The day has not started well. After walking across town, the museum we want to visit isn’t open (even though it should have been). But, there is a lovely chocolate cafe next door. My husband enjoys a large cup of hot chocolate as we regroup. I have a surprise brown cheese cheesecake that makes the entire walk worth it.

Just down the street, we finally enter the Kode museum complex. It turns out to be a small museum of Norwegian artists. They have temporarily placed misshapen clay pottery in every single gallery. I don’t like it. I’m sure the artist is a delightful human, but not my thing. They don’t fit in the rooms and seem very disruptive to the exhibits.

I enjoy a large collection by Edvard Munch. The evolution of an artist leading up to and after his mental illness issues is fascinating. His works evoke emotion even though I generally don’t like modern art. I am not sure why I am so drawn to the work.

The museum desk sends us next door to the “Everything is Alive” exhibit in the Bergen Kuntshall. Modern interactive art is meant to be thought provoking….but sometimes it is just weird. A video of a man swimming by a paper mache whale is interesting. A grainy video retelling a folk tale about a mermaid is beyond strange. A video of two naked women with unicorn horns rubbing pomegranate on each other is more than a little disturbing. Honestly, I didn’t get it. And I don’t really want to. Pretentious nonsense.

Feeling a little disappointed with my choices for spending the day, we head to the permanent KODE galleries. The park is slowly filling with people and the sun has finally appeared. Inside, Kode celebrates two extraordinary Norwegian women, a sculptor and a painter. The entire museum has only two floors, one for each artist. They were talented artists and the pieces are exceptionally well done. Still, I am not yet inspired.

Our tickets allow us to visit one more place, Edvard Grieg’s home. To get to the Grieg Museum, we have to navigate the light rail system. The Norwegians we encounter tend to stand in doorways, sidewalk entrances and ticket booths. They stop in the least desirable place and block the path. We try not to get ran over and navigate around to the ticket machines. We have use our credit card and get no ticket or receipt. The ticket is stored on our card….we hope. We also hope we will be charged for only one trip. Who knows? It is all very mysterious. But we board the train and settle in for the 20 minute ride to Hop station.

Once we arrive at Hop station, we follow the signs for the 25 minute walk to the Grieg Museum. It is a nice neighborhood along the fjord. The swans swim in the afternoon sun along the river. Bicycles drive by at breakneck speeds as we try not to get flattened. Eventually we arrive.

We collect our audio guide and head to the cafe for lunch. They say they are sold out. Of almost everything. We eat peanuts and a scone because it is 2:30 and there is nowhere else to go. This day…

We arrive in time for the house tour that visits the composer’s summer home and his writing studio by the lake. I also walk down to see his tomb by the lakeside. It is peaceful here. Finally, we end up inside of the museum and watch a filmof beautiful Norwegian landscapes set to his music. My husband is not familiar with Grieg outside of the many times Bugs Bunny frolicked to the tunes. I am reminded of a childhood recording of Peer Gynt that used to scare me and make we squeal in anticipation. Happy memories at the end of a full day.

It is not the day we expected when we set out. Not even a day I would have chosen. But pleasant, nonetheless. Not everything worthwhile is exactly to your liking…sometimes you just have to go with the flow and take the experience as it comes.