Thursday 7 March
Steps 14333
Song: not much music in my brain at the moment
We slept late and after breakfast we decided to buy a Bergen pass, which gives free public transport and entrance to museums. You could buy them at the hotel, but David said we should go to the Visitors Centre because he had learnt so much from the one in Oslo. So I found it on Google and we walked (15 minutes). It started to drizzle at minute 5 and there was no cover. By minute 10 it was raining hard and at minute 15 there was no visitor’s office. Just a fishing office. We found a bench in a loading dock that offered some cover and waited for the rain to stop. We went back to the hotel, bought the pass and set off again.
We looked in some of the old wooden buildings and shops along the “Brygge.” Some sell Christmas decorations all year round.
We stopped for an Irish coffee while we perused the brochure. The museums mostly closed at 3. By now it was 2:15 so not much point in going to a museum. So we decided to just catch a bus instead. As the bus approached, I put my hand into my pocket to retrieve my pass and it was not there. Panic at the bus stop! Bags were searched, but no sign. I went back into the coffee shop and there it was, on the floor under my chair! Equilibrium restored, we caught the next bus. They do run every 10 minutes or so.
The bus ride was very interesting. We travelled through a long tunnel into the suburbs and watched how 4 young kids (6-10 year olds) hopped on the bus, unaccompanied, and made their way home from school.
When the route was over, we hopped onto a returning bus, passed through centre of Bergen and out to the West until we found a large shopping mall. We wandered around and bought an additional small suitcase. I was very impressed by the facilities for moms.
Then I found a home decor shop .. for pets!
We returned to our hotel and later decided to go for supper at Basilia, a restaurant Nadine took us to in Colorado. It is an “Eat as much as you like” concept, with a sides buffet and then a variety of meat on skewers which they bring to your table. I was ready for a red meat feast. So we hopped back on a bus, and followed our progress by watching the blue dot on Google map. David suggested we get 1 block closer by staying on the bus till the next stop. Big mistake, we were back through the tunnel for a 15 minute drive back to the shopping centre. Now experienced, we knew how to find the bus home which arrived in 3 minutes and had a delicious meal. We took a scenic route walk home to digest our meal.
What I learnt: Always buy what you need when it is available and get off the bus when you know the time is right.
Chuckle of the day
The hotel was hosting a conference about sustainable seafood. For 2 days the lobby was filled with mostly men and a few women all wearing dark pants, white shirt and dark jacket. Where’s Waldo?
Kim's journey 