No ships in sight! Pilot strike in Bergen!

Oh dear, it is going to be very quiet in down town Bergen over the next few days. Much of the Norwegian Public Sector, including teachers, cleaners, government and tax officers and harbour pilots is on strike over pay.

That means that the cruise ships, which are Bergen's bread and butter in the summer, will be unable to come into port. According to the port authority, two are expected today, four on Thursday, ome on Friday, two Saturday and four again on Monday. Considering each cruise ship carries around 3,000 passengers and crew it means that the tourist trade will suffer quite alot. What a shame when the weather is so good and you can enjoy the views from the top of Fløyen, which is an absolute must if you visit At NOK70 per return trip on the funicular (only locals and idiots like us take the steep path up, which takes 40 minutes!) that means a loss of approx. 2.5 million kroner to the railway!

The town will feel very quiet this weekend, thta's for sure!

The strike by the way is over a half percent difference between what the state is offering and what the unions require. Apparently despite the doom and gloom elsewhere, Norway's union bosses feel that 4.25% is a fair increase for their members across the board, while the State is budgetting for 3.75%. Since no-one seems able to get either party back to the negotiating table at the moment, it seems everyone will have to just enjoy the weather as best they can and try not not sit downwind of the ever increasing piles of rubbish appearing around town (bin men on strike too). For now, there seems to be no sense of urgency, I guess the weather is too good!

As for support, it appears to be mixed. Some parents support the strike, but those who have to go to work must be finding it difficult to find someone to help out over several days.

Apparently a qualified pre-school teacher with 20 years' experience earns NOK 419,000 p.a. (about £42,000 p.a. or US$69,000 p.a.), which considering the cost of living isn't that much. My average shopping basket (not including beer or wine!!) costs double that in the UK. Our second hand, 2 year old Honda Civic cost NOK172,000 (£17,500, US$28,300) - they did try to convince us we had made a good deal though at the garage as it has 2 sets of wheels, one for winter tyres and one for summer tyres. Wow!

Rhododendrons etc.

Whew - the past few days it has been warmer here than in southern Europe, with temps hitting 22 degrees here in Bergen (30 degrees on our balcony, which gets the sun for much of the day). Today, however, a stiff breeze has kept temps down around 16 degrees, though the sun is still out. Looking ahead no rain is forecast for the next week - are we on the verge of a drought? It is certainly unusual not to have any rain whatsoever!

This afternoon we walked along Fjellveien, which is a road/wide path running behind Bergen about a third of the way up the mountains that ring the city. Built in 1897, it is a lovely  place to stroll along - and relatively flat too!  All the rhododendrons are out now, which looks lovely in the sun and with the harbour as a backdrop you realise just how picturesque Bergen is!

The tourist train runs along here too. A strange looking thing, which picks tourists up from the centre of town and takes them for a ride up the road past where we live, along Fjellveien and then back into town.  Looks like something left over from the 60's!

Yesterday we drove over to Sotra, which is an island west of Bergen, that acts as a barrier to the worst storms from the Atlantic - that is why the harbour here was so important in earlier times. Sheltered and deep, it provided good anchorage for the Hanseatic (German) traders who traded here from the 1300's to the middle of the 19th century. It was cooler out on the Atlantic coast and surprisingly misty - guess that is due to the differences in air/water temperatures? 

Looking back towards Bergen you could see a band of darker 'cloud', which looked surprisingly like pollution.  Bergen does get problems with pollution, particularly in the winter.  If the weather is dry and there is no wind, a combination of the cold air and the surrouinding mountains cause dust from the roads to lie in a thick layer above the city, which is terrible for asthma sufferers.  Why dust from the roads you may ask? Many of the cars have spiked tyres in the winter and they just churn up the road surface. Maybe dust is being blown up from the Sahara? It happens in Denmark so why not here too!

Walking in Norway

In my second to last post I mentioned that we (me, a colleague and 9 children aged 5 to 6 years old) would be walking up Løvstakken.

Løvstakken is one of Bergen's 7 mountains and rises to 477 metres above sealevel. I guess we started at about 80 metres above sea level and walked.

The interesting thing about walks in the Norwegian mountains is that there are virtually no paths - just arrows painted on rocks or nailed to trees marking the general direction in which you need to go!  The next picture I think illustrates this quite nicely - see the path?



We all made it to the top though! It took us 2 hours, with plenty of fruit and water stops on the way to give us energy.

At the top because it was so clear there were beautiful views over Bergen and Fyllingsdalen and out to the airport at Flesland. It was fun for the children watching the aeroplanes flying in and out, like toys. 



Then, of course, we had to go down the same way we had come up. Thank goodness for my colleague who knows the route blindfold as I certainly would have mised the way across the rocks (arrows do not always occur when you think they should, and going up is so much easier as you can see your target!!)

The children were definitely tired by the time we got down, but an ice lolly raised their spirits amazingly!

Cost versus quality and the Norwegian BBQ

Sorry not to have blogged the past couple of days, but am battling an atrocious cold which has left me really tired by the end of the day (still went to work since both days we were going to be outside on outings!). Now we have a long weekend (Monday is Whitsun here) - and the hot sunny weather continues!!!

We often say that quality is lacking here, but I think this half an iceberg lettuce shows what we are battling against!  Bought at the local supermarket for NOK17 (about £1.80) - when cut in half there was no heart at all!

Since the beautiful weather is continuing, people are out and about enjoying it to the full - who knows when we will see the sun again!  Barbecue invites rain down fast and furious, which is great!  Usually you would take a bottle of wine and/or a 6 pack to such informal occasions, but even here Norway is different.  Yes, you take something to drink, be it wine, beer or other soft drink, which you will then drink mainly yourself. No sharing! And also you take your own meat to put on the bbq!

The cost of alcohol and meat is so expensive here (fish too) that to arrange a bbq party for 10 guests would involve a massive outlay for the hosts.  So they fire up the grill, provide a salad (if they can find it) and invite you and your meat and drink along!

it makes for an interesting evening, as everyone brings different stuff, usually enough for 3 or 4 people, which then gets sharred around! Wonder how that would go down in the UK? Not too well maybe!!

How do the Norwegians cope with the heat?

Wow, it has been hot today by Bergen standards atmore than 22 degrees in the shade, and not a drop of rain has fallen for the past 3 days - amazing! We had our usual weekly staff meeting at work amd the room was so hot and stuffy it was hard to keep awake. Despite the heat, there was no water play arranged in the garden for the children, just the usual bikes, balls and sand pit, plus dancing to a CD player outside.

No-one could say why they didn't have water play stuff - but there is nothing at all. Hopefully when this job ends, I can get a job at another kindergarden and compare. Many of the children still had wollen clothes on, and close fitting hats instead of sun hats - guess they just are not used to this kind of weather here! Some were definitely neginning to 'melt' by the end of playtime, despite drinking copious amounts of water! For the first time I would say the non-Norwegian children were more appropriately dressed than the Norwegian children!!! So I guess in that respect they don't 'do' heat so well!

My colleagues though were in cut off trousers and T-shirts - Factor 50 suncream everywhere! As for coping with the heat - expect many families will take Friday off (Monday is a holiday here) and go up to their cabin in the mountains! Even now, traffic is much lower than usual, so maybe many have gone already. In Norway, family takes precedence over work!

Went shopping on the way home and found plenty of salad on the shelves so no sign of a shortage in that department yet! For those who don't know- Norway ran out of butter before Christmas, and there was none to be had. They could have imported alot from EU, but for some reason chose not to. It was said that the farmers/dairy company were afraid that Norwegian comsumers would get a taste for cheap foreign butter, and not buy Norwegian butter omce it was back in production. Who knows!

Even though it is hot here, in the middle of Norway they still have alot of snow in the mountains - so much so that you cannot get through to some of the cabins yet! Strange to think that there is such a difference just 6 hours drive from here! Well the good weather continues tomorrow! I am out all day with a colleague and the oldest children (5-6) year olds climbing Løvstakken, which is the mountain you can see from our appartment - no snow up there thank goodness though the paths are fairly non-existent, which does not bode well for me!! I will let you know how it went and hopefully have some photos too tomorrow!

Summer comes in May?

OK - it's official, Bergen can get summer weather!  21.4 degrees at 7pm and it had been warmer during the day, particularlyon the balcony!  We didn't experience that since we were both at work!

All the children at the kindergarden did not know what to do with themselves - most are still being carefully dressed by their parents in woollen underwear (longsleeved T-shirts and leggings to the unitiated!). Even had some children insisting that they wear their woollen bobble hats today - they are so used to it being windy, wet or just plain cold, bless them!

Best news is that this weather should last into the weekend, and next |Monday is a holiday yay!!

Back in Bergen after 3 days in Copenhagen and north Sjelland (Denmark). Thanks to our friends who put us up, or put up with us, whichever way you want to see it!! Shame we took Bergen weather with us. Then again, obviously the weather gods have decided to give Bergen a break for the next few days as today, Sunday, the sun is shining and the day is getting warmer and warmer. We are actually up to 16 degrees on our little balcony and it should improve! The weather forecast for the next few days is definitely positive, yay!!!

Going to Denmark felt a bit like coming home - well we lived there for 12 years or so! No problems with the language - apart from the fact that I have mysteriously developed a Norwegian accent and my brain refused to fall back into Danish words and pronounciation! Must be age related! We rediscovered self-deprecating Danish humour (so close to an english sense of humour), and could have walked for miles and miles as we were so fit after walking up Bergen's mountains every weekend.

Denmark is a very flat and gentle country. The scenery was very green as all the beech trees have sprouted and grass is growing - guess they are about3 weeks ahead of here. The weather is just a tad warmer, and of course there are more deciduous trees and bushes. The light there is so different, but I am not sure why. Maybe it is the lack of dark rock, which seems to absorb the light sometimes. Trevor took some great pictures - here are some. The 2 country ones are from Værl øse and the fish shop is in Dragør, south of Copenhagen 

Had a look at some of our old haunts north of Copenhagen. There has been alot of development going on, especially around Tuborg harbour. Amazing architecture, taking inspiration from sails, yachts and ships. There seemed to be quite a positive vibe despite the current financial climate, which has affected the Danes as much as anywhere else in the world. They do not have Norway's 'oil safety net'. Photos are from the new development at Tuborg Harbour.

Off to work now - weatherman promises a warm and dry day!  Fingers crossed!

Hiya - we seem to have lost all semblance of Spring weather for the moment! Today it has been raining for much of the time and temperatures are around 8 degrees C!  Al the tulips in the garden have had their petals blown off by gale force winds, and there appears to be no let up for the rest of this week. 

Bergen is the wettest city in Norway - if not western Europe, getting over 80 inches a year! You notice it, as the rain manages to get absolutely everywhere. Even the best Helly Hanson jacket cannot keep Bergen rain out (as we found out yesterday, while we traipsed home with sodden shoes and damp clothes)!  The Bergenese though are fully prepared and either batten down the hatches and stay home, or just go out and get wet.  Using an umbrella is not recommended as the wind here gusts so strongly and from varying directions, that most get turned inside out at some point during a walk!

The wierdest thing though, is that when it rains (particularly if it is 'styrtregn' when it really chucks it down) all the roads turn into small streams. You actually see little waves of water running down the hill. No matter how slow the cars go, anyone walking beside the road will get soaked - cars become boa- like creating bow waves and leaving a wake! Why do roads turn to rivers? Well I guess that is due to two things.  One, the drains are hopeless, and two there is no soil to soak up the water. Bergen is built on rock, and rather mountainous rock at that! So the water runs straight off rock, walls, roofs, etc. and down to the sea.

That is why everyone dresses so practically here. Wet weather trousers and coats, hats, gloves and wellington boots - everything is as waterproof as it can be. You need more than one set too, as it takes a good 24 hours for your wet weather clothes to dry! 

Unfortunately, clothes like that do not appeal to fashionistas, and no fashion designers have seriously addressed the problem.  Coats and trousers are designed to allow for good movement and no-one cares about the colour or finish, as everyone has their head down pushing through the wall of water falling from the sky! The smell too can be horrendous. Rubberised PVC that has not dried properly emits a stale, almost vomit-like smell. It can be quite off putting if someone comes and sits beside you on the bus!  You can easily make out the tourists from the cruise ships, as they simply do not have anything close to the right sort of outerwear!

It doesn't look too bad, but this road actually had a thin layer of water over it as I drove through (you are allowed to use your phone whilst driving in Norway!!) Aquaplaning is a real hazxard on some roads!

Sunday and films on TV

OK, we had some sun yesterday, so today it's back to usual with rain and mist! Thought for the day - when watching a film here on the TV, they put all the adverts into one 5 minute slot. Quite a good idea except for the fact that the slot seems to have a time that cannot be changed. There you are watching a great car chase, or romantic moment and then suddenly without warning you have an advert for pizza or gambling come in. No warning, no frame with the film name to show that there is a transition, just slap bang straight into the advert. Quite disorienting!! We have a friend coming over for a Danish lunch today. What is a Danish lunch you ask? Well it is open rye bread sandwiches made with an assortment of cold meats, soused herring in either vinegar, tomato, curry or cream sauce, egg salad, etc. all washed down with beer and one or two aquavits! We will probably walk her home over to Munkebottn - only a 10km walk there and back, but at least not too up hill as much of Bergen is quite hilly. P.S. just before posting - we did the walk in driving rain and gale force winds. Even the rain gear couldn't keep the rain out! Amazing how wet it can get!

First post! Old and new - the Fisketorget (Fish Market)

Hi from Norway! Well Bergen actually! As anyone who lives in this country will tell you, where you come from within the country is much more important. When people ask me where I come from I say the UK or England, not Oxted. but here when you ask, you will be told they come from Oslo or Stavanger or Kirkenes - and then Norway! Two Norwegians meeting for the first time will immediately notice the other person's accent and make assumptions and associations, which no foreigner could ever understand!

Bergen is located on the west coast of Norway, facing out to the Atlantic, which accounts for much of the filthy weather that drives in here. It is the second largest city in Norway, with about a quarter of a million people. Much of its wealth comes from shipping, trading and off-shore production/engineering.

This blog though is more about the daily life here, seen from the viewpoint of a Brit who relocated quite unwillingly (husband's company relocated back to their roots)! I have though survived the first winter and am determined to get the most out of our stay here. I have mastered the language, got a job and am generally keeping afloat emotionally!

Today, 11th of May, saw the opening of the new Fisketorget (Fish Market). A strange, box-like building across the harbour from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bryggen (18th century wooden warehouses and offices used by the German Hanseatic traders). The design of the uutside of the building is supposed to complment and reflect this -

I am not sure it works totally, and rather wonder whether locals are of the same opinion, as hardly anyone was there to see the opening. They had a band playing sea shanty songs and the mayor to cut the ribbon, but it was a sparse turn out as far as I could see.

The old Fisketorg was (and still is as they haven't moved in yet) a motley collection of awnings and stalls selling mainly smoked fish, jars of caviar and shrimp sandwiches to tourists.

It was very attractive in an old-fashioned market sort of way. Soon though it will become sanitised, under cover (not a bad thing considering the weather) and a bit boring! I wonder whether some of the stalls will remain during the summer months anyway? Remains to be seen - I will keep you posted.

Suffice to say the weatherman today promised 10 degrees celsius. It probably was, but with the wind chill factor off the Atlantic it felt like 4 degrees down in town. Funny that, when you look on the weather site storm.no, they always give a daily temperature, and then the next column says what it will 'feel' like. Not surprisingly it is always at least 3 degrees colder than forecast!  Coupled with several heavy rain showers I was glad to get home and warm up!

So - first post done. Hope it finds an audience! Will try not to provoke my Norwegian firends too much, but sometimes cultural differences will cause 'misunerstandings'!!

Bye for now, or as they say here 'ha det'!