Today Dan got to enjoy the sites of Bergen. First we went down to the orange dock to see the German submarine. I thought it best to not take pictures of that. Here are some neat wooden boats instead!
And then we went to the aquarium, which was full of penguins. It was awesome.
Jenny and Kathryn - It's not the pebble it's the penguin!
These are Gentoo penguins which, along with Adelie penguins, are known for their pebble ritual. Males find the most perfect pebble to give to the female penguin of their dreams. If the female accepts the pebble, she also accepts the male as her mate. So, really not that different from people.
This is Stella the leopard seal.
Kisses for fishes!
This tank was full of flatfish. One of them is photobombing the others.
This may be a pokemon. I'm not sure.
Dan in the aquarium!
And finishing with more penguins. They looked like they were getting ready for one of those synchronized dives or something. Apparently some of the penguins actually had eggs and were a little feisty with the others.
This concludes the aquarium portion of our adventure.
All of the types of caviar available at the fish market. You could also get whale sausage.
Dan was not interested in either.
The Hanseatic Museum is in one of the oldest trade houses in Bryggen. Although the Hanseatic League (German Traders) were in Bryggen as early as 1360, the museum is set up in the same way that the house would have appeared in the early 1700's. No heating or lights were allowed in the houses for fear of fire.
Salted dried fish.
The Middle Ages seal for Bergen for trading and judiciary rites.
Seals were used for all official matters and agreements.
This is the seal of my parents traveling, after my mom has misread the GPS directions.
Secret stairs behind the cabinet doors. I want that someday.
The dinning room.
A painting of Bryggen from the 1700's.
The walls in the Bryggen wharf would have been highly painted and decorated.
This concludes the Hanseatic Museum portion of our adventure.
This is Mariakirken or Saint Mary's Church. It was unfortunately closed for construction.
It was constructed in the early 1100's and started undergoing major reconstruction in 2013.
This is the Constitution Day viking ship. It's in the octagon lake park or the park of silly fountains.
It is disappointingly just a front for a stage and not really a viking ship.
Apparently many speeches will be given here tomorrow.
Dan having fun in the park.
The senior high schoolers all wear read or blue overalls the whole week before Constitution Day. They stay up all night the night before and have their parade at 07:30 on Constitution Day to kick things off. This is the bus they were being carted around in. It is a Fresh Prince of BelAir bus.
This concludes our adventure for today.
