I spent this Christmas for the first time in Bergen. It was rainy, windy and without snow, but it turned out quite good anyway. My partner and I found a branch to decorate as a Christmas tree, an alternative to the traditional spruce because my partner is not a fan 😉 It turned out nice! Though I did miss the smell of spruce on Christmas morning.
I’ve been living in Bergen for 4,5 years now, and I’ve started getting used to the rainy weather wich this city is known for. Even though I haven’t got a rain coat and I hate using umbrellas, I seem to manage. Often I haven’t thought of the fact that it’s been raining for weeks until my parents (living in the eastern part of Norway) tell me – they have seen it on the weather reports. Rain is the natural state of things in Bergen, so you don’t think of it or complain about it a lot.
Still, the winter period here is challenging for me because it feels like a long late-autumn, where all the wonderful colours and smells of autumn are gone and the daylight is getting shorter and shorter. In the eastern part of Norway where I’m from, the winter is more «classic», with snow and cold. Of course winter time is dark there too, but the snow makes it feel a bit brighter. So even though I prefer snow instead of rain, the main problem with «winter» in Bergen is the heavy darkness.
Now a new year has begun, Christmas is behind, and I am already looking forward to the light coming back.
Happy New Year! From a Forest Mouse in Bergen 😉
Lisbeth Moen 