sara mentioned, our train ride to Bergen included a slight layover in the quaint village of Finse. Actually, village is a bit of a stretch. What’s smaller than a village? I have no idea…ummm, well, whatever’s smaller than a village, Finse was that. It was a collection of about a dozen buildings, half of them pertaining to the railroad or the two lodges that sat on the shore of the lake, and that’s about it. We got off because, on the map, it looked like a neat place to stop.

It’s the highest train station on the Bergen Railway, at 1222 meters above sea level. This means that it was cold as the dickens there and that, just our luck, the wind was blowing hard and it was snowing. Oh yeah, and it was foggy, so we couldn’t really see much of the supposedly beautiful surroundings, aside from the lake and the rocky mountainside opposite the train tracks.

We headed into the lodge right off the tracks, hoping to find a small cafe or at least something to occupy our time whilst in Finse. No such luck, the gal at the front desk informed us that the cafe was closed for the season and that the other lodge was closed entirely. Wonderful.

So, what does one do for two hours in Finse, Norway? Surf the web using the free wi-fi that was provided by the lodge while sitting alone in the next-door train depot. Yeah, we had free, fast wi-fi in  Finse, of all places, but we can’t find any here in the bustling city of Bergen. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fun time and something we’ll always remember, being stranded in Finse, but we weren’t too broken up when the next train pulled into the station and we continued on to Bergen.

The scenery on the train ride certainly didn’t dissapoint. Norwegian countryside is breathtaking all along the line, as you ascend into the mountains, the farmland gives way to rugged, imposing peaks and picturesque valleys and finally to the western fjords.

Our train arrived in Bergen around 6pm and we immediately trekked to our hotel, got situated and changed and headed down to the restaurant for Sara’s birthday dinner. The restuarant and bar in the basement of the hotel are the oldest parts of the building, dating back over 400 years. They represent the oldest continuously operating tavern in Bergen.

The meal was top-notch. Sara had lamb and I had duck and they were both excellent, even if the service was lacking. One thing we’ve noticed since we got to Norway is that you need to ask for your check immediately after you’re done with your meal. If you don’t, the waiter/waitress will not check back with you until you flag them down. By this time, we had only been to establishments that were bustling, but this restaurant was nearly empty, and we still waited almost 40 minutes for the waitress to come back before Sara went and tracked her down. The next night, we went out to another restaurant, which had the best venison I’ve ever tasted and some really top-notch sushi and basically closed the place down, because our waiter, who had been excellent, dissapeared after we finished eating.

We’re not sure if this is just a Norwegian thing or if it extends to all of Europe (Meg, if you have any insight, give me a hand here), but just be warned that if you have no intention of staying any longer, latch onto your server as they’re clearing away your plates, otherwise, you might be stuck there for a long, long time.

The next day, we headed out early to explore what Bergen had to offer. The sun poked through the clouds and broke upon the city, so we made a bee-line to the Floibanen, a cable-car that takes you from the city centre to an overlook with a beautiful view of the whole city. We were very lucky to have such wonderful weather. We then walked down the Bryggen to the city’s old fortress, which houses the Håkonshallen, an old church and the remains of a castle.

For the rest of the day, we wandered around the city, taking in the feel of the place. Like Sara said, it’s Seattle’s sister city, and it certainly felt like it. It is very open and inviting, even in the shopping centers.

We had heard that the Bergen International Film Festival was going on while we were in town, so we decided to check it out. As she mentioned in her post, we found a film that she really wanted to see and bought tickets. While we were at the theater, we saw the shirt that the crew for the festival were wearing and asked if it would be possible to buy some for ourselves. We were pointed in the direction of the main tent of operations, but told that they were for staff only. We decided to ask if we could get some anyway. It was worth a shot.

I walked up to the gal that I had been told was running the show and asked her if we could purchase a couple of shirts. We were only in town for a few days, I said, and were really excited to see the film festival, which was true. After thinking about it for a second, she agreed to let us have one each. They had too many Larges anyway, she said. We walked up to the folks handing out shirts to the volunteers and told them that we had been given permission to snag a couple of t-shirts. “How much did she say you should pay for them?” they asked. The gal in charge looked over and said, “Free. They can just have them.”

 Surprised and extatic, we darted out of the tent with our free official Bergen International Film Festival T-Shirts, a couple of great souvenirs of our time in Bergen.

That’s probably enough for now. We have new pictures up from our days in Bergen and our trip on the Flåm railway and down the Aurlandsfjord. I’ll post about that leg of our trip and our last day in Bergen later.

We started the day hoping to catch the sun and go up the Floibanien or cable car. It was suppsed to be raining the second part of the day and since Bergen gets even more rain than Seattle – over 250 days a year – we did not want to risk it. ( It ended up being mostly sunny all day- apparently the weathermen here are just as bad as they are in the states)

The morning was partly cloudy and in between sunbursts we got some great panoramic shots over the city. I’d attach some, but since we struck out today trying to find wi-fi I can’t. If we cannot find wi-fi we may splurge Saturday so keep checking. ( Saturday Oct 20 Added Photos )

We then went to another castle that dated back to the 1000′s. There was a beautiful cathedral from the 1200s and many other outbuilings that varied in age. Since it is right off the main fjord it was used as a German naval station during WWII.

We then took a ferry across the fjord. It was a tiny little boat that has been running for over 100 years.

On our stop back at our hotel we decided to look up movies that are showing at the Bergen film festival that happens to be going on. We decided to go see a film which is showing tonight at 8pm (It’s 6;30 right now.) Helvetica- “Thrilling documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture.” It is the directoral debut of the person who did the Wilco (the band) documentary I am Trying to Break Your Heart. Apparently the film sold-out at the SxSW Music Fest.

We decided to go up to the theater to get tickets and maybe a souvenir tee-shirt. We got our tickets, but struck out on the shirts. We asked the gal at the ticket office and she said tee shirts were for volunteers, but we could go talk to the organizer in the tent a couple blocks away.

We stopped in and just missed her, so we stopped and had a bite at the cafe across the street. We returned after lunch and Nate kindly asked if we could buy two tee shirts. She said the were running low on S, M , and XL, but we could have larges. We went to the tee-shirt table and the volunteers asked her how much and she told them free. Nate and I couldn’t beleive it! And while Nate needed to stretch his a bit and mine needs a good long spell in a hot dryer, they are the coolest souvenirs we could ask for. Plus they say CREW on the back. How cool is that?

We then walked around were I explored the shops I found I could not afford. We went up to the university and walked around town. We are back at the hotel having more free waffles before we head out for the movie.

Tomorrow we plan on going on the Norway in a Nutshell tour that takes us to the fjords and the famous Flåm Railroad. We’ll keep you posted.

The sheer size of the two Oslos aside (Oslo, Norway-500,000 \ Oslo, MN-368), they’re actually quite similar.

They both have historical centers: Oslo, Norway has it’s many museums and historical landmarks, such as the Akershus and the Royal Palace and such. Oslo, MN has the Oslo Museum and the old high school, which is now a former furniture store.

They both have places where the powerful and important in the community meet to discuss the issues of the day: Oslo, Norway has the Stortinget (house of parliment), while Oslo, MN has the Community Center and the American Legion Hall.

They both have city parks: Oslo, Norway has the Vigeland Sculpture Garden and Oslo, MN has the Oslo City Park.

Both have waterfronts: Oslo, Norway has the Oslofjord and Oslo, MN has the boat ramp to the Red River.

Both have vibrant shopping centers: Oslo, NOrway has Karl Johan’s Gate, with it’s multitude of shops and cafes. Oslo, MN has Rustads Grocery.

So, you see, Kate, the two are very similar. A few hundred thousand people and about 900 years of history different, sure, but they’re basically sister cities.

Oh, and here’s another little tidbit that actually makes Oslo, MN superior; The city of Oslo, Norway, from the early 1800′s until 1922, was  known as Kristiania. The city of Oslo, MN was incorporated around the turn of the century. So, technically speaking, Oslo, MN has had it’s name longer than Oslo, Norway – in the 20th century, at least.

When we arrived there was a waffle bar for pre-dinner. We decided that was the closest I was going to get to a birthday cake so we went ahead and indulged.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant which is very nice.

The hotel is very artsy with a really interesting chandelier in the lobby, and one in our room.

Our room is very nice- it even has a couch- although somehow we have two twin beds pushed together. We feel like Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore.

We just got done with breakfast- that seems standard everywhere. No photos yet today. It is 100k ( 20 dollars ) to have wi-fi and there is no one around here that we can scrimp from. Hopefully we will find a cafe that has free wi-fi so we can load the rest of our photos-

We started the day with a large hotel breakfast, as we did every day to save money. We then took the bus to one of the peninsulas that housed the Norwegian Folk Art Museum and the Viking Ship Museum.

We stopped first at the Folk Art Museum. There we amazing pieces of art , furniture and carvings dating back to the early 1200s.

After going through the inside we then went through a reconstructed city. The first set of buildings were all original buildings that were once in Oslo and moved to the site. They dated back to the 1700s. Then there was a whole section of reconstructed buildings that would have dated back to the 1300s. It was kinda like going a rebuilt wild west town, except, you know, in Norway.

The last stop was an authentic stave church dating back to the 1100s. The detailing and carving were amazing.

Next stop was the Viking Ship Museum. There were three ships that were discovered in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The were viking ships that were used as burial mounds for high-ranking men and women.

Two of the ships were well intact while the last one had deteriorated. There was a a burial chamber on display that was found in the deteriorated ship. There were also small artifacts like dog collars, pots, horse nails and other day to day items. In the second ship there was a glass bottle dating back to 1000ad.

After the museums and Nate I were originally going to try to make it down to to Drobak, a small town in the south Oslo fjord. It supposedly had a shop with some many ornaments that Norwegian children believed that Father Christmas lived there.

After running our behinds off to make the bus we realized that our passes wouldn’t take us that far and the trip was mighty pricey for one evening.

So we went to an up-and-coming area of town. For those of you who know Portland, it was like a mix of the Pearl District and Alberta street. Some upscale shops and art galleries and then a more bohemian part with street art near the river. There were lot of cafes and restaurants near the park– one of which we went to the next night. (Day 4)

So we ended the night with a large 2 liter of coke and some store bought gelato.

Oh yeah, earlier in the day Nate blew a fuse in our hotel room trying to charge his video camera. His charging dock is fried. But hopefully his large battery will last us the rest of the trip. Its good so far.

So its my birthday and we are on the train to bergen. We have been on for about an hour now. The sun is shining and the scenery is just beautiful. I am trying to take some photos out of the window, but am not sure how they will turn out. A bit blurry I suppose, but better than nothing. The fall leaves are still about, but the season is waining. You can tell it will be winter any minute. We are hoping to stop in Finske and have lunch for a few hours. Hopefully there will be snow. I will keep you posted.
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GREETINGS FROM FINSE! Never heard of it? What kind of uncultured dolt are you?

There are around 20 people in this whole town right now. Apparently it is off-season. We got off in Finse for a couple of hours to enjoy some snow and mountain scenery. There is large lake here that looks as if it is ready to freeze over any minute.

It apparently is off-season after September, and the only open lodge in town ( which is really cool and looks over the lake ) is closed for food. Luckily though, they have free wi-fi. When we entered the lodge there was a large sign advising us not to pet polar bears. Although we are pretty sure they are hibernating now, we are keeping our eyes open and hands in our pockets.

Nate and I explored a bit, but it is snowing so now we are waiting 2 hours for the next train to Bergen. We are in the train station next to the hotel, both using their wi-fi. Me on the laptop, and Nate on his iphone. Yes, the irony is not lost on us that while we cannot get any food, Nate is reading the paper and I am blogging while listening to KEXP radio in Seattle. ( The wi-fi is super fast here in Norway )

Don’t worry Mom, we are staying well-fed, thanks to some good planning and Cliff bars although I would kill for a coke right now. There’s a machine in the lobby that looks like its from 1973 and guess what…its out-of-order.

It’s been an adventurous birthday so far. We should be in Bergen in time for the largest dinner I can possibly find and just told Nate I wanted a birthday cake. He offered to build one out of snow, but advised against eating the yellow frosting.

I am going to start looking up restaurants in Bergen. I am hungry and have another hour to burn.

PS- Yes, there was snow.

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Now playing: KEXP 90.3 Seattle
via FoxyTunes
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Now playing: KEXP 90.3 Seattle
via FoxyTunes