It was after my Paris trip when I thought about where else I could go. I got an idea in my head, and once there, it was stuck and there was no going back. I wanted to go to Norway.
I love Norse Mythology, have never traveled that far North, and through my research for Frozen costumes, I fell in love with the culture. But above all: snow. I will tell you all now, I've always loved winter, snow, frost, ice- if it has to do with cold water, I love it.
I did some research and decided on Bergen as my travel destination. Then, through some strategic planning, I got my parents to bring my Elsa costume from California when they visited for Christmas. Then my school schedule finally was posted and I was able to book my trip over a four day weekend at the end of January. Everything was set.
Unfortunately, my friend was unable to come, so it was a solo trip, and that meant a mad scramble for me at the end to find a photographer. I tried to contact from Norway cosplayers and communities, but that wasn't successful, so a quick Google search led me to a photographer who was available.
That set back dealt with, I was ready to go. Then, the day right before my trip, we had our class planning session for our Afternoon Tea event and I was made Team Captain of my group of thirteen students. This meant I had homework to do on my trip. It was a bit of an added pressure on my shoulders, but when it came time to leave, I couldn't have been bothered by it.
My flight was delayed an hour and fourteen minutes because of ice on the runway in Bergen, but it was all worth it for when we landed, after exiting the plane behind a little girl with an Olaf suitcase, we stepped out into the snow. It. Was. Snowing!Sadly, that was the last time it snowed on my trip, but there was plenty of the white stuff on the ground, unlike when it briefly snows in London. By the time I left, a fair amount had melted and turned to ice. So who knows, maybe my arrival caused it to stop snowing and I just froze everything.
I stayed at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel at Bryggen; it was very nice, in a great location, and had the best free breakfast ever. Smoked salmon, lots of fresh fruit, all types of eggs, gluten free bread, assorted cheeses- including gjetost! It was amazing and delicious.The only other two places I ate were Bryggeloftet & Stuene and the Frozen Cow Cafe. I went to Rema 1000, the local grocery store, a lot when I didn't want a full meal.
Bryggeloftet & Stuene I went to for the seafood. Bergen it a fishing town and a port, so very nautical and Norway is known for their fish. In fact, in Bergen just after the sun rises, everywhere smells of baking bread, and after it sets, it smells of fish cooking in white wine and garlic. The first time I went to this restaurant, I had to get the Norwegian cod, and the second time I had mussels and chips. Both very filling but perfectly seasoned with fresh, light seafood and amazing flavours.
The Frozen Cow Cafe (like them on Facebook!) I found during my search for a photographer. While looking through several cosplay communities, I saw one group had just did an event at this cafe and looking through their website, it looked like my kind of cafe. You are greeted by Tonari no Totoro drawn on the door and a Luna the cat head pillow in the lounge area. They sell a multitude of sandwiches, hot beverages, and frozen yoghurt. They even have manga and card games to entertain you during your time there. And amongst the playlist of songs, I heard 'Le Festin' from Ratatouille and some Howl's Moving Castle soundtrack in the mix. Yeah, I could live there.
Finally, time to get to Sunday: the day of my photoshoot. Elsa does not like to travel on planes (you'd think she would only have problems with ships...too soon?), so I had some beading/dress issues. This caused a bit of a delay in my meeting up with photographer Stian, but he was great and patient. I was his first cosplayer shoot, so he was excited to do a different kind of shoot. If you get a chance, go look at his Venice photos, they are stunning!
The first place we took photos was inside Rosenkrantz Tower. The Shakespeare nerd in me loved this. I did often imagine Elsa as the new Fortinbras. Still not sure we were allowed to shoot in there, but the one tour guide with her small group of tourists smiled at us, so I don't think it was a problem. We got a few shots in a couple of rooms there before moving on.
The next location was suppose to be atop one of the many snow covered mountains that surrounded Bergen, and to get up there, we were to take the Ulriken Cable Car. Upon seeing the entrance to the cable cars, though, we ran into a problem.
To be continued...
-Charlotte
P.S. Love Experts
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