Bergen Dog Walks - Slettsy Lake

Here is regular dog walk number two, around the other lake in our neighbourhood. The lake is actually called Tveitevannet, but because it is near the Slettebakken shopping centre, J and I call this the walk around Slettsy Lake. In the fabulous early summer weather that we are currently enjoying, the walk starts by going past the gorgeous flowers in our front garden.

For some reason, almost all of the houses in our neighbourhood are taking the opportunity of the great weather to replace their wooden walls and roof tiles, our neighbours included and hence the scaffolding in the picture above. From the end of our driveway we take a right and head up the hill.
Then we sneak under the main road using the pedestrian underpass tunnel...
and pop out at our local bus stop for buses heading into town. You can't see this here but it is actually on the edge of the lake. The older woman in the wheelchair in this picture loved the dogs and had to stop and have a little chat and pat. It is amazing how many of the older people here love the dogs and have to stop and have a chat about them. Luckily my Norwegian is good enough now that I can manage the small talk, but they are always super surprised when I tell them that these particular Norwegian elkhounds actually come from Australia! After a little detour through some streets where private houses own one side of lake, you come out to a beautiful view of it peeking through the trees.
Once you get past the trees, you get an even more beautiful view. This is looking across the lake in the direction of Bergen city.
From the same point but looking a little further to the right, you can just make out the path winding around the lake and the fabulous duck viewing table and and jetty.
Today was a great day for duck viewing because just at the end of the jetty, a mother duck was out with her babies, keeping a very watchful eye on me and the dogs!
The ducklings were soooo cute, nibbling around the edges of the waterlilly pads and ducking under the water like big grown up ducks, little legs waving in the air! When I got a bit too close though, mumma gave them all the super quacks and told them to swim off to safety. She was a good mum and definitely had her wings full trying to control this little gang of cheeky adventurers!
From the duck jetty, we walk pass one of my favourite modern churches in Bergen. I just really love this shining glass sail that stretches above the trees and glints in the sunlight.
A little further along you can look back over the lake towards Lovstakken mountain and the area where our house lies.
The only other man-made structure of note along the walk is this strange enormous vase out in the water. Not sure what it is all about exactly, but I assume it is considered art.
The path around Slettsy lake is very popular, especially on Sundays, which is a kind of traditional day for walking for Norwegians, with almost everyone going out at some point during the day for a good long stroll. Today being Saturday it was not so bad, but there were still people out and about, pushing prams, riding bikes, sitting around and feeding the pidgeons and ducks.

Once we cross the duck feeding bridge, we turn the corner and start heading back in the direction of home.
At the end of this straight stretch is a shell service station, where we often stop and get bread and milk, especially on Sundays when it is the only place open to do so, in accordance with the Norwegian rule that all shops should be closed on sundays so that people can be home spending time with their families. If we don't need the necessesities of bread and milk, I sometimes still stop for lollies, icecreams and/or DVDs. Strangley, the Norwegians are not that into the idea of renting movies. There are some places that do it, but it costs 50kr a night and you can buy the same movies from places like your local servo for 99kr. Needless to say, JJ and I now have a rather enormous DVD collection. While not into renting movies, there are very into the choose your own lollies idea and J and I have also spent a lot of money filling our little paper bags with a great mix of sweet and sour treats. Today though I stopped for icecreams and as always, the dogs were waiting patiently for me when I came out.
From the servo we go back under the underpass and take the same roads home. On the way we pass one of my favourite houses. In the winter it always has the oldstyle street lamp in its front yard on. When it is dark and the ground is covered in snow, I love seeing this little lamp burning, it makes me feel like I am in Narnia and could run into Mr Tumnus at any moment.
Not long after that and we are fluffy bum trotting down the stairs at the side of the house leading into our garden, and that is it, we have arrived back home! xxx.