Bergen

On April 8th, we left to drive up to Bergen. It looks like it is about a two hour drive...however, due to ferries we have to take to cross fjords, along with some mighty long tunnels, it's about a 4 hour drive. Of course, that estimate did not take into consideration that everyone in the Stavanger region leaves to go skiing about the time we left. Here in Norway, Easter is a very big holiday. Stores start closing early (like noon - cause they aren't really open all that late normally) on the Wednesday of Holy Week. Everything is closed then until the Tuesday after Easter. We stayed at a Norwegian naval hotel. The chow hall was closed due to the holiday, so we packed enough food to prepare for every meal while we were gone for the 4 days.
We got in a loooooong traffic jam waiting for the ferry to Haugesand! I think we waited about 1 1/2 hours and moved about 2 miles. However, we made our two ferries and got to Bergen around dinner time. The days are getting pretty long now...it isn't getting dark until after 9 p.m., so we drove into Bergen to look around. Everything was closed. (which was okay) We just walked around the town. We went back the next day, walking in a driving mist. The rows of colorful wooden storefronts is called Bryggen. It's the old part of Bergen, along the wharf. There were even a few old ships in to port. We walked along the cobble-stoned streets...alone...everything was closed and it was a ghost town. We did find a McDonald's that was open...we ate lunch there. I am going to have to sit down and count how many countries we have gone to a McDonald's in. We don't actually eat there often...especially here, where a a meal is about $20. (that's one person, folks) We went to some of the beautiful churches in the area. St. John's church (the reddish one) is truly gorgeous, inside and out.
We spent the morning walking around in Bergen and then the afternoon driving along the coast...looking for some place to hike.