Hello darkness my old friend…

Bergen. 60° N. November 26. I landed at around 16:20. It was already dark.

I never understood people who get depressed during the winter due to the lack of light. If you ask me direct sunlight is only good for two things: sunburns and skin cancer. Your stereotypical basement-loving, mole-eyed software developer loves it here: it was dark when I landed at 16:20, and it's still dark now at 8:30 in the morning as I'm writing this. The people here seem to have adapted: the town is beautifully lit, with Christmas decorations everywhere.

They have a charming Christmas market that made me realize why I'm not a big fan of them in Germany: this one was not full of loud people drunk on beer and cheap mulled wine. Instead of loud music, they have quiet Christmas songs playing in the background. It was nice, cozy, and peaceful. It had an observation wheel as well, and of course I went up.

The hotel is beautifully decorated, although the windows in the room do not open so it's a bit stuffy. Breakfast is amazing and the overall atmosphere is super cozy as well. I'll be staying here until Friday when I go aboard the Havila ship going further north.Read more