Last day and last holiday for a while

 My final day in Bergen dawned, and what a morning, stunning blue skies and sunshine, ooohh the irony!!!!!!

I decided to do some last minute shopping and ended up getting lost in Norwegian architecture.

There is something about the varying styles of houses, some just two story, some four+ story, wooden clad or in some areas of the city 'chimney houses. These were built after it was decided that timber houses were a serious fire risks (obviously). However some naughty folk, built timber houses and then clad them in thin bricks, hence if there was a fire in the house, the building turned into a 'chimney' due to the brickwork.

I picked up a traditional Norwegian Easter egg, which is not chocolate but cardboard, and you fill with special easter sweeties. Lots of squishy sweets, some mini chocolate bunnies, and chicks. Not a chocolate egg in sight, very refreshing.

Also  at Easter (or Paske) they do love a bit of yellow and green, homes are decorated with birch twigs festooned with decorative eggs.  Yellow candles are everywhere in the shops, yellow decorations fill every shop window. Very bright and spring like.

I also found , a little late, a lovely shop with glass decorations, luckily it was closed.

Then by the time I got back to my hotel, it was time to board the coach back to the airport. 

And then time to fly home

And that should have been it, but typical Lainey style our landing at Newcastle was probably the scariest I've had in a very long time.

Coming in just before the coast, the plane was bouncing around like a ball, as we were approaching the airport it was getting worse, I could see the ground was pretty close, hurrah I thought. and then we hit the runway and started seriously swerving off to the right. You could have heard a pin drop in the cabin and even the attendants in their seats went silent (they normally chatter away like mad to each other).

We pulled back onto the runway and continued to the concourse. Now I normally wait until everyone has got off to move, but believe me I was off that plane in record time!!!!!

I headed off to meet my friend Julie for a quick cuppa and a catch up, before driving home.

I'm spending the remainder of this week taking it easy, as on Thursday evening I had a horrible gallbladder attack, which was the main reason why I went back to bed on Friday morning. luckily I now carry a pharmacy around with me, 'just in case'. 

And now time to get ready to head back to work, ahhh yes beautiful Norway is becoming an ever distant memory.