City of Rain

It rains 2/3rds of the year in Bergen, and the time we were there was included in that fraction. Although, thankfully for us, the rains only came in the morning and evening, leaving the entire day sunny and dry. And although I've said it a hundred times before about a hundred other locations I've visited, please humor me yet again when I say, "man I'd love to live there!" If only there were 2 of me, or better yet, if only I were making millions and could afford to buy a house in multiple countries... .

Bergen is a fishing port and, like Seattle, has a (much smaller) equivalently of Pike's Place Fish market. It's something the city is well renowned for. And although I detest the smell of anything fish-like, going there was something we both agreed we had to do. It was there that Kim had her fish and chips and I had my very first... and last... reindeer burger. The taste wasn't bad, although it was extremely meaty, but after the initial first bites I couldn't stop thinking that I was eating a reindeer. The animal which carted around the Santa Claus of my childhood. The animal I heard prancing on my rooftop as I laid in bed on Christmas Eve. And, heaven forbid, it could have been Rudolph himself that I ate, thus destroying all hopes of Santa's safe arrival for Christmases to come.

But Christmas or no Christmas, what was done was done and although I had to pass on the last few bites of the burger to Kim, both of us had enough sustenance to sustain us for the next few hours of exploration before dinner. The city is beautiful from every angle, up high, down low, from the east, from the west, and from the water... we know because we checked.

If only I was wealthy enough... it sure would be on my list of locations for a vacation home.