After finally being able to milk a chance to sleep in, our lazy morning leads to a simplified plan: lunch then running to catch the bus to our next stop: Stavanger, to the south.
Jess was on restaurant research duty, and found an awesome gastropub that served Norwegian food, named Pingvinen (‘penguin’ in Norwegian, we believe!).
Pingvinen = Penguin!
Grant made a dish of mash potatoes and fish disappear in what seemed like seconds, while Jess warmed herself with a traditional lamb stew. And seeing as it was after 12noon, we of course sampled more tasty local brews!
Stewed to perfection!
Potatoey, fishy, bacony goodness!
On the way back to the apartment we crossed through the University of Bergen campus, and then swung through the largest church in Bergen (the tower is 200 meters tall) and enjoyed its beautiful stained glass windows.
Beautiful gardens in Bergen, with Grant for scale
From there, it’s all transit, folks. We grabbed our stuff and headed for the ~5 hour bus to Stavanger. About an hour and a half in to the journey, were informed the bus was going to be going on A FERRY and that we cannot stay on the bus during the crossing.
Fortunately, this is Norway, so the ferry had lots of tables (both inside and outside on the upper deck) and a full café with hot food and drinks galore. We enjoyed a beverage while Jess read her book, and Grant marveled at both the view and the sheer idea that underneath him on the boat are something like 4 buses, 3 tractor trailers, and many cars! We docked at an island and then reboarded, drove the length of the island only to find out it was bus ferry time AGAIN! Grant was obviously overjoyed, as he thought these giant ships were boat-acious (huzzah, puns!) and Jess was overjoyed at the smoothness the ride J
Upon arrival in Stavanger, we quickly oriented ourselves, then hit a grocery to resupply for the several full days of hiking ahead!
-G & J
p.s. Check it out Durham: Norway loves lemurs too!
