Bergen

July 16, 2023 to July 19, 2023

The kids are coming! Steven and I started the morning with a trip to the grocery store to fill the fridge with some of their favourite things to eat.

It was raining hard when Rob and Kathleen texted to say that the were downstairs. After taking off their wet coats, it was time to sit, “break bread” together and catch up on each other’s lives. Brother and sister had just finished a four day hike and camping trip on the southwest coast of England so they regaled us with stories and pictures of their adventures of sunny days and one especially stormy night.

We’d found a waffle maker in the B&B so, along with eggs, toast and coffee, we made a plate of waffles and explained how we had been shown how to eat them the Norwegian way, with creme fraîche and raspberry jam, then fold in half and eat it like a sandwich. Everyone agreed it was an authentic way to start our Norwegian adventure together.

The weatherman’s forecast that it would rain all day didn’t materialize so we enjoyed our first afternoon in Bergen walking on the waterfront, through the fish market and along the wharf admiring the luxury yachts, oil rig service vessels and cruise boats. A highlight was the crowded and colourful old part of Bergen called Bryggen.

Bryggen, the old wharf of Bergen, is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century. Many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. Its rebuilding has traditionally followed old patterns and methods, thus leaving its main structure preserved, which is a relic of an ancient wooden urban structure once common in Northern Europe. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape.

Some of the buildings are still under renovation, including the Hanseatic Museum, but we ambled through the passageways and in and out of the shops now occupying the long narrow buildings before heading home to a home-cooked supper and relaxed evening.

The next day we joined a walking tour of the downtown seeing sculptures of important people of Bergen, scenic spots for perfect pictures and learning more of the history of Bryggen’s and its gabled facades and private courtyards.

By the time we were done we were happy to find a restaurant for an enjoyable eclectic lunch of Middle Eastern falafels, Moroccan tagine and fish chowder.

Our last morning in Bergen, the rain finally caught up with us again. The kids were able to walk onto the ferry for our four hour ride to Stavanger while Ann and Steve waited in the rain with the vehicles and six other cycle tourers for the okay to board.

With the rain still coming down we enjoyed the views from window seats as we travelled along some of the same coast we had ridden a few days earlier, then continued south past cottages, small ports and uninhabited islands. On arrival we were surprised to find out the ferry port is on the other side of the peninsula so we had a 20km bike ride to get into town.