Are we back in Bergen?

It's almost May, yet the weather reminds me of our trip to Bergen - cold, wet and windy!

Job interview

Despite our plans to move I need a job now that my maternity leave is coming to an end. So I'm waiting in my car for the relevant time to go in, and I am so nervous. I hate interviews. I try and pretend that its just a chat, but my brain kicks in and fight or flight follows and thats me full of nerves.

Wish me luck.

Bergen

It's a while since we went to Bergen but you have to love a city where pretty much everyone wears wellies.
We had a great little apartment which had a log burner (Jim managed to singe his eyebrows) and a lovely view.  It did also have a very keen traffic warden near by who ticketed us for parking too close to a road junction. Wouldn't have been so bad if the road in question wasn't a cul de sac, other cars weren't doing it and it was Jim's first ever ticket for anything in 20 yrs of driving - tee hee!!  Turns out, unsurprisingly, that Norway's traffic fines are expensive. £50 fine, plus banking fees to pay online total cost £85! Shan't be doing that again.

We did the tourist things - aquarium and the flobarnen, but the weather was so bad that we couldn't see anything from the top, still the girl enjoyed the ride up. I was a bit gutted as we went shopping on Sunday, but Norway is shut! Well shops are, and I found an all year round Christmas shop! Still Jim was happy.

Now, where exactly is the hotel?

We arrived in a very wet Bergen at 11 something in the evening.  Had to get to our hotel which was only 2 km away, but the airport buses stopped running 3 hours earlier, so taxi it was.

Okay so it cost an awful lot of money to drive those 5 minutes, but hell it was worth it. However, we got to our hotel, which was very nice, to discover that the cot we'd ordered for Ned wasn't there, and instead we had 4 single beds!
Jim got that sorted out whilst Maisie unpacked, making sure that her sleeping companions were settled just so, and deciding which breakfast cereal to have in the morning.

Motorway Mayhem

So we got stuck in traffic on the M3.  Massive accident, which closed 2 lanes of the M3, then within minutes another accident further up the motorway which closed the whole thing!

We sat there for an hour, the children - apart from a bit of moaning by Maisie - were brilliant. Then a chap next to us tells us that the police have said the motorway will reopen at 9pm. Our flight leaves at 8pm. It's now 4pm.

Thank god for the motorway police! By 4.30 they'd turned us around and we heading off cross country to get to Gatwick.  6pm we finally arrived at the carpark - never have I been so happy to see the airport.

All checked in, cleared security through the fab family lane at Gatwick - Travelling With Children - found some food, and then boarded the plane ready for the next bit of the adventure.

Preparation

My girl is ill.  She is trying to recuperate by watching Disney films.  So in between administering calpol and feeding my boy I'm trying to work on the business plan for our hopeful move to Norway.

I went to the pub last night  and did a bit of market research on our yurt / glamping idea.  Think the biggest issue won't the cold (yurts will be very well insulated), but bathroom facilities.  Need to think about where to situate them.  Have to say that the idea of walking to the bathroom through the snow and possible sub zero temperatures doesn't do it for me! Seen one company who have what looks like garden sheds in their yurts for the loo block - looks a bit strange - could we have a pod or a yurt-let?

Back to planning things I suppose - head is full of company names, websites, excitement at trip to Bergen, but also mummy worries about my girl.

I've been really busy

We've had a few difficult weeks, hence no posts, but we've not rested on our laurels.

We're off to Bergen in a couple of weeks to have a bit of a holiday, but also to look at houses!  Well that was the plan but the one that we both really love is no longer for sale.  

Still we've got a little apartment in Bergen for a few days, although we do arrive ridiculously late in the evening to we're staying in a hotel - always fun in one room with small children!

Jim has printed out lots of house details and has been in touch with some Norwegian estate agents, and shown his dad the details too.  He seems to think we're mad!

We've got so many ideas about what to do, but not the funds.  Apart from winning the lottery, I'm sure how we're going to achieve this dream.