Day 10 -Bergen

 


Day 10 -Bergen

As we docked in Bergen the weather turned beautiful and burnished the city with early light.  It is a drop dead gorgeous setting and the city sweeps across multiple valleys all leading to the harbor.   We had a very full day in Bergen, the 2nd largest city in Norway.  Ben had been there previously in 1971 and did not recognize the place.  We walked around much of the downtown area, focusing on the harbor, fish market, Bryggen Wharf, the fort, and finally the funicular.  It is a modern, bustling city with lots of young people and lovely parks surrounding the harbor core.  The Bryggen Wharf restored buildings, which were the center of Hanseatic League activities for 300+ years, were fascinating.  The major experience was, of course, the funicular ride up to the top of a mountain.  The views across the city and harbor and the mountains beyond were truly extraordinary.  The semi-wild goats were as big a draw as the views. As we sailed out of Bergen we were treated to expansive views of the city and harbor.  We passed by a Hurtigruten ferry, reminding us of another way we could see the Norwegian coast and
cities.  Perhaps a future visit to Norway will include passages on such a ship.  While Bergen is not located on a true fjord, our travel toward the North Sea was lovely, with blue skies and the westering sun spreading shadows across the many islands and sinuous coasts of the inlet.  The suburbs of the city wrapped around and over the hills like so many villages, creating a sense of community and individual identity.  We passed close to an offshore oil rig, presumably waiting to be towed out into the sea – a reminder of the primary economic driver of the west coast of Norway and of prosperity of the entire nation

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