Happy to be Traveling

Post by Grubb. Standing on the upper deck above the stern of the MS Nordnorge in the wind and the rain this morning put us in the seafaring mode.  For about five minutes.  Then we left the ship and went into the town of Ålesund.  First we explored upper Ålesund by cutting through a park that led to…

Post by Ella. This morning, we dropped anchor at Ålesund, a port town of around 48,000, that sits at the entrance to the Geirangerfjord. Having been rebuilt after a fire ravaged the town in 1904, many buildings feature the Art Nouveau style.  First order of business in Ålesund: climb a bunch of steps. 418. To…

We had three ports of call before arriving at Alesund, all about 15 minutes for pick up and drop off. Florø Arrival: May 24, 2023 at 2:45 AM. Departure: May 24, 2023 at 3:00 AM Måløy Arrival: May 24, 2023 at 5:15 AM Departure: May 24, 2023 at 5:30 AM Torvik Arrival: May 24, 2023…

Post by Ella. I imagine it to be like a downscale cruise. The passengers are dressed sensibly for exploring. Even at dinner.  Most look fit (and many at least as old as we are and that’s pretty old). There are backpackers village hopping, port to port, because at every stop, there are mountains to hike. We’ve…

Post by Ella. Late this afternoon, (now I suppose that would be yesterday the 23rd because it’s early morn the 24th as I write this)  we boarded the MS Nordnorge, run by Hurtigruten, bound for Tromsø in the far north of Norway. We arrive the afternoon of the 27th. There is WiFi aboard so we will…

Post by Grubb. Crossing a small empty plaza in downtown Bergen, I noticed a weathered stone building with an easel out front that had blown over.  It was advertising an art exhibition.  I couldn’t resist.  Up on the drafty second floor there were some sleeping bags rolled out in the midst of turned over office furniture.  At first I…

Post by Grubb. (From Bergen days) The KODE Art Museum in central Bergen is actually four different buildings (KODE 1, 2,3, & 4) blocks apart.      This being Scandinavia, we knew we could depend on at least one of the museums being closed (a lot of time is spent installing new exhibits in the spring).  It…

Walked, strolled meandered, mondered, around Bergen with stops in 2 art museums Boarded the MS Nordnorge in late afternoon. Departed Bergen at 8:30pm Currently ferrying in a northerly direction.

Bergen photos from today’s wandering https://photos.app.goo.gl/6xA1GdYvGTVHQntD9

Post by Grubb. In 1360 a guild of German merchants, the Hansa, created an overseas office in Bergen. These merchants, the renowned Hanseatic League, dominated trade between north-east and north-west Europe for the next couple of hundred years.  The area where they had their offices in Bergen, the Bryggen, has retained the original architecture from that…

Post by Grubb. Ella’s frustration mounted yesterday when, on our trek back to the AirBnb I elected, once again, to choose the path that zigzagged uphill instead of just using the stairs. Today, descending from the upper reaches of Bergen, the switchback route was designed to meet my meandering needs.  

Two objectives today: Beyond that, we wandered up small lanes ever higher And back down to the neighborhoods around the quay Let’s just say we zigzagged our way around the town

Post by Grubb. While our train was slowing to a stop at Voss Station (way back on Saturday), I drew Ella’s attention to a hang-glider in a red rig that was swirling way too fast for a safe landing.  The lake at the bottom of the Voss valley warms up during the day and the thermals…

At Professor Keysers Gata 4, a rooftop, small but airy two bedroom apartment (AirBnB), just a few blocks up a hill from the center of town. A quiet area. Three flights of steepish stairs.

Post by Ella. Time for a little googling about weather in Bergen. It rains all the time. 98 inches (2490 mm) per year. The driest month, May (yay!), gets 4.3 inches. The wettest is December coming in at 11.4 inches – which is more than New Mexico gets in a year. During the summer, even…