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The Third Time's The Charm in The City of the Seven Mountains


"Ingen er bare det du ser."("No one is just what you see.")

On Tuesday, January 11th, I boarded the Bergensbanen, bound for Norway's second-largest city. I had been to Bergen twice before, but only for one night each time, and without much time or flexibility to explore.

Other than a haircut and a visit to Telia to make some changes to my phone plan (thanks to a dual SIM card, in addition to my U.S. #, I now have a Norwegian #!), I had four days of unstructured time - blank pages ahead of me, waiting to be filled. After arriving at the train station, it was a quick walk to Citybox Bergen, my home until Friday. I checked into the room, tossed my bag on the bed, and headed out to explore on foot.

The hotel was close to the city center, so I took off in that direction. I spotted a church that I had been curious about in previous trips, and as it started to get dark, I climbed the many stairs to reach it. At the top, I stared up at this beautiful church, the lights in the tree near it, and wanted to know more about it. A quick Google search revealed that it was built in 1894, in Gothic Revival style and is the largest church in Bergen, accommodating up to 1250 people. Its name: Johanneskirken, or St. John’s Church. I immediately thought of my father, whose name was John. I think about him often, but this triggered thoughts about him that weaved their way throughout this trip.

During this waiting period, as I've had the opportunity to explore parts of Norway, I have been embracing these opportunities to let my mind freely wander - even when it goes to painful places. I also catch myself thinking ridiculous thoughts that make me laugh, like (when walking through the main square of Bergen while listening to music), “I wonder if anyone else has ever listened to Vern Gosdin in Torgallmenningen?” Whether they are thoughts that make me want to cry or laugh, I let them in. I know that having this space and time to let my mind wander is benefiting me, and I'm fully embracing it.

After I climbed down the stairs from St. John’s Church, I decided to head back to the hotel, get settled in, map out my game plan for the next few days and scope out 'Too Good To Go' options (more about TGTG at the end of this post). On the way, I made a point to locate the salon so I knew exactly where it was, in preparation for my appointment a few days later. I pinpointed it quickly, and a few steps past it, stopped in my tracks.

Among the rows of darkened bars and restaurants (many temporarily closed because of strict Covid restrictions that severely limited their ability to operate), I had just glimpsed a narrow, nearly-empty space with its lights on, and I swear I spotted vinyl records and a row of taps. While I have been avoiding public indoor spaces whenever possible, I had to check this out. Already masked up, I took a few steps back and stepped inside.

Welcome to Apollon, 'Rock'n roll since 1976.'

A 2.5% ABV IPA by 7 Fjell Bryggeri called 'I Disse Tider' or 'In These Times'

I had just stumbled upon one of Norway's oldest independent record stores. Since they are a record store and bar, they have been able to keep the lights on throughout the pandemic. The Covid restrictions during my trip only allowed them to serve alcohol with 2.5% ABV or under, and only until 8pm (these rules were loosened the day after I left).

I had upped my tea game and nearly eliminated alcohol since arriving in Norway, so one low-alcohol option and one hour remaining before close sounded just my speed. I happily sipped an IPA created by Bergen-based '7 Fjell Bryggeri' ('bryggeri = 'brewery) called, 'I Disse Tider' ('In These Times'). I gazed around at the record selection, scanned the impressive tap list, and took some notes for a future visit in safer, less restrictive times. I chatted with the staff behind the bar and asked how they decide what gets played, with so many music fans in one space. “We take turns choosing an album, and we listen to each album all the way through." Perhaps this is typical protocol among record store staff, but it was the answer I had hoped for. These folks know and respect music.

As I talked with one of the employees further, I learned that he is from Duluth (!). Born with U.S. - Norway dual citizenship (ah, the golden ticket), William had made the permanent move to Bergen just over ten years ago, and visits Minnesota every few years, having just been back there for the holidays. We had both been to the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival previously, and proceeded to nerd out about our favorite acts, pros and cons of the festival, etc.

This was a 'come as you are', unpretentious space where I immediately felt at home, and it felt like pre-Covid times. I thought of my music-loving friends back home, my favorite record stores and music venues, and my own record collection, currently distributed among four households in the States (thank you Justin, Kate, Dawn, Dave, Erica, Ben, Bill and Kristen!). As they were beginning to wrap up for the night, I imagined living in Bergen and becoming the ‘Norm!’ of Apollon (in 'Cheers', he's also a Peterson, after all 🍻). Just before I left, someone walked in wearing a Green Bay Packers hat (was this Bergen or Sheboygan? Shebergen?). It was all so strange, and comforting at the same time.

Before I left, I bought a t-shirt and almost purchased the new My Morning Jacket album, but thought better of it. The only vinyl I brought with me was The Cactus Blossoms and Charlie Parr (the last two acts I saw live - twice each! - before I left) and I didn't see a record player anywhere in my near future, so I decided to hold off.

Plus, I knew I'd be back. This was my kind of place, and these were my kind of people. I walked back to the hotel with a happy heart.

Tusen takk, Apollon.

On Friday, the last day of the trip, a memory popped up on social media from January 14, 2017. It was a photo of my father dancing with my best friend Tara, when he was at the first of three memory care facilities where he would stay before he died in October 2018. I recalled the moment: Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ had started playing on the radio, and she had grabbed his hands to dance with him.


Although he hadn’t recognized anyone (including myself) for quite some time at that point, I thought I saw a glimmer of recognition in that moment. Or maybe I just wanted it to be there. Towards the end, music and animals had been among the few things that sparked any response in him.

I fought the lump creeping up in my throat, thinking about how difficult that period had been. It was one of the lowest points of my life, and it had led me to seek solitude and healing in the woods of Norway. Even though these thoughts were painful, I let them in. Then, what began as sadness shifted to gratitude. For a friend who was by my side through all of that, without question - even when I hadn't always been there for her. The kind of friend you sometimes think you don't deserve.

But these are stories for another time.

At noon, I checked out of the hotel and walked to the train station to store my bag, since I had about five hours to spare before departure. Thankfully, everything was in close proximity, so this was an easy feat. After walking around the city a bit more, I stopped at the Covid Test Station on the way back to catch the train. I was able to get a quick, free PCR test with just my passport (negative), and am also happy to report that I was able to get a booster shot here in December.

'Take a Book, Give a Book'

During this trip I explored Bryggen, learned more about composer and pianist Edvard Grieg, playwright Henrik Ibsen and discovered some new favorite spots for coffee. I popped into another red phone booth that has been converted into a mini-library (same concept as Little Free Library) and picked up John Steinbeck’s ‘Sweet Thursday’ in Norwegian (which I look forward to reading once I graduate from 'Dumbo' and 'Peter Pan'). I hiked up and down Fløyen, one of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen (remember the brewery I mentioned earlier, ‘7 Fjell’? ‘Fjell’ = ‘mountain’ in Norwegian).

As I settled into my seat for the three-hour train ride to Geilo, preparing to dig into Dave Grohl's ‘The Storyteller’, I realized that it was one month ago to the day that I had been in Bergen for my work permit appointment.

When I was getting my hair cut, the stylist had asked where I was from, what I was doing in Norway, etc. (the kind of small talk that I typically don't enjoy, but she was awesome so I didn’t mind). We had time, so she got most of the story. When I was about to leave, I felt like I had made a new friend. She wished me luck, said that she would be thinking positive thoughts, and asked if I could let her know how things played out.

I promised I would.


 

Since music was a theme in this post, I thought I'd share some songs that, for a variety of reasons, were on heavy repeat during this trip:

Mystery Train - Elvis Presley Walking in the Rain - The Ronettes That Sea, The Gambler - Gregory Alan Isakov S.O.B. - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats Hit or Miss - Odetta I Never Could Get Enough - My Morning Jacket Adios Maria - The Cactus Blossoms It Never Rains in Southern California - Albert Hammond Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash You Don’t Know Me - Ray Charles Last of My Kind - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Remember Me if I Forget - Charlie Parr Hey Porter - Johnny Cash Home - Aurora

TO GOOD TO GO


I mentioned that, on the first day of the trip, I had looked up ‘To Good To Go’ options near my location. I've begun to do this wherever I travel, especially in Norway, as it is widely available here.

If you don't know about TGTG, you should. Check out their website (the app is great too) to learn more and see how you can help stop food waste. The last I checked, Chicago was the closest Midwest city where it was available, but I hope that will change quickly.

Over the course of this trip, I ended up eating two different hotel breakfast buffets and picking up two large submarine sandwiches and pastries from Espresso House (a Nordic coffeehouse chain) - at around $4 USD for each meal.

I had booked one more TGTG for the last day, from an Italian restaurant, but wound up canceling it because I had enough food left over (including part of a sandwich for the train ride back to Geilo). In an expensive country like Norway, saving on your food budget makes a big difference - and you are helping to eliminate food waste.

Wins all around.

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