Aboard the Hurtigruten and Bergen

At 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, I left Trondheim and set sail for Bergen aboard the Hurtigruten. The Hurtigruten in a big seven-story boat that travels the Norwegian coast. If I had known they sailed from the very north tip back down to Oslo when I booked my trip, I would have just done one big coastal tour on the Hurtigruten... But I didn't know that, now did I?! So I got on-board in Trondheim, stayed in a cabin one night, and then arrived in Bergen the next afternoon.

I was quite excited when I got on-deck; the boat ride was the part of the trip I was most looking forward to. Not to mention, I hadn't been on a boat that big since--ever! I mean, sure, I sailed the blues seas to Key West aboard the Carabelli for Spring Break one year, but they was totally different. So as soon as I got on board, I went exploring. It didn't take long for me to discover the outside decks that would become my favorite places on the ship. As we left shore and entered the Norwegian Sea, I could tell the scenery was going to be unlike any I had seen before. I was so freaking excited... And when I heard the captain announce that there would be an informational meeting in half an hour, I decided to make my way there seeing as how I really knew absolutely nothing about the cruise I was on.

...At the meeting, it didn't take long for me to realize I was one of only a few people aboard the ship under the age of 60. Had I not seen two other backpackers checking in when I did that morning, I would have probably assumed I was the only one... But whatev. I was still just as excited to be on a ship in Norway.

Shortly after the informational meeting, I went back up top to the viewing lounge (which is just my way of saying "room with couches, seats, and wall-to-wall windows). I was so amazed at the coastline. The jutting, snow-covered mountains coming straight out of the water. It was beautiful. But it was a bit redundant. And that is not a complaint in anyway, cause I could have spent a week on that ship and never gotten tired of the views... But I was a so tired at that point and my body was begging for a nap after all the traveling and early mornings I had been doing. So knowing I'd have plenty of coastline to see later, I headed back to my cabin and napped. After all, what else was I going to do?! I hadn't run into those two other young backpackers yet, so was I just suppose to go buddy up with the elderly?! No, (while that isn't too far out of the realm of something I would do,) I opted for the nap.

After I woke, I did a lot more of lounging and viewing. I set up shop in the viewing lounge and went to town on a dozen postcards... And then I paid way to much money for some late lunch. (Trust me, Norway is ridiculously expensive... And if I had been calculating the conversion rate right, I would have actually known that while I was there!) But all that is neither here nor there. I guess the point is that I had quite the leisurely boat ride. And it was the best part of my trip up until that point. I spent hours just watching the coast go by, and I loved it! But my absolute favorite part of the day was sunset. It was GORGEOUS. Mesmerizing, even. The blues, the purples, the pinks, the oranges... Ahh! One of the most--if not the most--beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. It was just one of those moments where yo can't help but revel at how amazing and creative God is for making such natural beauty in the world... And I did just that. Aloud. To myself and anyone who would listen. Ha! I literally just kept walking around the deck gasping, "So freakin' beautiful!" and "Ahh! Amazing!" ...Some of those people around me probably thought I was a little off my rocker--and who even knows if they spoke English. But I couldn't help it. It was that captivating!

Also as the sun was setting, I finally ran into the other backpackers, who turned out to be Ben and Andre. Both were Engineering students in the UK, but only Ben was a native; Andre was originally from Germany. So for the rest of the night, I palled up with them. They were pretty down-to-earth guys. I can't say we did much more than just sit around and do a lot of talking, but it was good to meet some new friends for the time on the boat. Once again, the people I met really did make all the difference on the trip...

That night, sitting on the (cold, windy) deck on the back of the boat with Ben and Andre, I saw g lunar halo--granted I didn't know what it was called at the time, and had to google it later. I had really hoped to see the Northern Lights, but knew the chance was slim-to-none because I didn't go far enough North. But I guess God gave me the second best thing! Pretty much, the lunar halo was a more faint ring of light surrounding the moon. And I am not sure how true it is, but some of the others around us were saying it is a pretty rare occurrence. Whether or not they are right, I am not sure, but I do know it was the first one I had ever seen. And in my mind, it made up for the fact that I wouldn't be witnessing Aurora Borealis. So it was a nice night indeed, and I turned in (to the fold out bed in my cabin) shortly thereafter.

The next morning was rather chill. Aside from breakfast, I did a lot more lounging, viewing, and picture taking... I met back up with Ben and Andre, but spent most of my morning to myself. I cuddled up on one of the couches and took to reading my Eat, Love, Pray book--which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! Did I mention how much I loved that book?! Anywho, it turned out that Ben and Andre were staying in the same hostel I was booked for in Bergen. So about the time we started to dock, I buddied back up with them and let them lead the way...

A word about men leading the way: Do they always take the difficult, long way around that involves five-hundred stairs straight up a fjord, or was that just a one time experience?! By the time we finally made it to the hostel, I was breathing heavy and beet-red... (Damned my Harrison genes of turning bright red at the slightest bit of physical activity!) A tourist for sure. And I was not the happiest camper. Oh, did I mention how much freakin' snow was in Bergen?! Apparently they had massive snow storms the days before my arrival, and it was quite piled up. But that is not even the loveliest part. The day I arrived, the sun was out and the temperature up a bit, so all the banks of snow were melting. And there is nothing I love more than sloshing around in the melting snow in rubber-souled shoes--might as well just have worn sleds on my feet--while carrying a 20 pound backpack!!

As you can probably already tell, Bergen was not my favorite stop of my trip. To be honest, I really can't judge it too fairly because it didn't really get much better from there. And it's not all Bergen's fault... I just should have packed better shoes. (And a lighter bag.) What ever made me think Wallabees would be well-suited for Norway in February?! Long story short, after I checked into the hostel, I went wondering around the city. You know, my usual routine... But I did not enjoy it, and I think it had everything to do with the fact that my shoes were soaking wet. And not just on the outside, but all the way to my feet. My socks were even wet. And it was terrible. Ugh! All the melting snow, aside from being a complete falling hazard, had splashed all over my Wallabees and soaked in. So even though Bergen was a pretty enough town, I just couldn't stand to walk around in wet shoes and socks while trying not to break my neck every step. So I wound up back at the hostel before the sun even set.

Back in my room at the hostel, I met some cool people. There were a couple girls from Austria, a guy from Spain, one from Belgium, and another girl from Mexico. All but the girl from Mexico were studying in Molde, and nearby town to Bergen. The Mexican girl was studying in France but was off for Spring Break. She shared many of the same views as I about Bergen and it's (damned) snow. Ha! And though I was invited to go out with the student group from Molde, I opted to go to bed at a reasonable hour instead. After all, I was back up at 6 the next morning in order to get ready and catch my next train.