The Bergen blog

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!