September 19
The train ride last night was looong. Well first, last night I met Lisa at the train station for the first time. She seems really nice and even goes to school in Cincinnati, Ohio. Small world! The train was pretty nice and reminded me of an airplane, with a lot more room. We chatted for a while and got to know each other. I forgot how easy it is to talk to someone from home. There are no language or cultural barriers and I can even use jokes and references that I know she will understand. It was refreshing and I felt like I could really be myself, not that I can't with my international friends, but there is a lot more work required for even simple conversations. The train pulled away and I quickly tried to get some sleep, even though there were a few loud and obnoxious people on the train. I think I got maybe two hours of sleep?
We arrived in Bergen a little before 7 a.m. and since our hostel didn't open for a few more hours, we decided to walk around, even though nothing else was open yet either. We found a pretty cool park at the end of the harbor and then we went to Starbucks and got some hot chocolate. We went to the hostel when it opened, but we couldn't check in until 2 p.m. and so not wanting to waste the whole day waiting around, we ventured back out into the city. We saw the Bryggen wharf, went through the fish market, found a really cute umbrella street, and then ended up back in Starbucks. Tried a PSL for the first time (#American, #WhiteGirl, #Fall). Haha it was pretty good, but I feel like such an american tourist and at $10 each, they were not cheap!
We went back to the hostel and after waiting for a little bit, were finally able to check in. I was really surprised at how nice the hostel was. I have never stayed in one before and I was really impressed! We shared a room with 8 other girls, who were all very friendly and no one snored, which was good! Because we barely slept on the train, we both napped for a couple of hours to recharge, and then we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant around the corner. Later that night, we walked and shopped around downtown some more, looked around the grounds of the Leprosy museum, and ended the night with a drink on the Bryggen wharf as the sun went down. It was the perfect end to what seemed like the longest day ever, but I am having a lot of fun here! Bergen is a really cute city and I was really shocked at how small it was, for being the second biggest city in Norway. I feel like we looked at everything and hit all of the major tourist shops already, which is not good if it is only our first day! Hopefully we can find more things to do in the days ahead!
September 20
It is officially Bergen! It is raining! Every time someone brings up Bergen, they mention that it is always raining, so I was surprised that when we got here yesterday, that the sun was shining and it was relatively warm. But not today! It is pouring! And what do you do in the pouring rain? Hike a mountain of course! After spending most of the day yesterday downtown, we decided to take the funicular (steep train up the side of the mountain) up to the top of Mount Fløyen. It was a bit foggy and still raining, but the views from the top were amazing. We could see all of Bergen, the fjord, and the other mountains surrounding it. Since we had nothing else to do today, we decided to hike down the mountain (a lot better than up it!). The trail was very nice and there were troll statues hidden all throughout the woods. Everything was so green (should be for how much it rains here) and the woods looked like something right out of a fairy tale or a movie. Once we reached the bottom, we were soaked, but it was a beautiful hike and I am so glad we did it!
We wandered over to the fish market and I got to sample some moose and reindeer sausage and some cloudberry jam. It was really good!
We decided to find a little cafe to get some coffee and get out of the rain, so we went on the cute little umbrella street and found one there. The guy that was working was really cool and even gave us free muffins! (Free?! In Norway?!) He is originally from Columbia and plays in a band. It was really cool to meet him and the cafe was really cute and had a really relaxing and cozy atmosphere.
We followed a few people that were dressed up (I think they are called cos-players?) and they led us to a comic book convention that was going in. We looked around and while it is not really my thing, it was cool to see some of the Norwegian comics and how passionate these people get about certain things that they really like.
After returning to the hostel for a quick nap and some downtime, we found a kebab place for dinner that was really good! We have had so much downtime during this trip and I have been obsessed with pinning things on Pinterest. I love doing crafts and I have found so many things that I want to try, but they will have to wait until I get home because I have to watch my suitcase weight for returning home and everything would be so much more expensive to buy here. :( It is also getting a lot colder here and it is making me miss fall back home, my favorite season. It is BEAUTIFUL here and I can't wait to watch the seasons change, I just miss home and what is familiar at the same time.
September 21
Bergen is a really cute city, but I am definitely ready to go home! I think we have done Bergen to death! I had a lot of fun and it was great getting to know and spend so much time with Lisa, but if I were to plan this trip over again, I would definitely make it shorter. This surprised me too! Bergen is probably one of the top tourist destinations in Norway so I expected there to be a lot more things to do, I guess a lot of it are fjord tours that just stop here overnight. Oh well!
We woke up, packed, and checked out this morning and then wandered over to Bryggen to do some last minute souvenir shopping. (The stores were open on a Sunday?! What?!) We went to Starbucks again (this is becoming a problem...) and then we wandered around town trying to find a phone charger for Lisa since hers stopped working. None of the electronics stores were open, so we didn't have any luck. :( After that we just ended up back at the train station and hung around there until our train arrived.
While we were waiting, there was a group of kids putting on an orchestra concert (in a train station?) and they were playing a lot of the same songs that we played in my school orchestra! It made me miss it! :) When the train arrived, we finally got on and headed home! We actually had daylight this time and could see outside and the views were AMAZING. I even saw a glacier! I just hope that come of my pictures showed up because it was pretty hard to take them from a moving train! It was along train ride back, but when we finally made it, we took the metro home and said goodbye. I really liked meeting and traveling with Lisa. We are a lot alike and hopefully we can do something again or hang out soon!
I got home around 11:30 and said hi to my roommates, Skyped my mom for a little bit, and then passed out! That was a very long trip and while it did have a lot of downtime with not much to do, I am really glad I went and got to experience Bergen!
September 22
Other than working out, class, and grocery shopping, today has been pretty much a recovery day from travelling. I did book a trip to Stockholm, Sweden for this weekend though! Another 7 hour bus trip... yay... so looking forward to it. Other than that, everything was pretty cheap and so I decided to go! There are also some people from our Sogn buddy group going, so it should be fun. Just gotta get caught up with everything and I will be good to go! :)
The train ride last night was looong. Well first, last night I met Lisa at the train station for the first time. She seems really nice and even goes to school in Cincinnati, Ohio. Small world! The train was pretty nice and reminded me of an airplane, with a lot more room. We chatted for a while and got to know each other. I forgot how easy it is to talk to someone from home. There are no language or cultural barriers and I can even use jokes and references that I know she will understand. It was refreshing and I felt like I could really be myself, not that I can't with my international friends, but there is a lot more work required for even simple conversations. The train pulled away and I quickly tried to get some sleep, even though there were a few loud and obnoxious people on the train. I think I got maybe two hours of sleep?
We arrived in Bergen a little before 7 a.m. and since our hostel didn't open for a few more hours, we decided to walk around, even though nothing else was open yet either. We found a pretty cool park at the end of the harbor and then we went to Starbucks and got some hot chocolate. We went to the hostel when it opened, but we couldn't check in until 2 p.m. and so not wanting to waste the whole day waiting around, we ventured back out into the city. We saw the Bryggen wharf, went through the fish market, found a really cute umbrella street, and then ended up back in Starbucks. Tried a PSL for the first time (#American, #WhiteGirl, #Fall). Haha it was pretty good, but I feel like such an american tourist and at $10 each, they were not cheap!
We went back to the hostel and after waiting for a little bit, were finally able to check in. I was really surprised at how nice the hostel was. I have never stayed in one before and I was really impressed! We shared a room with 8 other girls, who were all very friendly and no one snored, which was good! Because we barely slept on the train, we both napped for a couple of hours to recharge, and then we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant around the corner. Later that night, we walked and shopped around downtown some more, looked around the grounds of the Leprosy museum, and ended the night with a drink on the Bryggen wharf as the sun went down. It was the perfect end to what seemed like the longest day ever, but I am having a lot of fun here! Bergen is a really cute city and I was really shocked at how small it was, for being the second biggest city in Norway. I feel like we looked at everything and hit all of the major tourist shops already, which is not good if it is only our first day! Hopefully we can find more things to do in the days ahead!
September 20
It is officially Bergen! It is raining! Every time someone brings up Bergen, they mention that it is always raining, so I was surprised that when we got here yesterday, that the sun was shining and it was relatively warm. But not today! It is pouring! And what do you do in the pouring rain? Hike a mountain of course! After spending most of the day yesterday downtown, we decided to take the funicular (steep train up the side of the mountain) up to the top of Mount Fløyen. It was a bit foggy and still raining, but the views from the top were amazing. We could see all of Bergen, the fjord, and the other mountains surrounding it. Since we had nothing else to do today, we decided to hike down the mountain (a lot better than up it!). The trail was very nice and there were troll statues hidden all throughout the woods. Everything was so green (should be for how much it rains here) and the woods looked like something right out of a fairy tale or a movie. Once we reached the bottom, we were soaked, but it was a beautiful hike and I am so glad we did it!
We wandered over to the fish market and I got to sample some moose and reindeer sausage and some cloudberry jam. It was really good!
We decided to find a little cafe to get some coffee and get out of the rain, so we went on the cute little umbrella street and found one there. The guy that was working was really cool and even gave us free muffins! (Free?! In Norway?!) He is originally from Columbia and plays in a band. It was really cool to meet him and the cafe was really cute and had a really relaxing and cozy atmosphere.
We followed a few people that were dressed up (I think they are called cos-players?) and they led us to a comic book convention that was going in. We looked around and while it is not really my thing, it was cool to see some of the Norwegian comics and how passionate these people get about certain things that they really like.
After returning to the hostel for a quick nap and some downtime, we found a kebab place for dinner that was really good! We have had so much downtime during this trip and I have been obsessed with pinning things on Pinterest. I love doing crafts and I have found so many things that I want to try, but they will have to wait until I get home because I have to watch my suitcase weight for returning home and everything would be so much more expensive to buy here. :( It is also getting a lot colder here and it is making me miss fall back home, my favorite season. It is BEAUTIFUL here and I can't wait to watch the seasons change, I just miss home and what is familiar at the same time.
September 21
Bergen is a really cute city, but I am definitely ready to go home! I think we have done Bergen to death! I had a lot of fun and it was great getting to know and spend so much time with Lisa, but if I were to plan this trip over again, I would definitely make it shorter. This surprised me too! Bergen is probably one of the top tourist destinations in Norway so I expected there to be a lot more things to do, I guess a lot of it are fjord tours that just stop here overnight. Oh well!
We woke up, packed, and checked out this morning and then wandered over to Bryggen to do some last minute souvenir shopping. (The stores were open on a Sunday?! What?!) We went to Starbucks again (this is becoming a problem...) and then we wandered around town trying to find a phone charger for Lisa since hers stopped working. None of the electronics stores were open, so we didn't have any luck. :( After that we just ended up back at the train station and hung around there until our train arrived.
While we were waiting, there was a group of kids putting on an orchestra concert (in a train station?) and they were playing a lot of the same songs that we played in my school orchestra! It made me miss it! :) When the train arrived, we finally got on and headed home! We actually had daylight this time and could see outside and the views were AMAZING. I even saw a glacier! I just hope that come of my pictures showed up because it was pretty hard to take them from a moving train! It was along train ride back, but when we finally made it, we took the metro home and said goodbye. I really liked meeting and traveling with Lisa. We are a lot alike and hopefully we can do something again or hang out soon!
I got home around 11:30 and said hi to my roommates, Skyped my mom for a little bit, and then passed out! That was a very long trip and while it did have a lot of downtime with not much to do, I am really glad I went and got to experience Bergen!
September 22
Other than working out, class, and grocery shopping, today has been pretty much a recovery day from travelling. I did book a trip to Stockholm, Sweden for this weekend though! Another 7 hour bus trip... yay... so looking forward to it. Other than that, everything was pretty cheap and so I decided to go! There are also some people from our Sogn buddy group going, so it should be fun. Just gotta get caught up with everything and I will be good to go! :)