Forget about the price tag

Loads of people said to me about how expensive it would be in Norway, and if I had realised this and prepared myself, etc, etc (even the Norwegians themselves find it expensive here – but I guess that’s mainly the students talking). However as I had mentioned to them time and time again, Perth itself is now very expensive too, so surely it couldn’t be that different? Well since I have been here it hasn’t really been too much more expensive compared to Perth, in fact they are about on par with each other, with Bergen maybe being a dollar or two dollars more expensive for some things. I think one of the reasons as well why people find it so expensive here is that by looking at the price tag you think it’s a ridiculous amount, for example yesterday I paid 50NOK for a coffee and a slice of almond cake at the museum and in my mind I think whaaaatt??? $50 for coffee and a slice of cake! Except it’s not, it actually converts to about just under $10 (which you know still isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s not really that much cheaper if I was back home).

So while I don’t recommend to think about the price tag or do too many conversions if you’re a tourist, since I am living here for some months I’ve been doing conversions every time I spend to make sure it’s worth it and also to maintain my budget.

Except today I did get a little careless in one respect. After doing more tourist stuff, I had to pass the Torget Fish Market in order to get home, and I thought I would finally treat myself to one of their fresh meals they prepare. I ordered for take away (so I could have it as an early dinner) a plate that consisted of a good-sized portion of salmon and some prawns with potato salad and caramelised capsicums and onions (why they had onions with it I have no idea, must be a Norwegian thing). It tasted amazing! The prawns were my favourite, and the salmon was very meaty, but I didn’t fall head over heels in love with the taste of Norwegian salmon like I thought I would – I still love salmon, but Norwegian salmon is not my favourite, I would still be happy to eat my salmon from Australian waters. Although the food and portion was good, when I worked out how much I had actually paid for, a part of me cried with disbelief. I paid 189NOK for it, which works out to be around $36. I can’t believe that, $36!!!! It was not worth $36 at all. Now I am a firm believer in that the price tag matches the quality, so usually if I go to a restaurant and pay this price for a meal, I hope the food is good, and almost always it is definitely worth the cost. Yet I would not be happy to pay $36 for a meal from a fish market – I guess it was tourist prices, because I think if you made it yourself it wouldn’t come to that. I was a little gutted though because I had read meat was expensive, but fish and seafood was plentiful, therefore surely if something is plentiful it should cost less… but I guess not.

I’m happy at least that I can say I had a meal from the renowned Torget Fish Market, but I don’t think I’ll be going there again for meals… at least not for a couple of months anyways.

As for more tourist stuff I have done, today I went up Mount Fløyen, which is 320 metres above sea level (so not exactly a huge mountain, but a mountain nonetheless).

One of the many things that Bergen is famous for is the fact that it is home to seven mountains. You can hike up all of them, but for Mount Fløyen you can either hike or get a funicular railway to the top (which is what I chose to do) and for Mount Ulriken one can catch a bus and a cable car. These are the only two I have so far heard of the seven mountains, so they must be the most popular among tourists.

I have yet to go up Mount Ulriken but I look forward to it, as it is Bergen’s highest viewing point over the city. Today though I went up Mount Fløyen, and the panoramic views were amazing, but I think what makes the place so famous isn’t so much the mountain itself but the funicular railway which was officially opened in 1918 and during these years of operation there has never been a single serious accident on the railway.