Signing off

So this will be my final post from Norway...for the time being anyway! As the final post I thought it should contain the obligatory self portrait. If you are wondering about the wrapped head, the snow in the background may give some indication as to the answer. When I left my temperature controlled hotel room that morning, the gulf stream was keepin Bergen at a toasty 8 degrees and I told myself that there was no way I would need a beanie...silly silly girl, you are hovering around the north pole don't you know! Anyway, hope you have all enjoyed the photos as much as I have enjoyed visiting the places. Can't wait to see you all and lie in the warm Australian sun. Kisses...Fern

Beyond Bergen

Yesterday I spent the day going beyond Bergen. I took various train/boat/bus combinations and did a big loop through the countryside, across one of the fjords and back to Bergen. It was really spectacular and totally fabulous! Although I quickly learnt that the Gulf Stream really does keep Bergen's temperatures above average for Norway because as soon as I started to head inland I began to see snow. Initially I will thrilled to see it scattered across the mountain tops, but the further I went, the lower it got until when I got off the first train at a place called Mrydal it was a complete whiteout, inches thick on the trees and the ground and actually snowing at the time! That is where this first photo is from. It was fabulous to hear it crunching under foot and feel it lying on my eyelashes. In this area I also saw the totally amazing Fjosgossen waterfall - a little different fom the tender trickle through greenery in an earlier post.

After winding our way down through gorgeous grey and white mountains and green river valleys, we arrived at the start of one of the fjords.

From the boat it was amazing to see how the cool mountain air combined with the warmer air off the water to form a crisp cloud division. Simply stunning. I kept having random moments of realisation where I would say to myself, I am cruising along a Norwegian fjord, and I just couldn't stop smiling. Hope the pics make you smile too. Kisses...

Something pretty

Okay so I thought the whale meat was rather disgusting and that perhaps you might like a pretty image to help wash it down. This is what they call a stave church, with stave referring to the style of wooden roof tiling. It is in a little forested area on the outskirts of the city and it has a rather long and complicated history that I won't go into but which involves being burnt by death metal musicians at one point. Anyway, I thought it was really beautiful and very Viking like...perhaps you will forgive me for the whale meat shot now?

You are what you eat

So I promised you a photo of food and here it is - frozen whale meat! Yes, it is true, the Norwegians actually eat whale. The black blood colour of it alone would be enough to turn me off. An American academic who was here for the seminar ate whale sashimi (yes that means raw) on his first night - brave or stupid, I'll let you decide.

View from above

This is the view over Bergen from the top of Mt. Floyen. Of course you would not see any of it today as I am experiencing what I expect to be typical Bergen weather - cold and very wet! Of course it doesn't really matter to me so much as I sit in the perfectly temperature controlled office typing notes on nanotechnology, although the plans of walking into town for lunch are looking less and less likely. On the issue of food, I should tell you that I tried a typical Norwegian dish the other day - how do you think the fish pudding tastes this time of year??? Rubbery and rather bland would be my answer...but maybe I will post more on food tomorrow because I have a great photo for that. Kisses til then...

Forest for the trees

I have just completed the three days of my first seminar on the 'societal and ethical implications of nanotechnology' and I have to say that my brain is now rather fried...not because it was all so complicated but more because I had to endure so many hours of boredom! That is not entirely true, some of it was very interesting and I am sure that I can spend two years of my life researching it quite happily, but as many of us know, academics are not always able to talk about and present material in an interesting and relevant manner. Of course I like to exclude myself from that category! This may be put to the test tomorrow though when I give my own seminar introducing my research to all here at the centre. Anyway, the photo for the blog today is meant to represent the busy (yet somehow beautiful) current state of my mind. Weak justification for a photo of trees perhaps but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless...

Those Crazy Norwegians

Okay so this picture is one I took while walking in the mountains behind Bergen. There in the middle of the forest, in a seemingly random location, there was this group of decorated clumps of grass. They had hats and eyes and stick like arms. I found them rather amusing and perhaps representative of the Norwegian sense of humour. After spending two days locked in a room with a group of people, who were primarily Norwegian, discussing the ethics of nanotechnology, I can attest to the fact that they actually do have a sense of humour - even in academic settings discussing something as dry and obscure as nanotechnology. This is a relief after experiencing the German sense of humour which has always been completely obscure to me. Although if decorated clumps of grass randomly appearing in a forest is something I find rather amusing, perhaps it is me with the obscure sense of humour?

In the mountains

So I finally managed to escape the city and the office on the weekend and can now post a picture from the mountains. Actually, it is from a mountain just behind the city. I took a furnicular to the top and then walked down the mountain. Of course all those crazy Norwegians were walking up the mountain! It was really beautiful and amazing to think that it was so close to the city. Apparently you can ski up there in winter but in rainy autumn you can just take pictures of little waterfalls...Kisses.

The Office

So here is the university building in Bergen where you find the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities - i.e. the centre I now work for. Basically, this is where my office is! Just thought you might all like to see where I am spending my days - so glad it is not a boring brick box. Do we even have yellow buildings in Australia? Apart from the giant pineapple and banana of course...Since it is the weekend tomorrow though I am hoping not to be anywhere near this building and hopefully I can take some shots of the countryside for you. Har det bra til next time!

On the street

So here is what I have learnt today...gumboots are fashion items in Norway. I have been complaining for years that they do not make interesting gumboots for adults but let me tell you, that is only because I had never been to Bergen. Here they come in all shapes and sizes, are sold in all good shoe stores and normal everyday people actually wear them out on the streets like any other shoe. I think the lace up hot pink ones were the most outrageous I have seen so far. I was, however, very seriously tempted to purchase the knee high white ones covered in butterflies! I couldn't take a picture of all the different varieties of gumboots, people would think I was strange, so you get a picture of the street instead, because that is not strange at all! Kisses...

Down by the water

Another glorious day in Bergen and another pretty photo for you all. This one is of a really old area of the city called Bryggen. It is down by the water where all the ferries for the fjords leave and where the famous (?) fish market is. The buildings are all full of tourist souvenier shops, of course, and if you are all good, you may just get something from there. Viking hat anyone....?

Greetings from Bergen

So here is the first post coming to you from Bergen Norway! The photo is from a park right in the centre of town and as you can see, it is a classically beautiful European city. It may be cold and wet but it is lovely to see a city painted in colour, with many of the fabulous old buildings glittering in the rain in gorgeous shades of pink, yellow and green. I spent my first day here just roaming the streets and getting a feel for the city, while the evening was spent eating Thai (it really is the new chinese, internationally it seems!) and discussing moral philosophy with university boffins over red wine. Today I am in my office at the University busily blogging as a form of procrastination from preparing for the nanotechnology seminar!

Fern is Ferty

It's my party and I'll sing and dance if I want to!

Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit

J and I getting close in the kitchen

The night after and the night before

After a cracker of a 30th birthday party I am currently preparing for the flight to Norway tomorrow and thought I should practice using my blogspot before I go, especially since I plan to use it as a way to keep family and friends in touch while I am away. For those who couldn't attend the event, the party was a huge success, with family enjoying the garden, games and croquet in the afternoon and friends taking over the second shift at dusk and partying on into the wee hours of the morning. I was thrilled to see people embrace the Alice in Wonderland theme, especially Mum and Uncle Ian for making fabulous commemorative t-shirts for everyone and the Winner family for their outstanding costumes! It was a most wonderful way to begin the adventures of my 30s and I can not wait to begin the first adventure by heading to Bergen Norway tomorrow. Stay tuned for party photos and Norway news...
Butterfly kisses, Fern