Early morning view of snow along the Dungeness Spit
Inside of me there is a five-year old girl and she loves snow. More than once I've climbed out of bed, sluggish at 3AM. I slog towards the bathroom, but stop to stare out the upstairs hall window. There, by the miracle of ordinary weather I see a moonlit blanket of white covering everything as far as I can see. What can I do but shout 'YIPPY' and then skip towards the bathroom.
Far off, the Olympic Mountains to the south, as seen from my 'play room'
I wonder sometimes if I'm not just crazy, as my friends/neighbors HATE the dread white stuff, fussing on how difficult it is to drive on snow, how cold it is and yatta, yatta, yatta. But me? I'm all "Yay, SNOW!"
The Bushtits don't mind the snow, as long as I keep the feeder full
Snow around here can be fleeting. Mornings I slump into the hall and peer through the window to see the snow fall of the previous night. Then, not a morning person, I'll crawl off to drink my coffee. A couple of hours later I'll check out the window, saddened to see the snow has already melted away. But this week we... or at least "I" am in luck. The snow fell and has lasted a few days. Nope. I don't build snowmen, I don't use a sled and I don't cross country ski. I just love looking at all that cold stuff.
Can't even see the road under all that snow
The mountains on the other side of the San Juan Straits are in Canada
The old farm house
That's all she wrote. Just wanted to wax sympathetically over all that frigid, brrrrrr stuff.
On our last morning in Norway, we took a taxi to the airport Clarion hotel, located right next to the airport. Our flight out the following morning was an early one so our hotel hop was for convivence.
Clarion Lobby
Travel weariness had set in nicely, thank you very much. So after getting our room, neither Ila nor myself, felt too adventurous. We decided to walk over to the airport so as to avoid surprises in the morning, when we would be dragging our luggage along with us.
And even more lobby
The hotel buffet area, with a string of gas lights along one side
When we returned from the airport trek, I noticed the hall on my floor had chairs set in front of a window facing the airport. Decided to do a little reading and jet watching.
I think I was facing a side lot where out of service jets were stashed and/or serviced
There was a view of the parking lot, featured here only for the colors & clouds in the sky
That night, we had dinner at the hotel's restaurant, which was - kind of funny to me - once again a decidedly NON-Norwegian fare. My dinner was in fact, a HUMONGOUS side of Louisiana BBQ beef ribs with a life-time supply of French fries and of course, a side of cabbage. Oh, and Ila had genuine Norwegian chicken tacos.
View from the hotel window, facing the airport across the street
The following morning we were up at 3:15AM (which is why we needed to stay near the airport!) and we slogged ourselves and our luggage over to the airport. The morning was cold and it was snowing, and for only the second time in my life I saw the moon with a rainbow halo. I'd have taken a photo but LUGGAGE and SNOW!
Saw my final Norwegian Doggie, a traditional Norwegian Boston Terrier.
Airport Lady's Room
Our flight's only stop was the Amsterdam Airport (aka Airport from HELL). Both Ila and I opted to play the 'Old Lady Card' because that airport is too freakn' gigantic and scary-as-hell. Long story could follow up on all that but you are being spared.
My view from the jet of the wings getting a nice bath to remove the snow and ice before takeoff
After Amsterdam the flight back to Seattle was, to my mind, wonderful. I always enjoy long flights, short flights, whatever. I just like flying in general. Airports, not so much...
Bye Bye Amsterdam!
Suitably Iced, Iceland
Not exactly green, Greenland
I had at one point sworn off cruises, but I could totally do a Hurtigruten cruise again some day. Ha Det Norway!
Warming up at a hanging fire second day of roaming included visiting the Fløibanen funicular, a tram which carries locals and tourists up a steep hill to view the panorama that is Bergen.
We got instructions at the hotel on finding the tram, but we got a little lost. Imagine how cranky I was hoofing it, then discovering I had no idea where the silly tram was.
Even when lost, the town was soothingly beautiful to me
Though lost, we managed to convince ourselves that we'd wandered down this particular road, with intent to see the clever and interesting artwork along the way.
After queries at a local book store, we found our way to the Funicular and its ticket office. We paid for our fares, then headed to the gateway (shown below). The impressive entrance reminded me of the World's Fairs I visited a zillion years ago, in New York City and Montreal Canada. The SHINY!
The tram fare was reasonable and we were soon boarding the tram. More on that ride later.
End of the line, atop the mountain
The end of the line was the beginning of adventure on the mountain top. There were all sorts of nature trails to hike (no I didn't), a few shops of souvenirs, a beautiful restaurant, and even a play ground for the kiddies.
Come for the view, stay for the 'mat' (food).
The restaurant, further uphill
From Floyen you can even see your way to New York, off on the right I believe
I spent a lot of time trying to spot birds, but the only one I really got any sort of look at was this European Magpie. I miss Magpies!
Gordon Setter
I also enjoyed a great deal of 'dog watching' on this trip. On Floyen I 'spotted a Gordon Setter, a Scottie dog, and a Husky. I saw a total of 12 dog breeds on this trip, including Dalmatian, Greyhound, Britany Spaniel, Cardigan Corgie and Pekinese. But know what? Not a single Labrador or Golden Retriever! Quite shocking considering how many you see in the states.
Best spotted breed? Two Norwegian Lundehund! Sad I couldn't get a photo of the facinating little breed.
V. Silvery Scottish Terrier
Feeling peckish, we headed up hill to the big restaurant
Yes... the restaurant had me at the doors and doorknobs!
Beautiful venue with window seats that take in the panoramic view
Lots of luncheon choice, including huge pots of several soups
I talked myself out of getting dessert, but I did enjoy a Shrimp salad with cucumber and plenty of lemon juice.
AH! Now back to the tram. Here's a super short vid of the ride on the Fløibanen funicular.
You a city has woed you when even the manhole covers seem romantic
The stay in Bergen lasted 2 days and 3 nights. Each day we feasted at the Thon Hotel's incredible breakfast buffet. After having enjoyed the daily buffets on the Hurtigruten cruise, we were surprised to discover there was more than one fantastic buffet venues to be had in Norway!
You could find every kind of egg dish you fancy at this Thon breakfast station
Prefer a quick smoothie for breakfast? You're in luck!
Do-it-yourself Muesli Station
Once crammed full of breakfast, we ventured forth onto the streets of Bergen. Our game plan? Uh... didn't really have one. In fact, a couple of times we just jumped aboard whatever bus was nearby, and let it take us on a little discovery tour. Where did the buses take us... uh... I don't actually know!
Had to traverse this beautiful cobbled street every day while in Bergen
I loved browsing the cute Jule decor, so entertaining.
Or entertaining for me anyway...
On day one there was a little souvenir shopping. I don't buy too many souvenirs, as photos tend to do it for me. There were some interesting shops to explore. My favorite was a silver shop that sold many items that were made by the Sami. I got a few small items.
The only Norwegian Fjords I saw on this trip
At another small souvenir shop, I spotted the only Norwegian Fjord Horses I saw on the whole trip, and since they were figurines, as opposed to genuine hay burners, but at least I saw some... sort of.
We managed to take one bus that took us to the Bergen Julemarked, we'd passed on our first night in the city.
Julemarked Polar Bear guarding a tent full of goodies
The Julemarket had many aisles to stroll alongside the locals.
Um.... Cheeses!
All the goods shown here are made of chocolate, even the 'rubber duckies'
We took time out for a hot snack at a dining tent
Warming up at a hanging fire
At day's end, as we walked back towards our hotel, a local bakery/deli was spotted. The little shop became our source of dinner the days we were in Bergen.
Lovely deli for sandwiches and hot chocolate
Only complaint? Too many tempting treats for sale
Each evening after a day's roaming the city, I'd end my day in the hotel lobby. There were two lovely sitting rooms where hotel guests could watch a Norwegian football game on a large screen TV, or hunker in front of an open fireplace. Myself, I always sat on a comfy chair, busy scribbling into my travel journal, always a perfectly cozy way to end my Norwegian adventure day. How about a quick view of the lobby, and my love affair with its Nespresso machine.
[UPDATE: For no real good reason, here is my Nespresso, in its sacred spot on my upstairs coffee corner. Beware... there be dragons here...]
