Monday, June 12, 2006

Bergen

Norway was just like my stereotype of Scandinavia - clean, friendly and hideously expensive. It was a good thing I was there with my parents.


We stayed for four nights in Bergen, birthplace of my great grandfather. We only have one relative there now - my grandma's cousin. Communication was fun because he doesn't speak a word of English and our Norwegian was limited to 'and', 'grandfather', 'airport bus' and 'summer house'. It was fascinating to see the ancestral house which was full of old family photos and paintings. It was also incredibly cramped - rooms were tiny and only 2m high.


At first I wondered why Bergen seemed to remind me of so many different places. After a couple of days I realised that I hadn't seen the sea or real hills since I arrived in the UK. I didn't realise how much I missed both!


And I've missed seeing the sun go up or down. The incredibly long days meant that sunsets lasted forever. I didn't stay up long enough to find out if it got dark.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that is soooooo beautiful! I am so jealous! I think now is the best time to be in Scandanavia.

But I won't be able to make it Norway until I'm rich though. I've heard a doner kebab there costs like $15 or something?! I think I'll stick to Eastern Europe for my holidays for the time being.

Anonymous said...

Wow...lovely scenery! But like knuffy's owner, i don't think i'll make it there until i'm rich. While knuffy's owner sticks to romantic Eastern Europe, i'll have to stick to the exotic backyards of Asia!

Anonymous said...

There's a lot to be said for holidaying in places with a favourable exchange rate. And where the cuisine extends beyond fish, boiled potates, pickled vegetables and reindeer.

Anonymous said...

yes, you know it's bad when you are using one word to communicate, which is neither norweigen or english!