Norway in February

by Lynn Hurton

Norway in February?! Is that a good idea when you can't ski and positively loathe large amounts of snow? It is if you've won a free return flight, courtesy of a YHA competition. No-one in their right mind passes up a free flight, even if it does come with strings attached. It had to be taken before 31 March, had to include a Saturday night away and couldn't be used over the Christmas or New Year periods. No problem! Well, it could have been, but, thankfully, I was able to take a week's holiday at the end of February. It also helped that I had a friend with whom I could stay in Bergen. So flight and accommodation costs were non-existent. But Norway is known as being very expensive. Then there was still the problem of endless days of snow and more snow...

Was it worth it ? A huge ‘yes’. Bergen is so beautiful, snow or no snow. There's the ancient Bryggen area around the port, old fortifications to explore, museums galore, old churches, fascinating shops and so much more. Buying bus tickets in bulk lowers costs, as does purchasing food in supermarkets and cooking it in your friend's house. However, there are cheap restaurants if you know where to find them, or restaurants that offer ‘specials’ at 3pm. It's well worth being unconventional about meal times. Having become accustomed to the cold and wet feet, I loved it. Tourists were non-existent, the views were spectacular, the air was pure and the people very friendly. Their command of English was incredible. (Why are we Britons so poor at learning languages?)

All in all, I had a fantastic 6 days, proving that you can, very occasionally, get something for nothing! Trouble is, it's whetted my appetite, and I know that I’ll just HAVE to return some day and see the country in its entirety and in better weather. That certainly will cost me a whole lot more! So maybe it wasn’t such a freebie after all!
First published in VISA issue 57 (Sep 2004)