Bergen - Gateway to the Fjords.

When we last visited Bergen we were told that on four out of every five days it would be raining, today must have been that fifth day. Although the sky was overcast and a mist covered the top of the mountains the day stayed dry during our time here. We sailed into the picturesque harbour at 8.00am and after a quick breakfast decided to go ashore early.

This proved to be a great decision as the usual busy tourist areas were more or less empty. This gave us an opportunity to get some photos prior to the crowds arriving.

We spent some time exploring the shops and buildings of the Bryggen area, the ancient quayside made up of wooden warehouses which have been named as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Renovation work is constantly taking place but this is strictly controlled with all craftsmen trained in the old techniques. Behind the brightly coloured facade lies a rabbit warren of wooden passageways leading to more shops and workshops.

At the end of the quayside lies the Bergen fish market, which disappointed me on our last visit. This time the choice of fish on view was much better and included long crab legs, klipfish, and various cold water fish in addition to the salmon that was prominent last time. Other stalls sold salami sausages made from the meat of reindeer, elk, whale and wild boar of which I enjoyed samples.

From the far side of the quay the Bryggen resembled a  fairytale town.

Passing a bakery shop on the way to the museum I couldn’t resist the temptation of the local delicacy, Skillingsbolle, a sweet cinnamon flavour pastry. It was much bigger than it looked on the advert but together Sylvia and I soon polished it off.

The Bergen museum, located just off the Bryggen features two main exhibitions. The first focusses on the ancient history and archeology of the area while the second concentrates on the Great Fire of 1916 when most of the city was destroyed. Fires seem to be a common theme through many of the Norwegian towns we have visited probably due to the many wooden buildings found here. In this case the fire lead to a complete re-planning of the city forming the modern conurbation that can be seen today.

Returning to the ship we bumped into Victoria, Oliver and the two children and joined them for lunch on board. 

This evening was the last formal night of the cruise and we all dressed up in our finery, Poppy joining us in the restaurant.

Joseph decided to go to kid’s club but afterwards had a late night snack before retiring for the night.

Tomorrow is a day at sea before returning to Southampton on Saturday.