Hello everybody! Today was filled with good times, so let us get into it.
To start the day off strong, most of us ate at the lovely breakfast provided by our hostel, filling up on toast and cookies alike. After getting our fill, we found our way to our classroom to have our lecture and discussion about the impact of Norwegian women in war, specifically WWII. From delivering messages to espionage, the influence women had in combating the German occupation of Norway often goes unnoticed and under-recognized. Following our discussion it was time for the Oles to travel to Bergenhus Fortress Museum, but this journey proved to be more troublesome than anticipated.
After boarding what we believed to be the correct bus, we were soon surprised when it instead took us the complete wrong direction. We scrambled to get off at the soonest stop, and found ourselves needing to wait a solid 15 minutes before the correct bus pulled up. It was not all grim however, as we took the time to introduce the game of mafia which soon became a staple activity for us. Despite some confusion, we managed to squeeze (and I mean squeeze) ourselves onto our bus headed to the fortress museum.
Upon arrival, we received an informative introduction and were then released to explore the museum at our own volition. With information regarding the contribution of Norwegian women to war efforts and Bergen’s involvement in the resistance during WWII, there was lots for us to learn. Once we took in all we could from the museum, we were dismissed to go find lunch. Some of us stuck with the tried and true restaurant, Olivia, while others mixed it up and found new places to eat. We met again at 2 at Fløibanen to ride the funicular railway up to mount Fløyen, and boy did it put the “fun” in funicular. As we chatted while waiting for our car to arrive, the cacophony of an approaching barnehagen (kindergarten) rivaled our own. The innocence of the children raised our spirits as the cable car raised us up the mountain.
The view was obviously beautiful as we strolled around and observed the city of Bergen. Once we adequately appreciated the landscape, some of us took the next car back down, while others decided to walk back down the mountain. I personally walked and was joined by a few of my classmates as we fed birds and reminisced about childhood memories on our way down. After reaching the bottom, we decided to refuel by getting a taste of home at the fanciest McDonalds I have ever seen.
As we made our way back to the hostel, we stopped at the store to pick up ingredients for our group dinner tonight: burritos! We whipped up rice, chicken, beef, fajita vegetables, guacamole, and pretty much any topping you can think of and wow it was good. Group dinners like these have become a fundamental part of our stay here in Bergen, as it is a great way to both save money and connect with each other. After eating, we cleaned up, boxed up our leftovers, and finished up by playing some mafia before bed!