We're officially off! Sunday we packed our carry-on bags and handed our keys over to the couple who will be subletting our apartment while we're adventuring for a year. Goodbye Manhattan! We had a great last day in the city exploring the recently renovated TWA Hotel off of Terminal 5 at JFK, with its epic bars and lounges perfect for hanging out in while we killed some time before our flight. We will miss Manhattan life, but we will also be spending plenty of time in two cities most like New York City in Asia and Europe while we're away.
What cities are most like NYC? Shanghai and Paris. Why are they so similar? Fashion. Finance. Food. Arts. Culture. History. Subways. Iconic Architecture. International Melting Pots. However, before we settle into either one of those cities, we have a few other stops before we get there.
Our first stop is Bergen, Norway. This is a city we've been to quite a bit over the last 15 years and have developed several friendships in- mostly due to Alex's international research interests and partnerships. I love Bergen's mix of colorful historic Bryggen fishing port shops and modern urban center set against the steep fjords and deep blue waters. I used to find Norway ridiculously expensive when traveling here from the midwestern states, but after living in Manhattan for the last 6 years, there's barely any pricing shock now. It's interesting how perception changes based on where we live.
Previously, we've stayed in a mix of city hotels, airbnb apartments, and friend/colleague homes in Bergen, but this time we're staying on a boat! The historic MS Sunnhordland. Alex submitted a proposal and was invited to participate in the Greig Research School of Interdisciplinary Music Studies Fjord Summer School. Originally, I wasn't sure if I was going to be joining for this part of the trip because of the intimate nature of it being a lot of research colleagues on a ship, but thankfully, I was given permission to stay on the boat during the conference as well. I'm actually blogging from the back deck of the ship while watching the safety crew prepare for departure while the conference is happening in an upstairs dining room.
We arrived approximately 4pm CEST Monday afternoon and after finding the ship, we dropped off our things and took a quick walk to find something to eat near the harbor. As soon as we returned to the ship and I crashed so hard, not even realizing how long we'd be in transit. Even though I slept a bit on the plane ride over, the last day hustle to have everything ready to leave started at 5am EST Sunday and we didn't make it to a proper bed and horizontal sleep until 32 hours later on Monday afternoon.
Today (Tuesday) we're setting off from Bergen harbor through the fjords on our way to Stord. The normal ferry between Bergen & Stord takes about 2hrs. This minesweeper of a warship will take approximately 6 leisurely hours to make the same trip. (OMG- remember the computer minesweeper game?! I had no idea it was based on a real warship activity!)
Speaking of fjords and scenic trips, if you find yourself in Oslo or Bergen, I highly recommend the Norway in a Nutshell Tour. It is BY FAR the best way to experience Norway's most spectacular sites all in one day. I've never had a day-tour like it anywhere else in the world because it's rare to access so much unique scenery all in the course of one day. If you do nothing else in Norway, at least make time for that tour.
You'll also notice that I posted this blog as "Adventure Year Week 1" with the intent to create weekly updates of our travels and what happens week by week. These blog posts will be a way for me to sum up the day by day adventures that I'll attempt to post on Instagram or Facebook. All of this depends on whether I get good internet connections and uploads on VPN access, so we'll see how it goes! It also takes a lot of time away from travel adventures to sit down and write, so I sincerely hope you appreciate it!
Want to see more from my previous trips to Norway? Here's a roundup of previous posts...
Braving the Norwegian Winter to Photograph Stave Churches 2017
Gorgeous Norwegian Landscapes from the Fjords & Bergen 2008
Colorful Bryggen Images from Bergen 2007
Bergen Interactive Music Conference 2007
Behind the Scenes for Bergenfest 2007
Our First Taste of Bergen 2007
Preparing to Travel to Norway 2007
Previously, we've stayed in a mix of city hotels, airbnb apartments, and friend/colleague homes in Bergen, but this time we're staying on a boat! The historic MS Sunnhordland. Alex submitted a proposal and was invited to participate in the Greig Research School of Interdisciplinary Music Studies Fjord Summer School. Originally, I wasn't sure if I was going to be joining for this part of the trip because of the intimate nature of it being a lot of research colleagues on a ship, but thankfully, I was given permission to stay on the boat during the conference as well. I'm actually blogging from the back deck of the ship while watching the safety crew prepare for departure while the conference is happening in an upstairs dining room.
We arrived approximately 4pm CEST Monday afternoon and after finding the ship, we dropped off our things and took a quick walk to find something to eat near the harbor. As soon as we returned to the ship and I crashed so hard, not even realizing how long we'd be in transit. Even though I slept a bit on the plane ride over, the last day hustle to have everything ready to leave started at 5am EST Sunday and we didn't make it to a proper bed and horizontal sleep until 32 hours later on Monday afternoon.
Today (Tuesday) we're setting off from Bergen harbor through the fjords on our way to Stord. The normal ferry between Bergen & Stord takes about 2hrs. This minesweeper of a warship will take approximately 6 leisurely hours to make the same trip. (OMG- remember the computer minesweeper game?! I had no idea it was based on a real warship activity!)
Speaking of fjords and scenic trips, if you find yourself in Oslo or Bergen, I highly recommend the Norway in a Nutshell Tour. It is BY FAR the best way to experience Norway's most spectacular sites all in one day. I've never had a day-tour like it anywhere else in the world because it's rare to access so much unique scenery all in the course of one day. If you do nothing else in Norway, at least make time for that tour.
You'll also notice that I posted this blog as "Adventure Year Week 1" with the intent to create weekly updates of our travels and what happens week by week. These blog posts will be a way for me to sum up the day by day adventures that I'll attempt to post on Instagram or Facebook. All of this depends on whether I get good internet connections and uploads on VPN access, so we'll see how it goes! It also takes a lot of time away from travel adventures to sit down and write, so I sincerely hope you appreciate it!
Want to see more from my previous trips to Norway? Here's a roundup of previous posts...
Braving the Norwegian Winter to Photograph Stave Churches 2017
Gorgeous Norwegian Landscapes from the Fjords & Bergen 2008
Colorful Bryggen Images from Bergen 2007
Bergen Interactive Music Conference 2007
Behind the Scenes for Bergenfest 2007
Our First Taste of Bergen 2007
Preparing to Travel to Norway 2007
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