Heading South to Stavanger
After a wonderful stay in Bergen, we are headed South to explore Stavanger and the surrounding region. We loved Bergen and cannot wait to go back some day.
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Last Night in Bergen
We had a brilliant lunch post Bergen aquarium near Bryggen with our family before J&B headed to catch the bus for Stavanger. Tomorrow they’ll be on the hike of their life making their way up to Pulpit Rock. Our waiter was incredible and bought us a round when the fryer broke and our food took longer than normal. This was a great gift as beer and cider are extremely expensive in Norway even by South Florida standards. The food was worth the wait and I enjoyed my fish an chips along with my cider.
Post lunch we hit the shops to find some useful souvenirs. The Mayor found a nice knife he can use for fishing while Goalielocks selected a viking horn that sounds a bit like a kazoo. The kazoo piece wasn’t intentional, so we’ll be looking for another viking horn for the house. Jake got a nice Norwegian flag he can hang in his room.
After two ciders at lunch, my favorite local coffee shop Dromedor was calling my name. Not too far geographically from the tourist hub, but miles away in terms of its customer base. This is a great local spot with quality coffee and pastries. I have quite enjoyed their lattes these past couple of days in Bergen.
For dinner our kids wanted frozen pizzas, which was a complete godsend. Food is extremely expensive in Norway and this was a perfectly economical way to feed the kids. Post Pizza we headed to the wold famous fish market to meet J&M (my older bro and family), my grandma and my parents.
They were finishing up their dinner and afterwards we headed for dessert and shuffleboard. We ended up at the same restaurant where we ate and drank yesterday as it had several shuffleboard tables where the kids could play and not interrupt all of the diners’ dinners.
After two rousing shuffleboard tournaments, Priya and Zak and I emerged as champions. Somehow I managed to figure out how to score a couple of points, which was enough for me to be successful. The kids had a blast and enjoyed their desserts throughout the tournament.
After shuffleboard, we said adieu to our favorite spot, Bergenhus Bryggeri, and headed out to walk the city. For the first time, we headed up Kong Oscars Gate where X&P found an awesome and cheap hot dog stand. The group continued to make friends with dog owners and their dogs. Norwegians love their dogs and take them everywhere. Their dogs are meticulously groomed and extremely well behaved.
As the sun started to descend in the sky, we headed back to our AirBnB to pack for our trip to Stavanger. We have absolutely loved our time in Bergen and will be returning to this wonderful city hopefully soon.
Fun at the Bergen Aquarium
This morning the weather was a bit rainy, so hiking the mountain as we had planned was a no go. The old cobblestone roads were slippery enough, I couldn’t imagine how slippery the trail would have been. In lieu of hiking, we took the kids and went to the Bergen Aquarium with my brother and his family. The aquarium was a quick ten minute walk from our place and reasonably priced.
The aquarium wasn’t huge, but it was perfectly sized. It had a nice array of animals all of our attention including some familiar species from back home. My personal favorite was the flamboyant sea lion that kept making eyes at us as it swam by the group. It was a fun morning.
9,000 steps before noon
We started our morning of 9,000 steps with a ride up to Mt. Floyen on the funicular. Once up the mountain, we hiked around the lake and through the forest. The views of the city, nearby islands and the North Sea were incredible. Thankfully, they had some coffee and cold water in the gift shop for a post hike refreshment.
Post Mt. Floyen, we got on a bus and headed to Mt. Ulricken. We headed up the gondola to see Bergen from the city’s highest peak. Once at the top, we hiked up to the mountain’s peak. The mountain top was home to a farm and several small lakes. The hike was exhausting, but well worth the hard work.
Sunset in Bergen
I can’t get over how late the sun sets in Norway. For example, the sunset in Bergen is after 11:00 pm. It really throws you for a loop as it never gets darker than nautical twilight during July. Here are some pictures in Bergen on our way to meet family taken around 9:30 and on our walk back to our apartment taken around 11:30.
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Baby I’m Amazed
In honor of our 16th wedding anniversary yesterday, this song is for you Luke. I’m amazed by you each and every day.
Tether Ball
I remember playing tether ball as a kid and being pretty awful at it. It was a lot of fun, but if you got distracted for even a second there was a good chance you were going to get smacked in the face by that ball. Now as an adult, we all have days like that. Days that smack us upside the head like a tether ball.
Thening. Our daily routines, can set us up for how we handle the stressors of our day. In a perfect world, I’d start each and every day with at least 20 minutes of yoga. My snooze button – a very stubborn thing – keeps getting in the way. Another practice that helps during the day is taking regular walks throughout the day. If you can’t get away from your desk for multiple walks, set aside at least one fifteen minute break to take a walk outside.
The events of our day, much like our life, don’t define us. Rather it is our reactions to these events, both good and bad, that define who we are. Setting yourself up each day for a calm reaction will go a long way to ending the tether ball feeling. Being mindful about how we react to other people and to our stress is an important skill needed to be successful. With a little practice, some breathing exercises and a few walks, one can find balance in even the craziest day.
Shiny New Toy
What is it about human nature that when something newer comes along, we tend to abandon our older toys or belongings in favor of the newer, shinier toy? It would be okay if this was limited to inanimate objects, but this behavior is most egregiously displayed between people. Sophocles paints a much more eloquent picture of this phenomenon in his play Women of Trachis writing “the eyes of men love to pluck the blossoms, from the faded flowers they turn away.” How is that we’re so quick to turn on those that have been loyal in favor of people that are new to our lives or our organization? And does it have to be this way?
The obvious, but not so easy answer is that it doesn’t have to be this way. If we learned anything from the movie Toy Story, and I think we all did, it is that the new and old can co-exist peacefully and productively. When a new person comes into our organization or lives, we want them to feel integrated and a part of the team. In hiring a new person, it is important to hire someone that can integrate into your team as this will alleviate many potential problems.
In the corporate world, solving this issue comes down to leadership. Leaders can integrate new members into the team making them feel important without neglecting or negating the accomplishments of existing team members. One easy to do this is by highlighting the special skillsets and expertise each team member brings to the table and while clearly defining each party’s role in the organization. This will help ensure new team members can integrate into the team without causing existing team members to think their being replaced.
In our personal lives, the onus is on us to make sure we do not neglect our friendships. Life gets busy and relationships evolve, but we can always make time to nurture our friendships be it a call, a text, a Facebook message just to say hi. There may be finite room in your house to store stuff, but there is no cap on many people we can have in our lives.
Walt Whitman Wednesday
I love this quote from Whitman. It is a perfect reminder to focus on the good in life and let the sad, scary or bad shadows fall behind. So today don’t get lost in the shadows, keep your chin up and your face towards the sun.
Winds of Change
One of my favorite songs growing up was the Scorpions Winds of Change, this power ballad by a rock band best known for heavy rock anthems became the soundtrack for the end of the Cold War and the reunification of East and West Germany. The song is inextricably linked to that seismic shift in our world, but I think of it often when a major change is coming down the pike. After all, the only constant in life is constant change.
Change is tough, even when it is a change for the better. In order to be effective at change management, you need to embrace that change is inevitable and change is good. One of the things that is toughest about change is that you cannot control it. You can, however, control your reaction to change. I love the Thomas Monson quote of controlling the wind. You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
Ultimately, if the winds change course and you refuse to adjust your sails, you will be blown off your course. If, however, you adjust your sails to the changes in winds, you can maintain your course. Be flexible in your path and understand that change and obstacles are a part of the journey. Focus on your end game, set sail, adjust your sails when needed and you will find success.