Our trip is almost over. We left the fjords this morning and the beautiful scenario that every way we turned looked like a picture used in a jigsaw puzzle. Yes, beauty that you would think only existed in someone’s imagination. If you think this is just my imagination, come to Norway, experience the fjords, and see for yourself. Here is one last fjord for the road.
There has been some downtime during the trip during which I have read my book group selection for the month. It is a non-fiction tale about about Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the Diesel engine. At first glance it might sound like a boring story. In reality it’s quite interesting and what’s more, it is very pertinent to the trip.
Diesel was a peer of Alfred Nobel from Nobel prize fame. As you might recall we visited Stockholm where the majority of the prizes are awarded and Oslo where the peace prize is given. This tidbit was a footnote in the book and was very illuminating:
[When Ludwig Nobel (Alfred’s brother) died in April 1888, French newspapers incorrectly reported the death of Alfred, who was in fact alive and well. Alfred then read his own obituary, which was a scathing critique of his life and work. The obituary named Alfred a “merchant of death” and declared that his invention, dynamite, “killed more people faster than ever before.” Alfred was so disturbed at this potential posthumous reputation that he later changed his last will and testament to bequeath his entire fortune to a new foundation that would award a series of prizes to “those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.”]
I’m sure this was horrifying for Nobel but I’ve often mused that funerals are a waste because the one person who would really enjoy hearing what was being said is dead and can’t enjoy it. That’s why I’m planning to have my funeral long before I die.
We left the Fjord country and headed to our last stop, Bergen (of course not before stopping for bathroom breaks which just happened to be in gift shops). Bergen is Norway’s second largest city, with a population of about 292,000 with about 20,000 of those people being students at the University of Bergen.
We arrived late and only had a chance to use the funicular to see a panoramic view of the city.
I also was excited to to see someone with a nose bigger than mine. See below.
In addition we saw one of my favorite travel sights. See below.
After returning from the furnicular we found an excellent Spanish restaurant for dinner and then on to home.
Tomorrow is our last full day of the trip. Until then adjø (goodbye).
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 