Arriving at Bergen

These last two days have been marked not only with the adventure of travelling but with the journey of discovery in becoming further IT literate.
Everything it seems requires an app and all information on travel times, tickets and reciepts is stored within your phone. This is what is shown to bus-conducters, air hostesses, walks leaders and is waved at other electronic devices. 
Having no faith in my phone's ability to hold its charge in cold weather I printed paper copies. Just as well as the plane's scanning system had gone down and only paper would do. 
However, the first big challenge was after arrival in Bergen and trying to purchase tickets for the ride with the Bybanen Light Railway into the town centre. No app on my phone and instructions on the lit screen in Norwegian  As it turned out I could buy tickets with a card in slot – but then I had no idea how you would show that ticket if asked. It said it was saved to the debit  card and would perhaps show up. …Very stressful thinking about what might happen if a conductor demanded to see it.


The rail only took 45 mins with lots of stops and arrived bang in the middle of Bergen before full darkness. Following google maps whilst keeping the phone warm down my front was a fiddle with the two rucksacks and a bag to juggle but I found the Airbnb easily. A very typical old Scandinavian wooden house, set picturesquely up a steep cobbled pathway. Olga, the host was just coming out when I arrived. She said she would always be available with SMS. The room is very pleasantly traditional with white painted wood walls. There's a shared kitchen bathroom and sitting room, overlooking the harbour a few streets downhill. The only other guest was a young  female Polish student who was studying fine arts at the University.


I went for a quick walk along the quayside as night fell and then visited the K supermarket prepared to be horrified at the expense. In fact, by shopping carefully for own brands it was similar to Sainsburys so I had sild with omlette and peas for evening meal  and felt I had arrived digitally and gastronomically in Norway.