A rainy day in Bergen

We woke up at 7 o´clock in the morning. After brushing my teeth and taking a shower I had porridge and orange juice for breakfast. As per usual we mustered (gathered everyone on deck) at 8 o´clock for information about the days schedule and port side took over the watch. While standing on deck I realized how harsh the weather was and decided to stay below deck and study.

After many distractions such as guitar playing, chatting and coffee drinking I somehow managed to finish my Swedish assignment. Although by the time I finished it was already time for lunch. For lunch we had leftovers with several options such as breaded fish, noodle wok and spaghetti carbonara. At half past 12 the seafarer students and a few others went on a guided tour of Norway’s biggest tall ship, the Statsraad Lehmkuhl. The Statsraad Lehmkuhl is 98 meters long and was built in 1914.

After lunch we decided that we had stayed at the ship for to long and had to go outside regardless of weather. The rain was still pouring down so we put on our full sailing attire and went out. Bergen is a very beautiful city. Along the port lies a row of wooden houses, every single one in a different color. Inside these houses you can find anything from restaurants to shops and hotels.

After walking all the way along the port we hid from the rain in a small cafe. I had another coffee and we shared some cinnamon buns. One thing I have noticed here is that the Norwegians seem to really enjoy talking to us Swedes since we understand each others languages. In almost every cafe, restaurant or store I have visited I have been greeted with smiles and people asking if we are Swedish. Although a little difficult in the beginning, I have found myself very quickly improving my understanding of Norwegian.

We left the cafe and decided to explore the city a bit further. We walked through beautiful narrow alleyways between houses on the mountainside and as we got further up the views just got better and better. From about halfway up the mountain we could see all of Bergen and the fjords around it. After resting for a while on a bench we decided to get back to Gunilla as the rain was getting worse and we had become quite wet. On our way back we met large amounts of people going to the festival that is taking place just across the street from Gunilla. It’s fun to be so close to the festival as we can sit on deck and listen. Although I have some doubts if Bergen, the rainiest city in Europe, really is the best city to host the festival in?

Olle Gren