Friday was a holiday here, for Labor Day. We foreigners were all expecting a parade, but nooo. Flags were everywhere, and the stage was set up for speeches.
The cable car to the top of Ulriken opened for the first time in a couple of years. It was shut for maintenance - I think they basically rebuilt it. The waiting line when we went up was nearly 2 hours long! The Buekorps Boys were drumming at the bottom, there was free ice cream and coffee, and also free Perle & Bruse soda. The two cable cars, one yellow and one red, are also named Perle and Bruse. And the double decker bus that took us from the tourist information center to the cable car had the same two names on it.
A fellow line-stander explained. They were horses. They delivered Hansa beer. Then Hansa decided to make a soda, and named it Perle & Bruse. Later, they sponsored the cable car, so the names were used there. Our line-stander friend said that no one will let you change anything in this town, so when the cars were replaced, they had to be painted red and yellow and named Perle and Bruse.
At the summit, they opened a restaurant. There were musicians playing outside, and a cable-car load of Brann soccer fans waved their flags. The news helicopter recorded it all, and we all waved for the camera. I bought a T-shirt showing the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and towering above them all, the TV-tower on Ulriken. It's labeled "Great sights from a subjective point-of-view". ;)
Speaking of great sights, you could see for miles and miles!
We also had labor day, but it was not a day off. Buddha's birthday was Sat and Children's day is Tues, so we have Mon and Tues off.
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