Travels with the Lagrimas Sibs: Electric Bikes and Brown Cheese

Our first day in Bergen was beautifully sunny and warm, which is apparently not the norm in Bergen. Bergen typically gets 98 inches of rain per year and often sports a gray, Seattle like climate. We took advantage of the sunshine by riding the Fløbanen funicular 400 meters above the city to Mount Floyen take in the picturesque views and absorb some vitamin D. Day two of Bergen was more atypical of the region, overcast and drizzly but not too chilly. On this day, we followed our good old “Rick Steves Walking Tour of Bergen” and had the opportunity to visit the oldest castle and fortress in Norway, weave through the precariously perched shops of the Bryggen (a German business area who were members of the Hanseatic League), and ended our day on a small boat cruise around the Bergen bay.

While at dinner for our departure night, it dawned on us that unlike our Christmas voyage to the Mediterranean in December, the guests on this particular journey are skewing even more towards a more senior demographic. There are lots of wheelchairs and walkers, frequent queries of “what did she say?” and “do you know what’s going on?” I think I can count those under 55 on one hand! This, however, does mean we have the ship to ourselves after 9:00 PM, LoL.

We departed Bergen at 3:30 PM and by morning we were in Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Geirangerfjord is one of the longest and deepest fjords in Norway and it is quite isolated. In the winter, all roads in are closed and people and supplies can only get there via ferry. Once allowed to leave the ship, we jumped on the Viking included tour of Geirangerfjord and the Eagle’s Nest via bus. OMG, giant buses on narrow lanes, weaving through eleven 180 degree switchbacks and maneuvering around hikers, campers, vehicles, and bicyclists also using the same road! Thank God we didn’t even consider driving those treacherous roads ourselves — but wait we actually did, more details on that in the next paragraph! The tour took us to an elevation of 3000 feet where we again had spectacular views of the Geirangerfjord and beyond. I was much too nervous to stand at the edge of the cliff despite there being a very sturdy railing so you may notice that my photos are a bit more reserved.

Joe decided that our final activity for today was to ride electric bikes and take in the scenery in a more engaged way. Now, it’s been years since I’ve ridden a bike — I know, I know, I should remedy that — but the idea of an electric bike appealed to me because I thought that the bike would be doing most of the work. I also thought that we’d be on flatter ground. None of these assumptions or expectations were met. First of all, apparently an electric bike requires one to pedal and pedal hard! It is a pedal assist system and not a vroom, vroom go system! My seat was too low and uncomfortable and the bike is significantly more heavy than a regular bike because of the “motor” and battery. Secondly, we were going UP the same road that our bus had taken us earlier in the morning!!!! I was at the END of our small group of 10, desparetly pumping my legs in order to keep up with the group. There was a leader at the front and a young woman at the end of the group helping to keep everyone going. We were so far behind that I couldn’t see where our group had turned off for a quick check in and I had to double back to find them. THIS WAS NOT VACATION FOR CHRISTINE!!! THIS WAS TORTURE!! My ass hurt, my thighs were burning, and despite the fresh mountain air, I could not catch my breath! We biked higher and higher and higher! Maneuvering around buses and vehicles, and campers! I did not want to take pictures. The only great thing was the ride back down the mountain, which required only the use of breaks! I loved feeling the wind and actually didn’t mind the sprinkles dotting my glasses. However, this is where Joe decided he wanted to be cautious and I ended up tailgating him on the way down. On our way down, we stopped at a small cafe to have traditional Nor wegian waffles topped with raspberry jam, sour cream, and brown cheese! Yes, BROWN cheese. The cheese is the whey from the cheese making process and it is cooked down where it carmelizes, therefore it is a cheese with a sweetness to it. I think I need to buy a Norwegian waffle press (be ready Jeanne, Luana, and Lori for Norweigan style waffles!) Unfortunately, while pulling in for our waffle stop, a member of our riding team (Joe and I were the youngest in the group) lost her balance while getting off her bike and tumbled (bike and all) into a ravine 5-6 feet from the road! It was quite frightening, but she was able to get up and walk. The cruise line sent a car to come pick her up, we’re are praying she has a quick recovery. The rest of us, including her husband, rode the rest of the way down the mountain and into the port. But because of this, we were a little delayed in our return and the last ones on the ship! Whew!