Bergen, Norway

Wednesday, June 14th
Bergen, Norway
ms Koningsdam
Voyage of the Midnight Sun
Day 3
Partly Cloudy - 61 Degrees

Bergen is Norway's second city, the "Gateway to the Fjords," a former capital in the 13th century, and the largest on the West coast with about 240,000 people.  It is also Norway's largest port, opening to the North Sea, and its rich history in shipping and commerce qualify the city as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Bergen was the location for one of the four major Hanseatic trading offices, an important stop on the world's primary shipping routes well into the 19th century.

We left the ship and drove along the German pier, and into Bryggen, the neighborhood of wooden buildings with pointed gables that was home to the Hanseatic League.  These buildings have been preserved as they were in the 1800s.  Bergen has had several major fires that consumed the city, so the Hanseatic houses were for men only, with no cooking allowed, so things wouldn't get too hot.

The giant carved wood cod memorializes the importance of harvesting, preserving, selling, and shipping dried cod to the history of Bergen.

After our walking tour, we rode the funicular to the top of Mount Fløien, 1,200 feet above sea level.  This is a part of the local transportation network, and stops at several points along the way so residents can board and make their way up or down.  The top of the mountain was fogged-in, but it cleared just enough for a picture of Bergen below, with ms Knoningsdam docked to the right.

Back at the bottom of the funicular, we walked a few blocks to Bergen's popular outdoor fish market in the Torget that dates from the 1500s, the Pike Place of Bergen, and the Bryggen Wharf, with views back toward the Hansiatic houses, and the sailing ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a symbol of the city.

The weather here would be familiar to any Seattleite.  They get 80 inches of rain per year, and only 60 days of sunshine.  As they say, "There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."  Apparently, it rhymes in Norwegian.  The weather was not conducive to picture taking for our arrival this morning, but was much improved for sailaway this afternoon.  Bergen is a lovely city, full of history and charm.  After we had gone under the bridge, with most of the sight-seeing behind us, we sat in the sun and enjoyed the view with a glass of wine.  We struck up a conversation with the Dutch couple sitting next to us.  As the conversation turned toward American politics, we were joined by a Canadian.  All were pleased to hear that at least some Americans haven't lost their fucking minds.  Cheers to that.

Next Stop:  Geiranger, Norway