Norway for the Winter?

By mid October 1997, we had decided to spend the winter on the small island of Espevaer, south of Bergen and northeast of Haugesund, our market town.  Haugesund is about 87 miles south of Bergen, and Espevaer is in between.  It's about two hours by ferry and bus northwest of Haugesund and WAY OFF the beaten path.  Once that decision was made, we continued to cruise the area.  

A typical bridge crossing the waterways on the approach to Bergen.

Bergen as seen from the water

As October wore on, inclement weather systems got closer together and the number of good weather days became few and far between.  We wanted to go on for as long as we could, but we knew it was getting time to point towards our winter haven.

Above:  Colorful wooden buildings are  very common.  This is a look at downtown Bergen.

Right:  Haugesund, Norway, our market town.  We visited every couple of weeks to to get necessary groceries, visit the doctor, check out library books and to just "be" in town.  It was a hassle, but quite an adventure each time.  About two hours by ferry and bus, all perfectly timed and coordinated.