Having a blast in Bergen

Hei Hei from Bergen! In my last post, I mentioned that Jasmin and I would be traveling seven hours by train from Oslo to Bergen. Well… we made it (yesterday)! It’s been a blast. Here’s why:

The train ride was incredible

Even though seven hours should feel like a long time to be on a train, the time just flew by. Probably because the views were so beautiful!

We passed through many small villages outside of Oslo for the first hour or two. Then, there was a lot of dense forest, lakes, and colorful houses. As we got higher up in the mountains, the scenery changed drastically. The ground became covered in snow, and the water was bright blue. Eventually, we were able to see the fjords as well. It was truly amazing!

Our hostel is the BEST

When we arrived in Bergen, we took the bus to our hostel which is about 30 minutes from the city center. Even though Jasmin and I hadn’t booked the room together, they offered to place us in the same room which was nice. We have two other roommates who are solo-travelers from Germany. We talked with them a bit last night which was really fun! Usually I don’t talk much with my hostel mates because most people just want to be left alone at the end of the day 😆.

When I woke up this morning, I was trying so hard to get ready quietly thinking that the others were still sleeping. When I actually checked to see if they were sleeping, though, I realized they had already left! I didn’t even hear their alarms go off or anything. I think that tells you just how comfortable the beds are… or maybe just how tired I am!

Another perk about this hostel is that the breakfast is FREE!!! I’d rate this place an 11/10 if I could.

The seafood is delicious

This is a joke. I still haven’t tried any!

As we were walking around the city last night, we decided it might be a good idea to look for a seafood restaurant so that we could try some Norwegian cuisine. We searched “seafood near me” on Google Maps and found a place. However, it was only when we arrived at the restaurant that we realized it was a sushi restaurant! We were too hungry to try to find anything else, so we decided to just eat there and accept yet another failure to find traditional Norwegian food. I have to say, the cashew chicken I had at that asian restaurant was delicious…

We went on a fjord cruise

That’s right — Cruisin’ Clara is finally cruisin’!

This morning, Jasmin and I went on a 3 hour fjord sight-seeing tour. The meeting location was right next to the Bergen Fish Market, so I guess there is a lot of seafood here… I’m just bad at finding it. Anyway, the cruise was amazing! We got a great view of the iconic Bryggen from the harbor. Then, we cruised up into the fjords where we saw many waterfalls and colorful houses. We stood on the top deck for most of the trip, but it was wet and cold. I’m sure glad I brought a waterproof winter coat!

Every time we stopped to take a look at something such as a waterfall, the captain played magical music to really enhance the experience. Enchanting music or not, seeing the fjords was certainly a magical experience.

The city is beautiful

After the fjord cruise today, Jasmin and I spent some time just wandering around the city. We found lots of beautiful houses and murals down some of the quieter streets. There was one house that I really liked which was yellow with a purple door, a matching purple bench, and purple flowers. Vikings fans would also probably find this house charming…. Packer fans not so much 😉.

We also visited Bergenhus Fortress and walked along the fortress walls. The view of the city from on top of the walls was amazing. I see now why this city is known for having so many great views!

Viking dinner!!!

We ended the day by eating dinner at a place called “Valaskjalv”, a Viking-themed restaurant. The server was dressed as a Viking with a long beard, a ponytail, and a costume. Each wooden table was lit with a candle, and some sort of fluffy animal hide laid on top of the benches. There were also skulls in various places around the room and dramatic music playing in the background.

The menu consisted of main dishes such as whale steak, wild boar neck, halibut (with the eyeballs), and grilled chicken. I’m adventurous but not THAT adventurous, so I ordered the grilled chicken with roasted vegetables. It was the best chicken I’ve ever had! And the best part was that I got to eat it with a two-pronged fork. I didn’t drink beer out of a horn like the Vikings, though, because I haven’t found a beer that costs under 140 NOK or about $14. Apparently the Norwegian government taxes alcohol and other unhealthy products very heavily in order to keep their people in good health. I can’t imagine anything like this will ever happen in Scotland 😂.

Some funny stories

1. Last night on the bus back to the hostel, there was a group of teenage girls singing as loud as they could. They started off with songs by Rihanna and then moved on to ABBA and what I think must’ve been a popular Norwegian song. I saw several people smirk, and some (me included) started to sing the songs under their breath. It was quite entertaining!
2. Today, Jasmin and I were watching a group of ducks swim around in the sea when we realized that one of them was a seagull! Wherever the ducks would swim, the seagull would follow. I think he was a little confused… who knows. Maybe they were his friends???

That’s pretty much a wrap on my trip to Norway, as I’m headed back to Aberdeen tomorrow! I will be listening to the song “Aberdeen” by Cage the Elephant the whole flight back.

Until next time,

Clara