15 August, 2010

ka-ching!

shopping is great in bergen. no, really. and it's not even as expensive as one would be inclined to assume. especially now, during one of the many salg periods, the clothing prices easily undercut berlin's. there are quite a few boutiques around the city center that will offer fantastic deals, more than one h&m and, of course, everyone's favorite weekday.
new shirt, new haircut.

the two largest shopping centers in and around bergen are åsane storsenter and lagunen storsenter. while i haven't yet made it to the latter, the former merely embodies your generic western european mall, if it weren't for the aforementioned ikea, which still doesn't carry door stoppers.

DO #3: check out the little innvandrerbutikkene by the central bus station. for some reason these little immigrant stores are all in one place and, less surprisingly, offer essentially the same things: food from all over the non-western world. it's comparatively cheap, even stacked up to berlin prices, and best of all: they have ayran!

DON'T #3: waste your time by going to the fish market. well do it, but only once. it's noisy, expensive, full of tourists and it reeks. admittedly, the fish on display is quite impressive, so take some pictures and get out of there. i mean, 14 euros for a small fisk salat, who are you kidding?

i am in a little trouble since i saw this beautiful bike at den grønne sykkel yesterday. the place is a rundown warehouse, filled with second hand bikes. prices start at 900kr, which includes a thorough overhaul and even a warranty. do i buy it? will i even be able to ride it? how am i gonna get it home?

jules updated his photo gallery. check out some pictures of two white boys in shorts.

word of the day: solbrenthet (sonnenbrand)

08 August, 2010

i think i'm falling for you

bergen, you've treated me well so far. no major disturbances, not even slight hiccups, instead some quite authentic awe for your sights and scenery. it's not ye olde touristy attractions like bryggen or the fløibanen that i am drawn to, it's rather your subtle charm and natural beauty that gets me.

little corridor-like alleys winding up and down the many hills on grass-covered cobblestone, sporting wooden fairytale houses with low ceilings and tiny doorsteps, looking like they've sprung straight from tolkien's tales. well, a little bit of exaggeration here and there should be ok, i hope. i'm really quite impressed.
the rebellion is near!

DO #2: visit nordnes sjøbad. situated on the tip of nordnes parken, it's essentially berlin's badeschiff without the excitement and hipness. plus the spree and our pretty treptowers just don't scale up to the actual sea on one side and a steep coastline on the other.

DON'T #2: go into the north end of nygårdsparken. bergen's drug problem becomes painfully apparent in this part of an otherwise very beautiful inner city park. imagine a peaceful, quiet retreat with young families having picnics vs. the gathering of the entire junkie and dealer scene who are not too secretive about their activities. do a google image search for further impressions.

more news from the poor student front: yes, there is an ikea, and as expected it offers not only cheap furniture, but also mediocre fast-food and wailing babies. we went twice last week.

jules is taking more pictures, check them out on his picasa page.

word of the day: rullekebap (döner dürüm)

06 August, 2010

when it rains, it pours

...figuratively speaking that is. although it is literally pouring outside my window at the moment, most of the raining had stopped by the time we arrived in bergen yesterday. since for a little while there, i had feared of never arriving here at all, thanks to missing my plane to oslo (i love you, ryan air) and then some.

i always dreaded the moment when my "getting going one minute too late but still somehow making it" would turn into "getting going one minute too late, as usual, but this time disastrously not making it", and there it was tuesday afternoon, manifesting itself as a locked door at sxf.

what followed was what must have been the longest ride home and the realization that my mother is there for me, in case something actually bad ever happens. good to know.

looking dorky on the way to bergen
yet here we are, thanks to norwegian's crafty airspace operators and their well functioning website.

DO #1: if you plan on going to bergen, take the train from oslo. it traverses the entire country, offering some quite spectacular views; plus it costs a mere 25 euros if you manage to buy the ticket a few weeks ahead of time.

DON'T #1: take that train at night. you won't see anything.

the further run of events was rather smooth, collecting dorm keys, finding out everything is incredibly expensive, realizing my bed spans a luxurious 75 cm. i should be able to deal with all of that.

word of the day: unnskyld (entschuldigung)