We started our day on an early note. Our plane for Bergen departed at 8 o’clock this morning which called for a little extra coffee than normal. We successfully all managed to wake up from our alarms and make the trek to Bergen (with no lost baggage this time). We checked into our hotel which is separated into two buildings. The guys were put in one building and the girls the other but, have no fear, it only took us less than five minutes to discover that we can yell across the alley to each other from our windows. We then had a nice meal at our hotel before leaving on a guided tour of the city.
Our guide, Manuela, was fantastic and knew the location of every roof awning in the city. This was perfect because, as she explained, the humidity from the golf current hits the mountains of Bergen and bounces off of them causing precipitation over the city. In other words, it rained. A lot. Despite the rain, we still managed to have a great time on the tour and we learned a ton of information. For example, she told us about several of the trolls and their significance in the Norwegian culture. One of these was said to be able to teach a person to learn the violin in one night if they sought him out in the forest. This same troll was believed to fish below the surface of bodies of water and catch people’s hair in his fishing pole which pulled them down into the abyss. Additionally, he could transform into a horse and trick children into riding on his back before he would jump into the water, dragging them with him. These tales were used as a mean of explaining the horrible tragedy of drowning.
We also learned a lot about the architecture which is both very old and relatively new due to a large fire that burnt down a large portion of the city. Some of the buildings that remain are extremely famous and lie right next to the harbor. While many of the people alive during the fire wished these buildings would have burnt down too, Manuela explained that they are now one of the main attractions of Bergen today. These buildings housed merchants, clerks, and apprentices. These were only allowed to be men who were all sworn to celibacy. We attached a clip of our guide telling the stories of these men on our group Facebook page if you would like to experience a small portion of our day.
She also spoke about the initiation process that apprentices went through to move up in rank among the men. These events, known as The Games, were somewhat similar to what we call hazing. These games were treacherous and sometimes even caused death either by drowning, inhaling smoke, or being beaten. While this way of life was extremely harsh, it was a potential way for people of lower classes to move up the social ladder.
After our tour, we rode the Fløyen funicular to the top of the city. This spot promises fantastic views and breathtaking scenery, however, it was a little bit more like being inside of a very grey cloud where you can’t really see much else. This was slightly unfortunate, but we all still took a bunch of pictures because who doesn’t support the groutfit? Being on top of the mountain was not quite as much of an adventure as getting down was. The trails were steep with a side of ice. More like, two inches of ice. With cliffs on both sides. The 2.4 km, estimated 45 minute walk, was actually a 2.4 km, 2.5 hour slide down a gravel path. The statistics indicated that we should have lost approximately 3.6 members of our party, however, we all managed to survive, save a few damp clothes and bruised knee caps. There will also be some videos of this adventure posted on the Facebook page to enjoy.
The rest of the day was scheduled as free time where many people went off in small groups to explore, go shopping, and eat dinner. We met up again to have class where we learned about religion and sport and did an activity where we discovered our own personal strengths, passions, and values. Overall, the city of Bergen is breathtaking even with the fog and the rain. The atmosphere is completely different than Copenhagen and we are beyond excited to experience the rest of what Norway has to offer.
Josie Mazzone & Calleigh Carlson
The description of the “slide” down the mountain was very amusing. I could just picture it. Such great memories for you all. It would be fun to return in warmer weather with improved views.