bryggen and more bryggen

This is one of the artsy stores that now occupy Bryggen. I was wandering around the dark alleyways of Bryggen the first night I got to Bergen. (Wandering around dark alleyways alone is the kind of thing you can do in Norway.) And I went by this one window with a pile of pretty knit things on the windowsill and lots more on hangers.

So the next day I stopped by after the museums had closed, and the big outer wood door was open. I was like, sweet! I get to fondle knitwear! So I tried the glass door, but it was locked. I tried again a minute later, and the nice lady came to the door and told me the store was closed. But she let me in when I looked all sad and told her I'd been by the night before. She was just working in the other room of the shop and didn't want tons of people bothering her.

I poked around and the knitting was, indeed, lovely, and also cost billions of dollars. But she was so nice, and she let me in even though she was closed, and she had these wristwarmers that were soooo pretty. They're part alpaca and they're lavender and green and soooo prettyyy. They also cost 350 kroner, which is - um - almost 60 bucks. (This is what happens when you combine one of the world's most expensive countries with a terrible exchange rate. I paid $15 for a McDonald's value meal one night.) But hey, it wouldn't be Norway if you didn't spend way too much money.

I gave her two 200-kroner notes, but she couldn't get the cash register to work. (Apparently she hadn't made a sale since the last tourist season.) So I got them for 200 kr. Which is still expensive, but they're soooo prettyyyyy. If you're ever in Bergen, and find yourself in need of some pretty knitwear, here it is: Heraldica Design on Jacobsfjorden in Bryggen. I particularly recommend it if you don't have exact change.