Tuesday 13 February 2024

It’s raining, so it can’t be too cold or it would be snowing. It is actually +3c, so more layers come off and we head into the shopping centre for coffee because the machine in the hotel is broken.

Our hotel is part of the City Box group of old buildings, redeveloped as a ‘no human’ hotel. I’m sure I have mentioned this before, but as a concept they have really got something. So, you check in and out via a booth, use apps for everything and have a very clean room with a brilliant bathroom and rain head shower and unlimited hot water. But, there are no other facilities in the room at all, apart from a very comfortable bed and lots of power outlets and great heating. 

If you want a cup of tea of coffee, a snack perhaps, or a comfy lounge chair and TV – well, they’re all down stairs in the lobby. Drop in. Enjoy.  Put the kettle on. You can even do your laundry and go into the café attached for snacks and beverages, where there is a lone human bar person. We think it’s great and well priced. Just don’t forget to take your room key when you go out.

So, having praised the hotel, Flashy was a bit miffed, when at 0700 he struggles into clothes and boots and goes to the lobby for Lady P’s morning coffee. ‘Machine Out of Order.’ Hence the need to find the shopping centre. We did. Coffee and cinnamon roll delicious!

And a couple of comments on our Scandi trip. The streets are immaculate. Not a paper or litter anywhere and no graffiti. They either cut any perpetrators’ hands off, or the population is just well behaved. Apart from the filthy smokers, who drop their fag ends all around the doorways and rubbish bins. Same the world over.

The hospitality service is very good with lots of smiles. Mind you, they’d want to, given the prices. Scandi is, as they say, expensive.

Today is really filing in time, catching up on admin and packing for tomorrow. However, already being on the street, we head to  the funicular ride up the hills around Bergen to  get the view of the city and harbour and take some nice photos. This was a lovely interlude and it also snowed, so Lady P was happy.

A glass of wine in the café at the top resulted in us meeting a couple of senior ladies from Australia and a nice Italian chap who lives in Bergen. Chatting away like a CWA tea meeting, we were.

Then down the hill to find it raining a bit more than spitting. Refuge is taken in Egon Bar. Now, the story that follows is one of those moments in travelling when, not seeking 5-star cuisine, you actually stumble across a burger joint to remember forever. True!

Their menu was one of those fold out ones that eventually measures a metre long and has everything from snacks, pizza, burgers, mains, desserts, sandwiches to tacos, salads and Asian wok fry. Beers, wines, milkshakes, juices coffee, tea and spirits.

The club sandwich and the chicken BLT were like they came from an American diner. We did not feel guilty about the cuisine choice either! Bloody delicious.