Sunday in Bergen

 St Mary, built in the 12thC but rebuilt a few times. Its Norwegian and I think they are Lutheran. When I went this morning, an Anglican service was going on and they wouldn't let anyone in. Finally I persuaded the guy guarding the door to let me in to attend the service. I caught the last part, but if he had let me in earlier I could have participated in Holy Communion. Anyway I got in the last prayer, the last blessing and the last hymn which I sang with gusto. The usher remarked that I should join their choir.

 It had a very beautiful altar piece, a triptych, very nice.

 and an ornately carved pulpit, also very nice.

 It still has traces of medieval frescoes on some of the walls, also very nice.

 Then I went to the Hanseatic museum. The first time I went it was pouring cats and dogs. Today, like yesterday was very good, nice and dry.

 This is the defunct leprosy hospital. For some reason Norway had quite a few cases of leprosy until recently.

I love scenes like this, the roses rather than a Virginia creeper, climbing the walls of buildings.

Rosendal

 Sunshine, what a rare sight. This was Bergen this morning, so amazingly beautiful when the sun is shining. Here a bunch of us was waiting for a ferry to Rosendal, 2 hours away in one of the fjords.

 We passed numerous wooden summer cottages, some seem so remote that I don't know how they can access them. The sea was calm, just a pane of glass, glistening in the sun.

 At Rosendal, there were numerous cottages with pretty gardens.

 The snow can still be seen on a lot of mountain tops and of course water falls too.

I love the local strawberries. I ate a lot in Finland and here in Norway I decided I wasn't going to miss this opportunity. They were good, so fresh, just picked.

 Rosendal is known for this estate, the Baroniet Rosendal, a castle with a huge park like garden.

 Everyone was enjoying the day. This little boy decided to roll himself down the hill.

 Another family was having a picnic down the slope.

 Others were eating at the Rosendal's cafe. I didn't eat here. I was starving and I ate at the first restaurant I saw.

It was just a perfect day, the place is beautiful and the sun was shining. I couldn't ask for more.

Lunch in Bergen and a visit to the art museum

 What's in the tank? Why they're live lobsters! This is the seafood market at the harbor.

 There were so  much to choose from, I had trouble choosing what to eat for lunch.

 I finally settled on paella. This was good paella which reminds me that I got to make some paella when I get home.

 The air in winter is so dry that the locals just leave the fish outside to dry. I guess they need to be reconstituted before using.

 I discovered a Norwegian painter whose work I really like, Nikolai Astrup. The museum was free and I could take pictures. I took lots which I could almost make a book out of them. Wow!

 His work depicts life in rural Norway with lots of wild flowers. He touched me.

The man himself, a self portrait.

Bryggen, Bergen, Norway

 The old part of Bergen is Bryggen and it is really pretty.

 This is the famous shot that is featured in all things Bergen, the old Hanseatic buildings that now houses craft stores. It was raining so hard but everyone was out and about anyway. Even the locals are perplexed as to what happened to their summer.

 Here the McDonald store is in an old historic building.

 I took the funicular up to the top, initially the view was spectacular but by the time we reached the top, the sky opened up and this is what I got to show for.

The old Hanseatic buildings, they are pretty but all of us visitors were huddled in doorways and under the building eaves to shelter from the pouring rain.

Oslo to Bergen train

 I left Oslo at 12 noon and arrived at 7pm in Bergen. It took 7 hours and it is one of the world's most spectacular train journeys. After we left Oslo, we started climbing until the highest town is Finse at 1110m. While there is no snow at the station, there were plenty all around.

Imagine this is the end of July. Its been the coldest summer on record, it rained a lot and its been very cool. Then after this town we descend rapidly until we reached Bergen. On top there is no vegetation, just some moss. The lush grass and trees came back again and the wild flowers can be seen again. It was a great ride. My body is still rolling like its still on a train. I met many other travelers, each with their own story. This part of the trip has been the most enjoyable. Before I arrived, I keep thinking, 'what could there be in Norway?'

Oslo 2, Norway

 I went to the Munch museum this morning. There was a corresponding exhibition of Van Gogh going on comparing the two painters. It was good, a lot of the works by Van Gogh was on loan from Amsterdam.

 I saw 'the scream' by Edvard Munch. It was quite a small painting but it was good.

 I took the metro to get there and had to walk through a park to get to the museum. The walk was lined with cherry trees, some even had cherries in them. I picked some to eat, they were very small and not too sweet but still good. I had fun eating freshly picked cherries. There were red cherries....

 and black cherries....the birds didn't mind that I took some of their cherries. There were plenty to go around.

 Then I took the ferry to get across the bay. Up till then the weather was incredible. As soon as I finished lunch, the skies opened. I think these are cloud burst but still its annoying. It rained the whole day yesterday.

 The Oslo bay is so beautiful and across the bay where I went, the homes there were so beautiful. Its an expensive neighborhood.

 There was a restaurant that I went specially to have lunch. As I walked through the neighborhood, I saw some wild raspberries in the hedges. I picked some to eat and they were really good. I love foraging.

 The waiting area of the restaurant. The food was OK but terribly expensive.

 Most of the homes were painted all white except for a few like this one. It looked like a doll house in the woods.

The center of Oslo, Karl Johan Gate from one to the other end which is the palace. I went to the Henrik Ibsen museum yesterday. He was a famous Norwegian playwright. His home was incredible. I leave Oslo tomorrow for Bergen. I finalized my onward plans last night. Its a good thing I was able to find a hotel because everyone is heading for Bergen. The 8am train is full. I'm taking the 12 noon train reaching Bergen at 7pm.