Last Day

August 2nd. Not a particularly exciting date. Nothing special going on either at home in the US or here in Norway. However this day (and tomorrow) do have some newfound meaning for me. Today is my last full day here in Bergen. My last complete twenty-four hours in the country that I have called my home for the last three months. My last day at the Bjerknes Centre. My last night in Fantoft. Tomorrow I fly out in the early afternoon to Iceland to visit some friends and enjoy a few relaxing days in Reykjavik. In a week, I'll be home.

It's hard to believe that I've been living and working here for twelve weeks. Where did all that time go? It seems like it was just a few days ago when I was crying in RDU and saying goodbye to my parents. It's even harder to believe that my senior year of college begins in less than three weeks!

I've learned so much during my time here, both about myself and about a life spent in academia. Now I've got a better idea of what life would be like as a professor or researcher. A schedule packed full of meetings, conferences, papers, new research projects, and silly undergraduates who want to spend the summer volunteering in your lab. I've done plenty of mundane tasks during my time here, that's for sure. But more importantly, I believe I've taken some big steps in my path toward graduate school and life afterwards. I've learned helpful new skills for programming and how to deal with the massive amounts of data involved with climate science. I think I've gotten so much braver with approaching people, whether it's about asking for help or seeking out new opportunities. I also believe I now have some sort of idea of what I'd like to study in graduate school, which definitely relieves some of the stress that I've had over the past year when thinking about the future.

I arrived in Bergen to 40 degree temperatures (That's Fahrenheit! And COLD. And in May. Forty degrees in MAY!) and a week straight of rain. And now I'll be leaving to cloudy skies and some light drizzle. This weather is fitting as it matches my conflicting emotions as I leave what I now consider to be the most beautiful place on Earth. Excitement at seeing friends in Iceland and returning home after that, but some sadness for leaving my home away from home.

Yes, this summer in Bergen, made possible by my Burch Fellowship, has done wonders in preparing me for life after UNC. I'm a more confident person, definitely a more well-traveled person, yet I'm still going to hold onto what is most important to me -- my family and friends back home "in the states." Goodbye Bergen, hello Iceland, and the US -- I'll see you in a week!

Flåm!

So on Monday morning, my dad and I woke up nice and early, had one last amazing breakfast at our hotel in Bergen, and then made our way to the train station. One great thing about Bergen is how walkable everything is. It was a nice little five minute stroll from our hotel to the train station. So sweat. Once we got there, we joined the crowd waiting to the board the train bound for Oslo. Leaving only 30 seconds late (take note all you trains in the US. Become more efficient!), we said goodbye to Bergen and were on our way!

Our train!

Though the train ride Bergen to Oslo takes about six hours (which is roughly sixe times longer than flying), we had heard this is one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. However we were splitting it up over two days. Today our destination was the little town of Flåm at the tip of one of Norway's many fjords. But more about that later. Now for the train ride, part one.

Holy smokes, people weren't lying when they described the beauty of Norway! We past so many picturesque scenes on the ride from Bergen to Flåm. Not that my dad would know since he snoozed through half the ride. We were fortunate to have a beautiful day for traveling. Blue sky, no clouds, and lots of lakes/rivers/fjords!

Here's a typical scene on the train ride to Flåm. Amazing!

Forest right next to the river. And mountains in the background. Does it get any better than this?

After about two hours, we arrived at our stop -- the Myrdal station. I think my dad and I were both assuming this was going to be a little town that we could explore as we waited for our next train to take us down into the valley. NOPE! Other than a bed a breakfast, Myrdal is only a lonely train station in the middle of Norway. Luckily our wait wasn't too long and soon we were boarding our next train for a ride on the Flåm Railroad! Now this train was different from the main one that runs throughout the country because the Flåm Railroad is purely a tourist ride. It runs up and down the mountain multiple times a day bringing hundreds of people with each trip. Apparently this is also the steepest railway in the world. It's only 20 kilometers long but drops 800 meters! Sounds impressive, but I personally never felt like it was all that steep. We did go through about twenty tunnels, which was fun. However the grade of the track and the tunnels aren't the important part -- it's all about the views! 

My dad and I knew we wanted to be on the side of the train that looked out into the valley and since there were no assigned seats, it was my job to push ahead of everyone and grab us two seats. I think I did a pretty good jobs because we both got window seats. Then it was time to pull out the cameras and begin the ride down to Flåm! This was a beautiful trip. We saw winding bike paths, snow capped mountains, rivers, tiny towns, and plenty of forests!

A lucky shot I got through an opening in one of the many tunnels. The Flåm valley!

We also passed an impressive waterfall. The train did a quick stop here for people to get out and take photos. The water was gushing and the wind must have been blowing some because water and mist was going everywhere! My dad and I (and the camera!) got a little wet, but it was worth it.

After the hour train ride and a short walk, we made it to our hostel for the night. It was a cute little farm house, complete with sheep and goats! And bunkbeds. I got the top bunk for the night. Just like being back on an Indian Princesses trip to Camp Rockmont or Cafe Seafarer!

Sheep right out our back door!

Our hostel! Red is a very popular house color in Norway.

After dinner at a cafe in the main part of town (which pretty much consists of a couple of restaurants and souvenir shops, a hotel, and a grocery store), my dad and I headed back to the hostel. We had great timing because as soon as we made it back, it began POURING. Luckily the rain didn't last long and once it stopped, we decided to explore the area a bit. We knew there was a path to a waterfall near our hostel, so we set out to find our second waterfall of the day. The path was pretty steep (and rather muddy), but we eventually made it to the top and were rewarded with a beautiful sight! The spray from this waterfall was all over the place, so once again we got a tad soggy. But we got plenty of great photos and it was the perfect way to end our day in Flam.

Us and the waterfall. My dad is a champion at taking photos of the two of us!

The next morning we hopped back on the Flåm Railroad and headed  up to the Myrdal station so we could continue our journey to Oslo. But I'll say more about that next time.

Exploring Bergen with My Dad!

On Friday July 6th, my dad arrived in Bergen! I arrived at the early airport about an hour early since I was so pumped to see him! Well that reason and that’s how the bus schedule worked out. Once we found each other in the (tiny) Bergen airport, we made our way downtown. My dad was lucky to arrive to slightly sunny skies rather than the cold and rain that welcomed me. After dropping our stuff off at the hotel, it was time for our first dinner together. And this was going to be my first time eating out in Bergen! The food is rather pricy, so I’ve been taking the cheap route of cooking all my meals.


We went to a small restaurant near the hotel. The food was tasty and served on HUGE plates/bowls. And while it was expensive (thanks for paying Dad!), it was by far the best meal I had had in over two months. And my dad seemed pretty happy to be in Bergen too!

First meal together in Bergen!

Cheers to being in Bergen!

Once we were finished with dinner (and after we finally got the check, which took a surprisingly long time), I showed Dad around Bergen. Not only was it a great feeling to finally see someone that I know, but it was great to be able to show people around the town that has become my home over the past two months. We visited the Bryggen, ate some ice cream, and enjoyed the sunshine far into the evening.

My dad and the bryggen.

Me and the bryggen.

10 pm and the sun is still out!

On Saturday, I convinced my dad to go up the Stoltzekleiven hike with me, the climb with the 800 some steps. It was a long journey to the top, but after a couple of breaks for us to catch our breath, we made it!

The weather this time was much better than the previous time I made the climb and we got a great view of Bergen. We also watched a cruise ship pull into the harbor, which reminded us of my grandparents.

My dad, making it the last few steps.

On top of the mountain!

Oh hey, it's a cruise ship! Bringing tons of people downtown.

Finally to finish the hike, we decided to head down the mountain in a different direction. The path past lots of scenic lakes, and I’m glad my dad got to enjoy the natural beauty that Bergen offers. After our hike, we both enjoyed a nap at our hotel before we headed to Fantoft where I cooked dinner for my dad. He also got to meet a couple of the guys on my hall and they were kind enough to chat with us for a while.

 

Which way do we go?

We woke to low clouds on Sunday morning, though the forecast for the afternoon was sunshine. Luckily the clouds did blow away before our fjord cruise! This was, by far, the most beautiful boat ride I’ve ever been on. Holy smokes, the views were incredible! It was a little chilly at times with the wind, but thankfully the crew offered blankets and sold hot chocolate. I’d have to say this was the highlight of the Bergen portion of our trip.

Little lighthouse.

Looking out over the fjord.

Good photo of us!

I thought this photo was funny because my dad's head looks so small!

And that wraps up our three days in Bergen. I’ll go into the next portion of our trip in the following post

Updates about Bergen

Alright so it’s been quite some time before I’ve written any updates. And I’ve definitely got plenty to cover from the past month or so. First lets chat about Bergen.  I’ve been here about two months now and for the two or three weeks after my Copenhagen trip, nothing too out of the ordinary happened.

I visited the stave church that is only a few minutes walk from where I live. It’s a cute little church. Sadly I don’t think it’s the original structure since I’m pretty sure the first one burned down at some point. It’s surrounded by woods and it’s a nice place to go and read on weekends.

 Fantoft Stave Church.

 

Below is a photo of one of my friends and hallmates Andreas. He’s a champion at baking! He makes several loaves of bread each week and they’re always mighty tasty. We also made hummus together a few weeks ago. One weekend he spent almost all of Friday and Saturday baking and decorating a cake for his friends 25^th birthday. I’d say it came out really nicely!

 

 Andreas looking proud with his gorgeous cake!

I’ve also done more hiking over the last several weeks. I met some trolls along the way, saw plenty of beautiful sights, and climbed up about 800 steps! That’s right, Bergen has a climb of between 600 and 800 steps up the side of a mountain! One cloudy Saturday I decided to give it a try. Holy smokes my legs were dead by the top! But I’m proud that I made it the whole way without my legs giving out. And once I got to the top, I got to look down on the city from a different angle, which was cool.

 Me and a troll (and a bunch of kids).

 Beautiful lake I passed on a hike.

 The sign for Stoltzekleiven, the hike of 600 - 800 steps (the actual amount is disputed).

 The beginning of the hike looks innocent enough.

Final steps at the very end. If you make it to the wood steps, you're practically at the top!

So that’s a brief overview of my last couple of weeks in Bergen. My next entry will be much more exciting – and with a surprise visitor!

Copenhagen, Part II

The last time I posted, it was Monday morning and I was getting ready to embark on my last day in Copenhagen.  I had originally planned to have a leisurely morning of sleeping in late and enjoying the hotel breakfast, but my inner alarm clock was not going to let that happen.  Awake, showered, and fed by 9:30, I quickly finished my blog post which I had started the previous night and checked out of my hotel.  It was a perfect morning with a clear blue sky, so I was excited to be on my way.


I didn't really have any set plans for the day, but I quickly realized there was a great attraction just a five minute walk from my hotel.  The Copenhagen city hall is located right on the square next to Tivoli.  It's free to walk around inside and it's a beautiful building.  Lots of windows keep the huge center room bright.  It was cool to walk around the building, but the best part is the clock tower.  A few of only 20 Danish kroner allows you to walk up the more than 300 steps (many of which are spiral staircases!) to the top of the clock tower.  It was super windy up there, but a fantastic few of the city.  Plus, I even asked a nice man to take my photo!  Finally some proof that I've been to Denmark!

Photo of city hall from my first day in Copenhagen.

Inside.  I love the Danish flags everywhere!

View from the top! And nice clear sky.

No laughing at my hair -- it was windy!

After checking out the city from above, I decided it was time to move onward.  Strolling through the streets, I ended up on the little island that holds Christiansborg Palace.  Here are the offices of the Danish Prime Minister, the Danish Parliament, and the Danish Supreme Court.  The queen also uses the space as Royal Reception Rooms.  Basically all branches of the government make use of this huge building.

The front of Christiansborg Palace.

When I first arrived, the queen was actually meeting with some people in the reception rooms, so the majority of the palace was closed.  However, I could still go down into the ruins.  Apparently over the last hundreds of years, multiple buildings have been built on this same site, including the first and second Christiansborg Palaces (the current one is the third).  It seems that the site has been plagued by fires.  Hopefully the current building will remain standing for a while.  So I explored the ruins for a bit (and enjoyed the cool air of being underground).  However, I didn't take any photos because it was pretty dark.  Plus I figured no one would want to see a pile of stones that were a part of the first palace's foundation.  Not exactly thrilling stuff.  Still, all of the plaques also had information in English (unlike the Geology Museum that I visited on Sunday), so it was a really informative exhibit.


Wandering out the back of Christiansborg Palace, I found myself near one of the many canals of Copenhagen.  Figuring I had nothing else planned for the day, I took another harbor cruise (seriously, the Copenhagen Card is the best thing ever!).  It was the same company that I took the cruise with the previous day, but because we were leaving from a different spot in the city, the tour was slightly different.  Even though most of it was the same information (and even though it was rather windy), it was enjoyable to rest a best and get a different view of the city.  

Photo from my harbor cruise.  The new Royal Danish Playhouse.

By the time the tour was finished, the queen was done with her meeting and the Royal Reception Rooms were open to the public!  I quickly headed inside for fear that she would close them again.  Man what a gorgeous building!  Each room was decorated so nicely (including one that had a painting of ducks!) and the views of the courtyard and the surrounding city were quite nice.  Though I wasn't supposed to take pictures, I did snap a quick photo of the thrones.  

Thrones.  Not nearly as fancy as the thrones that kings and queens of the past used (pictures in my last post from Rosenborg).

After getting my fill of royalty for the second day in a row, I wanted to visit the Hans Christian Andersen museum.  At first I couldn't find it and then the sky opened up on me (the weather changes so fast here!), so I made my way to a coffee shop and enjoyed a muffin and cold drink.  I ended up staying there a while reading and listening to all the chatter around me.  Eventually I realized that I can be lazy in a coffee shop anyway, so I headed back out to search for the museum again.  Finding it right next to the Ripley's Believe it or Not museum (no need to visit since I'm sure it has all the exact some stuff as the one in Myrtle Beach), I headed inside and spent the next hour reading a selection of his short stories.  I love how the ones that became really popular (ex: The Little Mermaid) are not really the happy stories that Disney portrayed them as.  In Andersen's version, the little mermaid has her tongue cut out, not just her voice taken away.  It's funny how the originals are changed to make them more family friendly.

Statue of Hans Christian Andersen from the museum.

Once I finished up with the museum it was after six and I didn't really have much left to do.  I plan on catching the metro to the airport around 7:30 or 8 for my 10 pm flight.  I sat outside for a while, but people were smoking everywhere and a drunk dude sat down next to me.  Deciding I had had my fill of Copenhagen, I hopped on the metro a little ahead of schedule and arrived at the airport super early for my flight.  Since I had plenty of time to wander around, I now feel like an expert on the Copenhagen airport.  But I arrived home safely right after midnight (and it was still light out!).  It's funny that I've only been in Bergen for five or six weeks, but it felt like returning home.  I guess that's a good thing considering I've still got a month and a half left here.


Anyway, that was my Copenhagen adventure!  I'd say it was a great experience and I've love to go back to the city sometime.  Right now, though, I'm content with Bergen.  I like the smaller city feel and the surrounding mountains.  Copenhagen definitely didn't have the nature aspect that Bergen offers.  My next update will be about all that I've neglected to say over the past few weeks.  Somehow I always do a great job procrastinating with this blog -- it's good practice for when I want to put off all my assignments during senior year! :)


Oh and I think this is a fun way to end this post.  Legos are pretty popular here, and there are plenty of places that sell them.  The biggest and best location for buying them is the official Lego store on Stroget, the pedestrian street in the middle of downtown.  You can probably buy every kind of Lego you would ever want here, but my favorite part was several life-sized Lego figures and an entire wall made of Legos that depicted downtown Copenhagen!

Legos!

Copenhagen

Clearly I don't do a good job with frequent updates.  But I'm going to take a break from the regular talk about Bergen because this weekend, I'm in COPENHAGEN!

Day One

To get the cheapest airfare from Bergen to Copenhagen, I had to catch a flight at 6:45 am.  Which meant waking up at 4 and walking to the bus stop while it was drizzling.  Clearly Bergen was upset that I was leaving for the weekend.  But I wouldn't let the weather get me down because I was pretty exciting to go on this trip.  Plus, the bus to the airport was crowded and I had to stand (which I didn't think was a big deal since it was a quick 15 minute ride), which apparently means I didn't have to buy a ticket!  I'll stand every day of the week if it means I can save a few (or 50!) kroner.

After landing in Copenhagen, the first thing I noticed was all of the bikes!  There were bikes EVERYWHERE!  And all of the streets seem to have a bike lane and sometimes there are even streetlights specifically for bikers.  Compared to hilly Bergen, Copenhagen is incredibly flat, which probably helps explain why so many people bike.  I like this about the city.

 Just a few of the bikes that I've seen so far.

Before leaving for Copenhagen, a family friend suggested that I hit up a cafe called La Glace.  She said they had the best hot chocolate ever.  So the very first thing I did once I landed (aside from being amazed at all the bikes), was search for the cafe.  It took a while and a few wrong turns, but eventually I found it!  Realizing I needed Danish kroner since they didn't take US credit cards, I hit up an ATM and then finally got to enjoy the hot chocolate!  Definitely a great way to start my trip.

 Hot chocolate and a yummy pastry from La Glace.

After filling my belly, I still had a few hours to go before I could check into my hotel.  At the airport I had purchased a Copenhagen Card (which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone visiting), which got me free admission to many of the city's museums and attractions, including the zoo!  I have always loved checking out the animals (assuming they have large enough enclosures) and this one certainly did not disappoint.

 Hippos at the Copenhagen Zoo.  I probably sent too much time watching these guys, but they were pretty interesting.  I liked their ears!

The bears were also pretty entertaining.  They kept climbing up the tree trunk in their enclosure!

After the zoo, I walked back to the main downtown area and it was time to check into my hotel.  I'd like to say thanks to the strip club across the street (and the one next door) for keeping my hotel fairly cheap.

 Too bad my room is on the inside of the hotel so I can watch people as they go in and out.

My room is nice and cozy.  It's small (as I expected it to be), but the bed is comfortable.  Plus I feel very European since my bed just has a comforter and no top sheet.  How fancy!

 Yay for a big bed!  My bed at Fantoft is only a twin, so this was a treat.

After dropping things off at my hotel, I wanted to do a little sight-seeing.  First I went to the Rundetarn, or the Round Tower.  It's right in the really touristy part of town, so it was super easy to find.  You can walk all the way up to the top and stand on the roof to get a good look around the city.

The Round Tower from the street.

And a view from up top!

To finish off my first day in Copenhagen, I decided to go to Tivoli, which is the world's second oldest amusement park.  I wasn't looking to go on any of the rides or to eat at any of the restaurants, but I thought it would be fun to walk around for a bit.

The gate of Tivoli.

One of the first things I came upon was the Peacock Stage, which is where they have pantomime shows.  I only watched about half of one, but it seems to be about the relationship between a young girl and her forbidden lover.  And lots of silly pranks, of course.

The theater.  The peacocks tail opened up to reveal to stage.

Some of the performers.

The best part of the show was definitely the peacock that randomly walked by!  I guess they're free to roam around Tivoli.  His squawk sounded awfully like the bird Kevin from the movie Up.

PEACOCK!

Though it was only 7:30 at night, I was exhausted.  Waking up at 4am definitely took it's tole on me.  I headed back to my hotel to get some sleep, but first I noticed the lights had been turned on at Tivoli.  They were pretty cool looking!

Lighting the path.

Day Two

The plan of attack for my second day was to hit up a lot of museums.  It wasn't supposed to be great weather, so I figured I should spend the day inside.  First up was the art museum.  It was a beautiful building, but I've got to say that I've never been that interested in art.  I was probably only inside for about thirty minutes.  My mom would be proud by how little time I spent there.  My dad would be appalled.  

The art museum.

One of the works of art in the modern art half of the museum.  I thought it looked pretty cool.

Next up was Rosenberg Castle.  Standing in one of the parks downtown, this is probably one of the easier castles to visit if you're in Copenhagen.  Some of the other ones are a bus ride away, but this was within walking distance.  The castle houses the Royal Collection, which includes things as varied as past kind's desks to their thrones to their crowns.

View from outside.

In the mirrored room.  The only proof I have that I was in Copenhagen.

Thrones.

Crowns!

Continuing with the royal theme, I next visited Amalienborg Palace.  Here there are four identical buildings surrounding a courtyard (and a statue of someone on a horse.  The Danish love to portray their important people on horses).  I believe the queen currently lives in one of these buildings.  One of them has been turned into a museum.  I probably wouldn't recommend visiting this particular museum because it mainly had dresses that the queen has worn to royal events.  Not exactly my cup to tea.  But the buildings are beautiful!  I'm really impressed with all the gorgeous architecture in Copenhagen.  All the buildings have so much history behind them.  Most of the photos that I've taken are just buildings that I think look really nice since nothing in the United States even comes close to this level of history and grandeur.

One of the four mansions at Amalienborg Palace.  Do note the beautiful blue sky.

A view of another of the buildings, this time also showing the king on his horse statue and in the background the dome of Frederick's Church.  Now the sky is cloudy and depressing.  This photo was taken probably thirty minutes after the first one.  It was such a windy day and the clouds were flying by, which made the weather pretty unpredictable.  Cloudy one minute, then sunshine, then rain.  Just make up your mind!

After I got my fill of royal artifacts, I was wandering around the waterfront and stumbled upon a sand sculpture contest!  Some of them had really great designs and all were impressive.  The sand castles I make at the beach are pretty basic and underwhelming compared to these! 

A Greek themed sand castle.

I think this one was based off Copenhagen landmarks.

Man with bunny ears?

Finally to finish my long day of exploring Copenhagen, I took a harbor cruise.  It might not have been perfect weather, but it was nice to see so much of the city in a short period of time.  Plus it gave me a chance to relax since I had been walking for the previous six hours or so.  I also realized that I take really terrible photos.  Below is the only one I'm willing to share.

View of the Nyhavn from the water.

Alright, that about wraps up my first two days in Copenhagen.  Today looks like it's beautiful and sunny, so I'm going to head out and do some more adventuring!  I'll be sure to write a second update detailing my remaining time in this great city.