June 17
The rain has arrived and we are grateful for all the sunshine we have had so far on this trip. A leisurely morning packing as we are going to board the Hurtigruten cruise board tonight for our trip North through the Fjords.
Bill has been reading a tongue in cheek book about Norwegians for foreigners. He enjoys sharing his new found knowledge with us and why he is more Norwegian than German.
Norwegians love the outdoors and even more they like buying stuff to wear and use in their outdoor activities. They don’t like being around crowds or too many people. They don’t like small talk (that one doesn’t cover him does it). They are a very green country even though they are all quite affluent from North Sea oil fields. Though I haven’t seen many places to refill water bottles. Seeing lots of plastic water bottles.
Visited a leprosy museum. St. George’s Hospital was founded in the 15th century and did not close until 1946 when the last two female patients died. It was less of a hospital than a group home with minimal healthcare professionals. Patients had to prepare their own meals and earn small living if they could. Initially doctors believed the leprosy was an inherited disease. Norwegian Dr. Hansen was the first person to claim that the disease was caused by a bacteria and was an infectious disease. But microbiolgy was a new science in 1800s and his ideas were not embraced until much later. Certain parts of Western Norway had a high percentage of cases, 3%, most likely because of malnutrition. What a sad life. Patients were not allowed to marry for fear of passing the disease to children. They lived two people to a tiny room, smaller than a closet. Some people spent more than 50 years in this hospital. Leprosy is still around but is cureable with antibiotics, thus no longer a need for isolation and dedicated hospitals.
Had just enough time to check out the Bergen art museum (KODE) while Bonnie did some last minute shopping. I loved the work of Norwegian artist Nikolai Astrup. Here is a link to the museum’s information on this exhibition. He is known for creating lush and wild landscapes and for depicting the traditional life of western Norway.
http://kodebergen.no/en/exhibitions/nikolai-astrup
Bill and I went I to a usedbook shop. Owner was a bit gruff..”no we don’t have many English books, no we don’t have any English books on Norwegian history, no we dont have any English books on hunting”… Finally he remembered a book in Norwegian on hunting. Bill bought his souvenir- he can’t read a word but he can look at the pictures!
Perfect lunch at a small cafe called Anne Madam that bills itself as “friendly fish fast food” on their English menu. They offered traditional Norwegian cuisine, all fish. We tried Bergen’s famous fish soupe (fiskesuppe) which is a white creamy soup with fish balls. We also tried a fish cake sampler plate. And only $20 including two drinks. The fish soup was “party in my mouth” good, one of Ben Bartsch’s sayings.
We took a taxi (our first on this trip) to cruise terminal. Our ship is the MS NordNorge which makes an 11 day trip from Bergen to Kirkenes at the Russian border and back to Bergen, stopping at 34 ports along the way. We are on board for only 3 nights, disembarking at Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands north of the Arctic Circle.
Boat is very nice with lots of spots inside and outside for watching the ever changing scenery. No entertainment other than eating, watching and a few excursions. Peaceful and low key. No throngs of Asian tourists taking selfies. Buffet dinner on the boat was a “seafood festival” according to Bonnie who ate it all.
Posted from WordPress for Android by Maria