Friday, April 24, 2026

Bergen, Norway April 24, 2026

When I opened the curtains this morning, the plan to luxuriate fell by the wayside. Another lovely day was dawning in this fairytale-like piece of paradise.  While I passed on luxuriating, I still did not have a big day within me. I still had items on my list that I wanted to purchase so I went shopping!  With more travels in my future, I needed another journal.  I did purchase one, with painted tulips on the cover, at Keukenhof Gardens in South Holland but one is not enough.  This one spoke to me so I replied with an affirmative! 

Purchasing Norwegian yarn was on my to-do list. I wanted yarn to knit mittens.  I had a particular store in mind which was only a hop skip and a jump from my home away from home.  Being a novice knitter, I needed help with my selection.  I brought a mitten I knitted with me to show the lady, I wanted to knit them the same size with the same weight of yarn. This is what I came away with!  It’s “light petrol” in colour which is a teal-green shade.  

I was so excited and distracted with my yarn purchase that I forgot 
to tell the waiter, where I went for lunch, that I wanted a small beer!  Oh boy! 

Everything about this dining experience was exceptional! From the hostess who greeted me to the waiter who gave me the best seat in the house, to the other customers who even acknowledged me with a welcome. I felt like royalty! The fish and chips were the best I ever had! I like how the tartar sauce came in a muscle shell. It was here where I luxuriated savouring each morsel of food, every sip of the local IPA and just being grateful for every single second I get to be in Bergen!  

After that large beer, I needed to put some kilometres on my walking shoes and try to do so without a wobble.  I window shopped and walked, snapping shots of yet more places I just discovered. I dared not go into this gallery!

a cocktail bar

a Mexican restaurant and a cowboy saloon

I went into numerous stores that specialized in knitted goods.
I wouldn’t damage a sweater if I wobbled and knocked it over.

Norway is known for its hotdogs, especially reindeer hotdogs!  I don’t do well with hotdogs so passed on purchasing one but I wanted to see this famous little hotdog kiosk. What I do well with is chocolate and I bought and ate lots of that.

Bergen Harbour is busy with watercraft of all sizes. 
Today this cruise ship arrived, it holds just over 900 passengers, so on the small side compared to….. 

…..this one that arrived yesterday and holds 5000 passengers.

The grey navy ship left the harbour today, needing to maneuver between all the other ships.

This is a very small sampling of the small boats that arrived for the weekend.

This one is called the Stordi.
It’s a restored steamboat from 1913.

After a couple of hours of walking, I headed back to my home away from home.  I looked out my window to see some ships had left and more had arrived.  I am a people watcher but boy am I a boat watcher!  By now that beer had worn off and I was ready for more, more chocolate that is!


14 comments:

  1. Just caught up on your Netherlands and Bergen posts ... fabulous.

    My good wishes.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Fabulous in every way! I will be reliving this trip for days and weeks to come!

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  2. An amazing way to “luxuriate”!!! The journal cover certainly captures your time spent in Bergen & I love the yarn colour. ❤️Norma

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    1. I had to stay focused in that yarn shop and only come out with the three skeins of yarn! It was a tough thing to do!

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  3. Hello,
    I like your new journal and the pretty yarn. Your fish, chips and beer all sound yummy! Great views of the harbor and the boats. Take care, have a great day and a happy week.

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    1. Every day the harbour looked different, I could spend hours just watching it if I had the time!

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  4. A very good experience. Bergen looks very nice. Before my retirement I visited many cities in north Europe but not in Norway so thank you for the pictures! About the ships and the boats I worked for 41 years in a port and I miss that "world". Enjoy your trip.

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    1. Thank You for dropping in with your comment! I wonder how things are for you these days! I can see how being a part of that "world" would be so captivating. It becomes a part of you!

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  5. I love the the wool and journal selections. A delightful retell of of your afternoon after a one large beer.

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    1. Helen, after reading all your comments, you had me googling to see what Islands were south of Bergen and also where you may have been picking blueberries along the road trip route I did. That's interesting how you got to spend time there!

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  6. This is my blog post of 2016, re my magical time on the farm, on the island of Stord. I have just been looking at google maps and your trip was further north, but the stunning scenery would have been the same. What a shame I wasn't there in the digital age.

    https://outandabout3.blogspot.com/2016/02/walk-down-memory-lane-norway-1977.html

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    1. Oh Helen, as soon as I opened your link and began to read, it came back to me. I still read through and saw I even commented. I checked google maps too and I would have been roughly 160 kms north of where you were when I was in Rosendal.

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  7. Alexandra, I enjoyed your photos of that marvelous nordic country. I've never been to Norway. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed seeing my photos! I hope to get back to another nordic country some day!

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