Norway: The Rest

Yes, it's taken me a while, but I'm finally ready to finish off my Norway adventure. (In my defense, we've had 4 tests over the past week, and I've knitted approximately half of the body of a Norwegian sweater in that time. Be impressed.)

I left off with our return from Sognefjord. The rest of my time in Norway was spent in Bergen. In general, the city was quite quiet, because Holy Week is a holiday for Norwegians as well. In this spirit, most had vacated the city in order to stay in their cabins on the fjords or in the mountains, leaving the city (and its shops) deserted, to some degree. However, we still found plenty to do. For example:

We visited Edvard Grieg's house. This is the inside of his "composer's hut," which was behind the house, down a small hill, next to the water. Notice that he frequently sat on Beethoven's sonatas in the hopes that inspiration and greatness would transfer via osmosis.

We hiked up Ulriken, Bergen's tallest mountain. The day started clear...and then it began to rain...and then a thick cloud descended on us, making it impossible to see more than 20 feet ahead. At the top, we could see nothing, but then -- miracle! -- the cloud cleared for 5 minutes, giving us a spectacular view of the city.

We browsed the tourist shops in Bryggen, the old port area. Norwegian sweaters abounded.

We went to church at St. Paul on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Here, on Easter, the crucifix has been uncovered, the Easter candle has been lit, and simple bouquets of daffodils adorn the altar. Beautiful.

Speaking of Easter, we had quite the Easter celebration. Becca invited several of her friends (almost all of whom were also international students who, unlike the Norwegians, were still in Bergen for the holiday) to come to the apartment for sweets, games, and Easter activities. All day Saturday, we shopped, cleaned, and baked in preparation for the big gathering.

All in a day's work: 8 dozen cookies, 2 bowls of pasta salad, 2 dozen scrambled eggs, 30 hard-boiled eggs, 2 coffee cakes...

...and 2 pies!

The party was a huge success. We ate until we could eat no more, and then we decorated eggs, played Uno, played charades, and tried a mystery-whodunnit type game that one of Becca's friends taught us. (Because it obviously matters, here was the outcome: Becca and Erlend were both arrested for a crime that I actually committed. I used my botanical research to buy a potent poison in Brussels from a time-traveler from the future. I slipped the poison into William Shakespeare's drink at a party I was hosting, because I couldn't stand his misogynistic ideals after hearing of the fabulous notions of women's equality from my time-traveling friend. And that is how Shakespeare was murdered.)

Finally! A clear view of Bergen from Fløyen. This is the Sentrum, where we spent most of our time.

On my final day, we climbed another mountain, Fløyen, with Raanan and Erlend. This one was much tamer, with a paved path the whole way up. There were so many people out enjoying the holiday and the on-and-off sun, just like us. I flew home the next day, slightly delayed but otherwise smooth. After becoming used to the rain, snow, and clouds in Bergen, I was caught slightly off-guard by the sunshine, blooming flowers, and 80-degree days that greeted me back in New York. I can't believe the trip went so quickly; I am so lucky to have such an incredible friend in Becca. I truly felt at home with her, and we had a wonderful time spending time with each other, catching up, and having a few adventures. What a wonderful way to spend Easter!

The smiles say it all.