Smile because it Happened

I'm freaking out a little bit. Nash just left and that was pretty much my last scheduled thing to do here in Bergen. Now I just have two weeks left, in this beautiful city where it's suddenly summer, temperatures between 60-80 degrees all day, a sun that only sets for a few hours, flowers everywhere filling the air with sweetness, people sunbathing and swimming and eating ice cream and relaxing. There's things I haven't done. Things I want to say goodbye to. People I need more time with. I can do it all. I have more than a week.

More than a week. That's a decent length of time for a vacation. Except I haven't been here on vacation. I've had months and months to absorb and enjoy Bergen. But I'm not ready to leave yet and 'more than a week' isn't going to be enough.

I've been enough places to know, Bergen is perfect for me.

I love that I can walk straight out of my door and up into the mountains.

I love that this has been the only spring I've ever lived through without allergies.

I love that I can drink the lovely, clear water straight from the waterfalls and streams.

I love the city with its many cozy cafes, a few fun clubs, all the lovely houses, and even the tiny touristy area.

I love the public transportation and the fact that it's actually reasonable if you buy a student pass for the month.

I love how you can go and go in any direction and there are islands and mountains and lakes and rivers and streams and fjords and adorable red houses and it never, ever seems to stop.

I love the culture here, the emphasis on family, nature, education.

I love the climate - four distinct seasons, and no, it's not too cold or rainy for me, I like it, actually... it makes me value the sun and the summer.

I love the location in Norway and in Europe... easy flights to, say, Scotland, the Faroes, Finland... even further south to Spain and Italy, Belgium, Germany, Slovenia. And it's not even that far from the States, hardly further from Florida than say, Oregon.

Pamplona was lovely and charming, delicious food, historic, I loved it but a semester was just right. I felt the city and it was a beautiful time in my life, but then I went home.

Bonn was my springboard for freedom, from there I travelled all over Europe. I have happy memories there, indeed, and Bonn was a pleasant city, no doubt, but a semester was just right. I went home.

But Bergen is different.

They say, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

I'll try.

But it's going to be hard to leave.

And it's going to be hard to go home.

I may find another place in the world that I like as much as Bergen, but I'm sure I'll never find a place I like more.