After the day started very early yesterday, it ended equally early: I was fast asleep before 9 pm! And it took 11 hours of sleep to fully recharge the energy tanks for the second day in Bergen ;-).
The day started with breakfast:
The room was crowded, there was a colorful mix of English, Asian, and French people here. At first, I was absolutely thrilled by the two waffle irons in the corner, but the lines were endlessly long, so I lost interest in waffles. Plus, I knew I still had my KLM chocolate cookie from yesterday for sugar emergencies!
After breakfast, we packed up our things and checked out of our room. Here is our hotel from the outside:
UP TO ULRIKEN
The suitcases could wait in a luggage room at the hotel, and for us, it was off to the Ulriken bus stop - after buying some water bottles at the 7Eleven around the corner. Ulriken is the highest of the mountains surrounding the city, and unlike the funicular to Floyen yesterday, you go up there by cable car. Since the mountain is a bit outside the city, we first had to take a small bus there. It was crowded, and unfortunately, it was just as crowded at the Ulriken base station: the line of people waiting for the cable car reached all the way to the street!
The explanation was quickly found: the cable car cabin here is nowhere near as big as the huge gondolas in Austria, for example. It only holds 20 people of average size. And there are only two of these cabins, one in red and one in yellow: After waiting in line and observing people for almost an hour, it was finally our turn. There were many Americans around us who arrogantly claimed that if they had known how long this would take, they would have easily walked up the mountain in half an hour. From below, it didn't look so dramatic at all, but once we were up there, you could see how steep it actually is to Ulriken. I think that's when everyone became quiet!By the way, you can see an example of a bare-chested man in the background here - we encountered many of them. Fortunately, most of them were real athletes with real athlete six-packs. So it was perfectly fine to leave out the shirt, no offense to the people around us or their eyes! Up on the mountain, I could already start my training for South Tyrol in September, there was proper climbing, just like in the mountains (I clearly noticed that there is still a lot of room for improvement in my fitness): And you didn't even have to hike and climb that much to see a lot. After seeing the goats yesterday, there were sheep freely roaming up here, easily recognizable by the bells around their necks. But they were too fast and didn't pose well for photos (they are somewhere in the background, really!): There were also funny fluffy flowers: And real mountain lakes with crystal-clear water - does anyone really live in that cabin? The way to the nearest supermarket is certainly long: And there was also a first aid station for injured mountaineers: TOUR OF BERGENGoing downhill, we had more luck, the third cable car was ours! Back in the center of Bergen, we visited everything we missed yesterday. Or rather, we aimlessly walked around the city and looked at anything that looked nice: I liked the Johanneskirken the most, it sits majestically on a hill and has a simple wooden interior - and even a play area for children! The remaining time we had until the transfer to the ship, we spent at the harbor again. We also got our faces quite sunburned, because the wind was blowing so nicely all the time that you didn't notice how hot it really was! THE CRUISE BEGINS!Another bus from Hurtigruten picked us up from the hotel at just past 5 pm and took us to the pier, a bit outside the city center. Hurtigruten has its own terminal here in Bergen. Just like at the airport, you put your suitcase on a conveyor belt and receive the "boarding pass," the cabin key card, and all other documents at the same time.Since we were one of the last to board, our cabin was already prepared - and it's really small: Dad sleeps in the "regular" bed, and we had to fold my bed out of the wall. Everything was stored in the closet (well, not everything, Dad clearly brought too much stuff, enough for 6 weeks on Hurtigruten!) and then we went on to dinner.For the next few evenings, our assigned dining time is 8:30 pm, and we have a fixed table and a 3-course menu. But today, on departure day, there was "only" a buffet, and all passengers wanted to eat almost at the same time. We were incredibly lucky to get a table in time. Because after that, there was a huge line at the entrance of the restaurant, and many guests had to wait hungry.At the table, there are cards that explain where the food you are served today actually comes from. I tried reindeer and sheep sausage from the region. It all tasted completely normal, but Dad passed. I also had to finish the fish soup alone. But there was plenty of food for him too: halibut, salmon, cheese platter, many salads, peanut cake, lasagna...we were stuffed at the end! I take my role as motivator seriously and always hurry Dad so that we can experience all the activities:First the safety drill, then departure from the harbor right on time at 8 pm, and finally an information session. The nice lady from the expedition team explained important things, like where we can adjust the underfloor heating in the cabin. The cabins are small as shoe boxes, but they have underfloor heating in the bathroom ;-).We also found out that our excursion tomorrow doesn't start until 1:30 pm. That means we still have plenty of time beforehand to explore the ship! The departure from the harbor in Bergen was a great start in bright sunshine, and now we are sitting in the bar at the end of the day, watching as England concedes a goal in stoppage time at the World Cup...the English people around us are "not amused"! And tomorrow: First breakfast on board, and from noon on, it's time for exploration. The GeirangerfjordwithTrollstigenawaits! PS: It's a bit shaky on board here, but no one is feeling sick yet! PPS: Never stand too close to the ship's chimney... during the departure in Bergen, our MS Polarlys blew out a lot of soot. All the people around us now have black stains on their clothes. And I had to wash my hands three times until the nails underneath were no longer black ;-)!
