The Grain and Grape

Colorful Bergen, Norway sits in a valley on the edge of the North Sea, surrounded by fjords and mountains, with a wonderful variety of fresh fish and seafood. With gorgeous scenery all around, this makes for a great stop for tourists. We visited the Land of the Vikings to meet up with friends who were on a trip through Denmark and Norway.

A quick reminder that “all of Europe” goes on vacation in August. Stuttgart airport was extremely busy, and Frankfurt, always busy, missed listing our connecting flight on the board. No panic, we asked at a Lufthansa desk, and a representative told us our gate. He also calmly said, “You leave in a very short time, I would head directly to your gate.” Thank you to Hans for that advice, and we were quickly off to our connection.

Bergen

Bergen was founded in the 11th century, and is so well preserved that the town is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. In the 14th century, Norway’s population was largely wiped out from the Black Death, and the Hanseatic merchant guilds from Germany took over Bergen for several hundred years. There is a noticeable German influence in some of the buildings’ decorations. Bergen is the 2nd largest city in Norway, as well as the country’s busiest cruise port.

We met up with our friends who were powering through jet lag, and visited Bergen’s must-see attractions: the wharf, the fortress, the Fish Market, and taking the funicular up to the top of Mount Foyen. The colorful historic buildings at the wharf are now hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops. There are not many café restaurants in town, which made sense, as we saw quick but heavy rain showers pop up each day. The Fortress is both very picturesque, and also free to explore.

The funicular is a fun outing, and the top of Mount Foyen has a playground, cafés, and a souvenir shop. You can rent a bike, or take a hike, there are trails and even a lake. And of course, there are amazing views of Bergen and the sea below. We took the funicular up, and followed the trail to walk down in a very pretty forest setting.

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Fish and Seafood

Fishing has been a major industry for Bergen for over 1000 years, and you may easily see more boats on the water than cars on the road. There is nothing like fresh fish and seafood, and the Fish Market is fun to walk through to see its variety of seafood, including whale meat. You can eat lunch or dinner by purchasing at any of the stands, and then covered picnic table seating is provided.

There is also a sit-down café in the market, and seafood restaurants line the wharf. Souvenir stands and a highly recommended donut house are also in this area.

We ate a lot of wonderful seafood on this trip, with favorites being the Bergen fish soup, grilled octopus, and mussels. The whale steak was an interesting taste, it tasted a bit like game meat, and was not very fishy.

Fjord Boat Cruise

For our second day, we booked a 4-hour Fjords and Waterfalls Cruise through Trip Advisor. We were on the morning tour, which departed at 10:15, and we were very lucky with the weather, partly sunny and not too cold. In line to board at 09:45, we got a good seat at the back of the boat, protected from the wind and with great views port, starboard, and aft. The small villages along the rocky coast were reminiscent of Maine, and the further we went, they became smaller and more remote.

Once in the fjords, views of looming cliffs and waterfalls hundreds of feet high made for dramatic scenery. We imagined the amazement of the Vikings seeing these same cliffs. Nature is truly a wonder.

So Many Blonds

Looking for some Irish shade one afternoon, we visited Brian Boru’s Irish Pub. They offer small plates, and we really enjoyed both the fish and chips and ham toastie. And it is true, Norway is full of blonds, apparently including the Guinness.

Actually there was a Guinness shortage in all of Bergen, and we were soon talking about this with a fellow traveler in the pub. English Ken was on a train trip around the Scandinavian countries, and his group was stuck in Bergen for a day as some rails had been washed out by rain. Quite the explorer, he has traveled to 130 countries, and was full of great stories. He once took a 6-month trip by bus overland from England to Australia. 😳 We always enjoy the friendliness of an Irish pub, and Brian Boru’s has that feel, even when there is no Guinness in town.

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The fjords and fish were a big hit on our visit to Bergen, Norway, but best of all was spending time with friends.

Skål!

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