If you can't a-fjord to miss out on the mountains... Sincerest apologies that I haven't written in about two weeks...but I have a really good excuse, which is that I spent the last week frolicking around another Scandinavian country known as Norway. My friend Emily, who was on the DIS Stockholm program, recently moved to Copenhagen, and the two of us planned a six day trip to the city of Bergen. I really wanted a chance to explore more of Scandinavia, and especially to get a chance to see the beautiful mountains I had been hearing so much about - we were in the region that inspired the movie Frozen, if that gives you any idea of how stunning it was. We stayed the week in an air bnb that was just a 9 minute tram ride from the harbor, and spent our days hiking through the mountains, tracking down trolls, and indulging in copious amounts of fresh seafood. Here are some tips and tricks from the highlights of our trip: 1. Rent an Air Bnb. One of the best decisions we made for this trip was to rent an air bnb. We got ours for a great price, and it was a super cozy place to have as a home base for the week. We also got to save a lot of money on the (very expensive) cuisine by cooking on our own. Plus, after some super exhausting days of exploring, it was nice to be able to go back, stuff ourselves with Norwegian candy, and hide away from the cold with a movie marathon. 2. Eat at Pingvinen. Since we were saving so much by cooking on our own, we decided we had the funds for one or two meals out. One place that was recommended to us was a little pub called Pingvinen (the Norwegian word for Penguin), which has traditional Norwegian dishes. I ordered a dish called Plukkfisk, a mixture of fish, potato, butter, bacon, and bechamel sauce. Emily got the fish mac and cheese and potatoes. Both were super delicious and filling comfort-food type meals that fit well with the cozy atmosphere. 3. Get fresh seafood at the Fish Market. If you're looking for another place to get fresh food, look no further than the Fish Market on Bryggen harbor. This market is definitely a bit pricey, but has the freshest seafood! Although, I must say I was not prepared for my "Prawn platter" to be as fresh as it was. I'm not really big on eating food that still has a face, but once I got the process down, I was able to look past it...mostly. 4. Explore the shops along the harbor. After lunch, take a stroll around the Bryggen Harbor. Lined with orange, red, and yellow buildings, the harbor is home to tons of little shops with an abundance (dare I say an excessive amount?) of troll figurines and Viking-inspired gifts. Many of the stores are pretty touristy, so you'll have to go back a little further to escape the fluffy moose slippers and viking hats in favor of more handmade things, antique shops, etc. It's tons fun to explore all the narrow passages and nooks and crannies between the buildings - we found a little art shop where I got a gorgeous painting for only about 14 USD. 5. Or leave the harbor and venture into the Fjords... One of the things I was most excited about for this trip was our Fjord cruise. We looked through a few different options with the very popular "Norway in a Nutshell" company that take you into other areas of Norway, but decided to stick to a cheaper cruise in Bergen to save a bit of money. The view from the boat was incredible, and I definitely felt like I had fallen though some vortex into the world from Frozen - the mountains were towering above us on either side, little villages were nestled in the mountainsides, and we passed multiple waterfalls cascading down. It was definitely a highlight of the trip for me, despite the lack of mountain goats. 6. You can also see the mountains from above! Another one of our big plans for the week was to complete the 13 km (About 8 miles) hike between two of the seven peaks surrounding Bergen. We walked about 20 minutes from our air bnb and took the funicular up Ulriken, the highest peak. From there, we hiked through the Vidden Plateau to the peak of Floyen. It took about 6 hours, including snack and photo breaks - of which there were many. The only thing I didn't like about the hike was how impossible it was to capture the stunning landscape on my cell phone camera...the view was well worth the squishy socks from the all the mud I stepped through, the twisted ankle from falling through a snow bank (whoops), and the bemused response of a local when I horribly mispronounced the name of the mountain when asking for directions...PSA, It's not "floy-en." I tried. If you plan to do the whole distance, make sure you wear tons of layers; it was so cold there were snow flurries, even in mid-April! For the most part, the hike wasn't too difficult, with the exception of a few steeper inclines, but if you'd still rather do a shorter hike, there are a ton around the area! 7. Or just take the funicular. If you'd like to get a nice view of the city without all the hiking, take one (or both) of the two funiculars up to either Ulriken or Floyen. They do cost a bit of money; Ulriken is a bit more expensive, as it takes you to a higher peak, but Floyen is more easily accessed from the city center, right up the hill from the harbor. At the peak of Floyen, there are activities like zip lining, paragliding, playgrounds, and more - and a giant troll that is fun to take photos with. 8. Search for Street art Something I was not told about Bergen was that it is filled with awesome street art. In between activities, we strolled through different side streets of the city to look at all the colorful designs. It's well worth it to wander away from the city center for a while, to get to narrow streets of colorful buildings, stray cats, and tons of cool murals. 9. KODE Museum The KODE Museum is an art museum that is separated into four separate buildings. Unfortunately, two were closed for the season, but we still got a chance to wander around the others, and see works by artists like Munch and Picasso. The student discount gets you half off, and you can explore both buildings for just about 6 USD. We were marveling at the artwork the entire time - many of them were landscape paintings that did an impossibly great job at capturing the rays of light, details of the mountainside, and changes of color in between the shadows and light.
BONUS TIP: If you don't want to pay five dollars for a single ride on the tram, considering ordering the seven-day "Season pass" online - no matter how long you may be staying. This cost the equivalent of 16 USD, and was good for the whole week. Even if you're only staying the weekend, it still might be worth it if you plan on using the tram at least three times...
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Hi Everyone!I'm Lydia, a 21 year old college student studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark for the spring 2017 semester. I'm excited to spend the next few months adventuring around Europe, and it'll all be documented here! Feel free to look around. Archives
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