Tuesday, September 19 On to Norway

 Tuesday, September 19 To Bergen, Norway

Travel Day, as we have breakfast and then to the airport where we'll get a flight to Bergen, Norway.  Some glitch with the automatic check-in machines, so we head to a help area and are soon all properly checked in.  The plane is a CityJet900, which just has 2 seats on either side of the aisle.  Full flight takes about an hour 10 minutes.

We descend through heavy cloud cover and check through passport control. Bergen gets rain 270 days a year because of location on the Gulf Stream and surrounded by the Floyen mountains. Arrive at the Hotel Zander and do a quick walk-around with DeeDee. 

 Built on 7 hills (like Rome and Athens), our hotel is across from the train station and about 10 minutesfrom the city center which is built around a harbor.  (Below is the train station).

Nearby there are three art museums, 2 fish markets and many shops and restaurants. There is a funicular tot he top of one of the mountains which would have great views on a clear day.  Probably in the clouds/fog today so we skip it, hoping for better weather tomorrow!  

Norway and Switzerland are the two richest nations in the European Union.  Most of Norway's wealth is from its oil reserves.  

The city center is pretty small and pretty busy, with most locals carrying umbrellas. Glad we have ours, though the hotel does have ones to borrow.

We walk through the outdoor fish market (which will close in a few weeks)  Beth samples three sausages from a vendor - reindeer, moose, and whale! 

I liked this sign, which was for a restaurant/bar.

below is an odd statue along

 a random building.  Don't know the story behind it!

Lots of fish and seafood for sale.  

We poke our heads into a few shops and then head back to the hotel for our Welcome Dinner.  The hotel Zander is quite nice, as is the dinner which is a salad, a haddock dish, and a decadent chocolate dessert.  Greg tries the local draft Hansa.  

After a bit of socializing we call it a night.  One couple is from Reading, MA - Greg's brother Brett lives in North Reading.  Another couple who seem like aging hippies are from Minnesota.  The group from North Carolina (8) are all in healthcare related fields, so we have several nurses with us.

Wifi is quite good, so we do some catch-up on emails and such. Good night's sleep.