Norwegian Excursion (Part 2)

After spending a few days in Norway, it quickly became apparent how different the country's culture was - despite the fact that it was just a few kilometers north of Denmark. Although Denmark has a very prevalent biking culture, we rarely saw people on bikes in urban areas of Norway. Also, with a drinking age of 16 and no open container laws, Denmark had a very liberal alcohol policy; meanwhile, Norway had a drinking age of 20 (with an additional 3 years needed for purchasing hard liquor). Even these small details made a significant cultural difference that was immediately noticeable.

On Wednesday, the class went on a hiking trip high in the mountains near Voss - which was definitely the most eventful experience of the entire study tour. A guide took us along a rugged mountain trail that wound past a number of sheep-herding communities, while explaining to us about about how fjords are formed, how gin is distilled from juniper berries found in the Norwegian countryside, and why indigenous lemming populations dwindle from drowning each year. The class found the last topic hilarious and constantly joked about finding lemmings in the mountain streams - although we didn't see a single lemming during the entire hike. It was incredible that the high mountain areas were still covered in snow in parts, and since all of the streams were fed from fresh meltwater we all drank freely from them. Also, we encountered a ton of sheep throughout the excursion - some of which followed us bleating for the entire time. After the hike, we all headed back to Voss, grabbed ice cream, and hopped on a train to Bergen (a harbor town on the West coast of Norway). After getting settled, I went with Albert, Kelsey, and a couple other girls from our class to browse around and grab dinner from a local fish market before heading in for the night.

The First Mile Marker on Our Hike

The next day, the class headed first to the Bergen Aquarium, where we got to see a lot of local sea life and handle a few snakes. Afterward, we grabbed lunch and then witnessed a presentation by the community of Bergen (known as the "Bergen Kommune") about what the city was doing to promote sustainability. The presenters also brought in a few scientists who described the processes influencing rising sea levels - which was extremely interesting. Then, we went back to the fish market to grab dinner again before I wandered around the city with Kelsey, Ellen, Ivy, and Wilson. After browsing around for a while, buying some hand-knitted hats and sweaters, and checking out a local military fortress, we tried looking for a place where a public celebration Norway's midsummer festival was supposed to be held. This festival (known as Sankthansaften) was supposed to be one of Norway's largest national holidays, but we only managed to find a few people barbecuing and chilling at a small public park overlooking the water. We hung out there for a while, then traveled back to the hotel where we met up with a few other people from our class. We all hung out in the lobby, and Ivy played a few tunes on piano while me and a few others sang along. Afterward, I discovered that both Jason and I were locked out of our rooms - so we hung out in the hallway exchanging music on our laptops before Sam came back and let the two of us into our hotel room (where Jason also crashed for the night).

Mountain Sheep at Voss

Friday, the entire class went to a local restaurant in Bryggen (the main wharf along the Bergen harbor) where we ate a traditional Norwegian lunch consisting of fish soup and a grilled moose wrap. Afterward, we all headed to the Bergen science center; it was essentially an interactive museum aimed at educating Norwegian children about a variety of scientific issues (ranging from renewable energy to space travel). Although the subject matter was rather simple and clearly designed for a younger audience, we all had fun - especially riding on a bike-powered centrifuge. However, the study tour was winding down and many of us (myself included) were exhausted from all the activities that had been planned. As soon as we hopped on our flight back to Copenhagen, I fell asleep and didn't wake until the plane had landed. It was later in the evening by the time we arrived, so I immediately went back to Hoffmans, made a quick dinner, and went to bed.

Me and Kelsey Posing with a Moose at Bryggen