Bergen Uncovered

So anyway, we arrived in Bergen, Norway, yesterday afternoon and have already decided that it is one of the most beautifully located towns in the world and probably one of the most expensive to live in.

Examples:

• two cups of coffee plus two buns = AUD$20
• half a pizza (four slices) = AUD$16
• one small children's book = AUD$40
• one litre of milk = AUD$6
• one Big Mac = AUD$13.80 (and no, we didn't buy one)
• one serve of fish and chips = AUD$23 (and yes, we had two serves - it was on paper plates at a makeshift trestle table)

It's beautiful though.

We had some fun last night, thinking we would just step out for a bite to eat - a pizza would suffice if we couldn't find anything better/quicker as we were only a little bit hungry after devouring a huge Norwegian waffle each, with jam and cream, at the hotel for afternoon tea (turns out that every afternoon from 4pm to 6pm guests at our hotel are invited to the lounge for free coffee and waffles). So we found a little bar nearby which served pizza and beer and we thought that would be good enough - and it was, especially considering the entertainment. About 10 minutes after we arrived, a 60-something year old lady at the next table stood up to leave arm in arm with her male companion and just metres from our table she fell down (apparently) drunk at our feet, taking her friend with her. It seemed to happen in slow motion but when we snapped out of our initial shock, D2 and I jumped up and leapt to their assistance, helping them up. When all the fun was over and the couple had righted themselves and left, we sat down again and reflected on the fact that not ONE other person had left their seat to do anything to help. No-one had uttered the words, "Are you OK?" and in fact within seconds, those who had turned to look had turned back to their beer. We didn't know whether to laugh or be alarmed at their seeming indifference to the plight of this poor couple.

We headed out into the night, later on, reflecting on human nature and wondering whether we could expect the same lack of response if it had happened to us (falling down publicly, not necessarily falling down drunk publicly).

I was very excited this morning to be going to the famous Bergen Fish Market. I'd heard about it and I have been looking forward to it for months. Whenever we travel overseas, the fresh food markets are our must-see attractions and we have seen some beauts! The one in Singapore will live long in my memory, but this is not the place for stories about that. It was disappointing though, with only a few little stalls set up and not much activity at all. We moved on to take a funicular ride on the Fløibanen, which takes travellers up to 320 metres above sea level and spectacular panoramic views of Bergen and the magnificent surrounding landscape of mountains and fjords. When you get to the top, there are beautiful forest walking paths and little streams to follow, making it a magical experience not to be missed.

In the afternoon we walked along the Bryggen wharf area where the building façades are from another era (and the prices of items in the shops are from another planet). The little laneways of Bergen are so sweet, the shops so enticing and if you have lots of NOKs (Norwegian Kroner) you can buy the most stunning Scandinavian homewares. I don't know what the wages are like here, but the price of living seems sky-high.

Tomorrow we take a long train ride (about 7 hours) to Oslo.

D1