Bergen

So, about Bergen. Well I guess one of the most important things to know is that it rains a ridiculous amount. Evidently, if they get 60 days of sunshine in a year, that would be considered good. I definitely wish I'd brought a better umbrella than a pocket size one.

Not surprisingly, it was raining on Monday morning. However, since it was the last day of August, that meant that the tourist season was essentially ending and that there were somethings that if I didn't do them today, I wouldn't be able to at all. So, the first thing I did was a tour that included entrance to the Bryggen museum, a building that replicated the German and Norwegian community "living rooms," and the Hanseatic Museum.

They were all very interesting, and I was surprised to learn about the influence the Germans had on Bergen. They brought grain to Norway since it wasn't growable here in exchange for fish. Bergen was part of the Hanseatic league, which was the name for the cities that all traded together via the Germans. That meant that while there were 7000 Norwegians living in Bergen (the largest city in Norway at the time) around the 1300s, there were also 2000 Germans who essentially ruled themselves.

The houses were all made out of wood and put right next to each other, so fires have always been, and continue to be, a major concern. The Germans had very strict rules about fires, namely that you couldn't have them in private homes. So, they all met at communal living room type places at the end of the block at night where there was fire and food each night. However, the Norwegians allowed fire in private homes, thus the reason for the 20 or so major fires that have leveled portions of Bergen since the 1100s.

The largest fire was in 1702 when 87% of the city burned to the ground. The most recent (though not nearly as large) fire was in 1955.

Today, I started out by going up the funicular to the top of one of the surrounding hills. The view over Bergen was quite the sight. I then walked around the forest area for a little while which was interesting because their forests have so much more plant life on the ground likely due to all the rain. I then walked around by the University of Bergen for a while and looked at some of the shops.

The Norwegian sweaters are of course far too expensive for me, usually around 1500 NOK, or about $250, for a good quality Dale of Norway sweater. I did, however, buy a winter hat that has Gore-Tex type fabric to stop the wind and is Teflon coated to repel water.

One last observation about Norway in general: the stoplights for walkers here are very unusual. In both Oslo and Bergen, once the green walk man starts flashing, you only have like 5 seconds to walk, or rather, run, across the crosswalk. In Oslo, before the green man flashes though, you get a beeping sound. The first time I heard it I knew I recognized the sound from somewhere, but I wasn't sure where. Then, once when I heard it, I thought to myself "Ok who is playing Catchphrase (a game) in the middle of the street??"

Turns out the joke was on me - I knew I recognized the sound from the stoplights from somewhere! I guess Oslo got the same sound as the Catchphrase beeper. Bergen has a different sound for their stoplights; to me it sounds like the beep a truck makes when it is backing up. It's a good thing I'm not blind otherwise I would have had some unusual impressions about Norway...

Tonight, I leave on a 22:58 train back to Oslo, arriving at about 6:30. I will then head to the Oslo airport to return to Paris in order to meet up with Mom before we travel around France for a week and a half! I definitely enjoyed my time in Norway, and like I mentioned before, I will have to return (maybe once I have a bit more money...)!