I’ve been sitting here barefoot on a rainy Bergen-area Sunday — no Uggs in site! I don’t think I’ll be wearing them again anytime soon, but they were needed last Wednesday (along with the layers we wore, and the hats and scarves we took): Jan and I enjoyed a four-hour trip on the Statsraad Lehmkuhl!

It was a breezy, sun-and-clouds-and-wind-driven-rain trip. It was beyond gorgeous. The only thing that could have made it better is if it had been a longer trip and we’d gotten far enough south to see the familiar surroundings of Lysekloster (and maybe even sailed past our apartment) … but as it was, we traveled in fjords that I’d seen from airplane windows on take-off and landing, under bridges where we’ve driven, saw the familiar mountains that surround Bergen from different angles, and experienced bright sunny moments, wind-driven rain moments, and a complete colorful rainbow.

I’d planned to present the adventure as one post, but I took so many photos and experienced so many different weather events and emotions to my *finally* being out on this beautiful lady it’s a little overwhelming to present in one go. So this post will focus on our arrival in Bergen from Lysekloster, walking around the ship in port, and first explorations once we boarded.

I invite you to join me on the first part of our trip. And since it’s through your computer screen, no Uggs are required no matter where in the world you are. 🙂

Driving into Bergen, there she was waiting in her berth just at the end of Bryggen. We parked and walked around Bryggen, waiting for 5:00 pm when we could officially board. After our recent time in Spain, it was nice to be back home and watch other tourists enjoying my adopted city — especially as, with the threatening rain clouds, cooler temperatures, and only one cruise ship in port, it wasn’t too crowded:

It was exciting to be standing so close, knowing I’d finally be experiencing her very soon:

Once on board, I explored a bit of her open areas before we were scheduled to leave, taking it all in.

Down the steep stairs found me looking where we’d be served shrimp and herring once underway:

I also peeked through to her berth in port, and thought the sign for the recent Tall Ships Races 2014 in Bergen made an interesting perspective through the window:

Wandering around back up on the main deck, I kept craning my neck upward. I’ve always been fascinated by the Tall Ships’ masts, and standing under the mathematical perfection had me mesmerized:

I walked up steep stairs towards the stern and looked to the heartbeat of the ship where the captain is in control, understandably blocked off from us landkrabbes crawling around (but I’d seen the previous setup in the Maritime Museum, so had a slight understanding of what was hidden):

Back down the stairs I went, to the main area of the deck under the protection of the canvas (for us landekrabbe’s protection from the elements):

I walked around a bit under the tarp:

And before we began the trip, I stood hanging over the side, drinking in the sight of Bergen from a different perspective — in the harbor. I stitched together six images to create a makeshift panoramic view (click it to open a larger version):

And I also captured a few individual shots of Bryggen, Fløyen, Ulriken, Løvstakken, and out towards Byfjorden:

Fløyen, with the funicular coming down the steep slope

Ulriken rises behind Bergen

The sun and clouds created interesting shadows on Ulriken

Løvstakken rises in the distance

Looking out towards Byfjorden

And soon after capturing these images, we were off! There was rain and sun throughout the journey. Do you think I stayed under the canvas the entire time? Absolutely not! 🙂 Look for a post next weekend where I’ll share images and a video I took during the journey!

Have you ever longed for an event … and then were able to fulfill that dream? Was it as good as you’d expected?