June 10 – Fly to Bergen | The Escapades of Pookie and Allan

Accommodations: Thon Hotel Bristol Bergen

After breakfast we drove to the airport to board our first flight to Bergen. We had to take two flights, but our luggage was checked straight through. The flights were not long, the planes were dual propeller and were pretty roomy.

When we walked to our bus, we were greeted with a huge sign “BERGEN?”. The Bergen sign is the result of a competition won by an Icelandic artist. The letters stand 18 feet tall. The question mark is intended to invoke a sense of curiosity and anticipation. Who knows what you will feel or take away with you, as you tour this beautiful city.

Bergen is surrounded by “the seven mountains” and was once the capital of Norway. Tomorrow when we go out on tour, we’ll learn about the city with our local guide.

Bergen is Norway’s second largest city, but it’s first in all of Europe when it comes to rainfall! Bergen’s unique location between the seven mountains doesn’t just make it an unbelievably picturesque destination to visit – It also makes it particularly exposed to rain showers. How exposed? Well, out of the 365 days of the year, 202-239 are days you should expect at least some rain in Bergen. The sun can be out and then suddenly, it can be pouring. So I guess rain pants and raincoats will be worn while we’re here.

We did an orientation walk and then went to ride the funicular, one of Norway’s best-known and most visited attractions. The journey up to the top is over 1,000’ above sea level and takes about 5–8 minutes. Given my fear of heights, I couldn’t go near the glass wall that you could go up to, in order to get a good view of the city, but I still could appreciate the view from afar.

We all went for dinner at an Italian restaurant and it was delicious!! Allan and I had pasta with beef and mushrooms. So, so good!!

Heidi’s nephew has joined us and will be with our group for the next three days. He is 14 years old, plays soccer and is also on his school’s sailing team. He was very sweet and we enjoyed having dinner with him and getting to know him.

Tomorrow we have a very busy day planned!