The Man Ray exhibit in Richmond is well worth a visit, especially when you surround yourself with friends. Romey set up this visit to the VMFA with Stan. Gorgeous pictures, interesting technique, and oh the gossip!
There were the famous.
picasso
The dead.
Dead Proust
The musical.
Stravinsky
The queer.
Barbette
Some film (with a modern soundtrack by Paul Mercer called Emak-bakia)
Bergen has its first Michelin star restaurant, called Bare. We finagled our way in and had an incredible 14 course meal. Always go to fancy pants dinners with really fun friends. We laughed as much as we ate.
Course 1 (this was a pre-dinner bar treat)
The paparazzi have arrived
Course 2 (also in the bar)
Course 3 came in a beautiful dish. Each was different.
Course 4 was lil tacos (still in the bar)
Finally, we moved into the dining room. BTW, a hint about having a meal like this. say YES to all possibilities (like the caviar course and the wine pairing option). Always YES.
Starting the meal
Cider and a fist
Course 5 (sea urchin) with the cider
Our first wine (blanc de blanc) with the caviar
The incredible caviar course (number 6). very creamy.
Were we happy?
Course 7 wine: sauvignon blanc
Course 7 was calamari (which I usually don’t eat)
More paparazzi
The bread arrives
Now the paparazzi are out of control!
Wine for the crab
Course 8: alaskan crab with barley
Wine from Santa Barbara
Course 9: king crab and parsnip
wine
You will like the wine!
Wine
Course 10: lamb and mushroom
wine from Italy
Course 11: reindeer
sweet wine
Course 12 into the sweets (with blue cheese topping). Wow.
This iteration of Norway in a Nutshell was a one day jaunt out of (and back to) Bergen. Things got underway early (around 8:40) at the Bergen train station. The trip went Bergen–>Voss–>Gudvangen–>Flåm–>Myrdal–>Bergen (through Voss). Arrival at home was 6pm.
Of course the day was perfect and the light was beautiful. Even the clouds of Bergen parted temporarily as we departed.
Here’s how the day went. After a delicious breakfast in Bergen at the Børs hosted by the delightful Dalia, we walked to the plastic-wrapped train station and found our place.
Masked on the train to Voss
It was still early in Voss and the 15 minute connection wait for the bus was uneventful.
Voss station (the blue appears)
The bus to Gudvangen is roomy and nice. But no wifi this time (WTF?!). The trip took about an hour, leaving 45 minutes to have some cocoa and walk around in Gudvangen.
Waterfall from a bus
On the way to Gudvangen
Majestic and way bigger than this picture makes clear
Looking back to Gudvangen
The bridge
The fjord was simply magical
A crystal clear day with little wind left the Fjord a gigantic deep mirror.
The ferry arrives
Since we were touring on off season (and during a pandemic), snacks were harder to come by than on previous Norway in a Nutshell runs. Even the ferry (which usually has a nice snack bar with various food items) was limited to coffee and tea. Bring along some snacks.
The two hour ferry ride is nothing short of stunning.
Pretend Viking boat
The ferry (very upscale)
These days, the ferry (which can comfortably hold 400) is a super modern, quiet boat with lots of room. It is also fast.
Pole position (with a charger)
Just as we departed, some base jumpers blew in from on high. Check out this spectacular landing.
Looking back into the wake
From the bow
Norway
Mountain boat
We called ahead to the Flåm for a pizza from the bakery. This is a good move! The pizza was delicious and it was great to walk in and have a hot pie waiting.
Yum!
Then it was a 3 minute amble over to catch the Flåm–>Myrdal train (one of the steepest inclines in railroad) in an historical vehicle. Here we go.
The climb really is remarkable.
Myrdal here we come (check out the switchbacks)
A short stop at the waterfall is always in order.
Romey takes a picture
Romey also takes a video. (These bits are for Emily.)
And then on to Myrdal with some daylight remaining (remember, the sun sets around 3:30pm in late November).
We made it!
After a few minutes at the top, the train to Bergen arrived. Then it was three hours back, arriving just in time for dinner with friends (including Vemen and Hovard this time).
Smack dab in the heart of campus, the IU Art Museum occupies a beautiful building designed by I.M.Pei (whose initials spell out imp, for what it’s worth). The collection is well curated and presents a blend of historical artifacts in one space and an art collection in others.
Visit if you can.
START
A special exhibit of Dürer prints was on display in the 3rd floor gallery. This was one of those many life coincidences as Eli and I had been discussing his art the night before somewhat spontaneously. The world is small.
Ancient art was also available if the 1500s were too recent.
The contemporary collection includes mostly minor works, but has a nice blend of artifacts.
