July 16- Hello Norway!

We. Are now. In Norway…

I just have to let that sink in for a second. I’m actually in Norway. It looks and feels like I’m in a fairytale…

So today we had class as usual, but we were allowed off the ship at 6:00. I met Arshia and her friend Marquette in the dining hall for dinner. We ate quickly and then left the ship together. Bergen is one of the cutest towns I’ve ever been to! It seriously looks like Disneyworld here except it’s real life. The houses and buildings are all colorful and… well I really don’t know how to explain it except they look like they’re fake. Just look at these pictures and maybe you’ll see what I mean:

Our port in Bergen, Norway

Doesn't it look like Disneyworld?

The most beautiful Starbucks in all the world

Our port was right in the middle of town, and we only had to walk maybe five minutes to get to the city center. We all really enjoyed walking through the streets and seeing all of the Norwegian shops. We stopped in at a souvenir store, but everything was so expensive we didn’t buy anything. I’ve heard before about a billion times that Norway is the most expensive country in Northern Europe, but I didn’t really understand what that meant until we actually got here. Everything truly is EXPENSIVE. Like the cheapest little troll doll souvenir was $8 USD. I’m pretty sure a small sticker was like $3 USD? The cost of things is about 3 or 4 times more than it would be in the US. At the pre-port last night, they said that a long-island ice tea at the local pub costs $21 USD. It’s insane!

I’m not really sure why it’s so expensive. I’ve heard that it’s because Norway has to import nearly all of its goods, but I also heard it’s because of how their tax system is set up. I think it’s a combination of both probably. Anyways, Arshia, Marquette and I went into the local McDonalds. Now before you judge us too harshly, we weren’t going in there to eat. Arshia is taking a tourism class and she has to compare 3 or 4 McDonalds in the different countries we’ve been to and write a report on it. Marquette parted ways and joined some of her other friends, so Arshia and I walked around Bergen a bit more. We headed back to the ship after a bit. Even though it was fairly late, it was still very bright outside. We’re so far up North now that it hardly ever gets dark this time of year. Bergen only gets a few hours of nighttime, but even then it doesn’t ever get completely dark. At certain times of the year, the sun never even sets. They call it the midnight sun.

So that’s it for today. Tomorrow, I will embark on the mini-journey of a lifetime. As I mentioned before, some friends and I are going to travel across Norway together, and we’re going to do one of the coolest hikes in Scandavia. I’m very excited, but I also need to sleep! So goodnight!!