Sunday, March 20, 2011

My First Trip to Norway (Part 1)

I can't believe how fast time is going by. It's been 2 years since my very first trip to Norway. Not knowing what to expect, two of my best friends came with me and somehow managed to support me AND give me space to spend time with Stian in a foreign place during our 10 day stay.
First impressions? It was very gray, although we actually had some very nice weather while we were there. I loved the cobblestones in Bergen (although my disdain for them grew after a night out in heels...), as well as the charm that came with the city. The picture above is one like every other tourist that has been to Bergen has taken before me, and will continue to take after me. See the charm of the old and crooked Bryggen? Not only do I have pictures of it, I also bought magnets of the little structures. They live on my fridge and are currently my pleasant reminder that I'm moving to this place in just a few short months.

More first impressions. I appreciated the differences - the old combined with the modern. I liked that there was a castle (or a fort? I might need to start looking up some details...at times like this I wish I had my mother's travel memory -she can remember every DETAIL about every place she's ever been..), just a short walk from the Bryggen, which was just another short walk to trendy shops. One of my favorite pictures is on the grounds of that castle/fort:

Ahh, I love that picture. The cannons in a row, the leafless tree, the Norwegian flag. I remember walking through there thinking "oh my, this is beautiful." Little did I know, the beauty I would behold later in the trip would constantly take my breath away.

When our stay in Bergen was over, we hopped in the car and drove for quite some time. We had to get on a few ferries to get across the fjords. If you don't know what a 'fjord' is, that's okay. I didn't know either until I met some Norwegians (who were also appalled that I had never heard the term). The picture at the top of my blog is a fjord. Breathtaking, huh? I took that in the summer in Stavanger, after a long hike up The Pulpit Rock. In another post, I'll show you more pictures of it, but for now I just want you to catch a glimpse of a fjord so you know what my blog is referring to. The fjords, by the way, are all over Norway, requiring ferry rides to get to many places.


At the end of winter/beginning of spring, it was cold and windy, but what a fun experience! Not sure I need to go out on the ferry deck in March ever again, but I'm glad I did it then.

Next stop? You'll have to wait until Part 2 of this post! :)

3 comments:

  1. pictures!! these make me the happiest! when (& if) our family picks up and moves to Ireland you can bet Paul & I will come visit (much more often than we currently do - which is pathetic) do you and your mister-to-be have a place picked out already?

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  2. mary, i did this for you! (don't be offended other readers, you benefit greatly from this too....).
    i have SO many more, but it would take lots o'blogging to write about them all!
    i want to hear more of this ireland thing..i've heard bits and pieces about it, but not the details!
    i can't believe how long it's been since we've seen each other. we might have to steal an hour or two away while you're here so we can catch up!
    can't wait for you to come out this way!!!!!!

    to answer your question (and stop the tangents), no. we do not have a place picked out yet. that's something we're working on, but as far as we know, we're going to rent a 1 or 2 (hopefully 2!!) bedroom apartment just outside the city of Bergen. :)
    and yes. please visit!!!!!

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  3. yes we will have to snag more than a few minutes to catch up. keep tossing pictures up! i know im not the only one that enjoys to look at them. hooray for pictures & europe & family!

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