Bergen

Sign at the airport. It is supposed to get you to think
what Bergen is to you since the city has many facets.
My thought was that the artist isn't sure where they are.

Looking at Bergen today, it’s not hard to imagine that from 1217 when King Håkon moved the capital of the Kingdom of Norway here from Trondheim until sometime in the 1600s, Bergen was the most important city in Norway and for part of that time the most important city of the North Atlantic. Even after the capital was moved to Oslo in 1299, the city continued to flourish as the leading port of the Hanseatic League established in 1350. The League, headquartered in Germany, held a trade monopoly over northern Europe for the next 200 years. Trade continued to flourish in Bergen even after that time. Its reach stretched from Ireland and Scotland all the way to Greenland. The city acquired a cosmopolitan character and some impressive architecture. As with most cities of the time, most of the wooden buildings were destroyed by fire, but the essence of the period remains in the Bryggen harbor district honored as one of UNESCO’s 89 international historic monuments.

The old warehouses of the Bryggen district are the historical and tourist highlight of Bergen. The old buildings are protected and being restored to their original state even as they house street level shops and restaurants. Tourists are invited to visit the museum and wander the narrow back alleys even as the traders did 700 years ago. Two hotels also grace the area.

The view from Floien

One of the goats earning his keep.

Another highlight, especially on a sunny day, is the trip up Fløien, one of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen, on the Fløibanen funicular. Those hardier than us can hike up Fløien on a gently-sloped paved trail. A more common activity is to take the funicular up the mountain, have lunch while enjoying the magnificent view, play with the goats there to keep vegetation under control, and take the trail down.

Fisketorget is a popular place.

That is dried cod from Lofoten hanging over the prepared meals.

Paella maker

Cherie purchased some berries for us to enjoy.

We also spent some time at Fisketorget (Fish Market) where one can buy all sorts of fresh fish or a meal to enjoy while watching the harbor activity. When I first visited it 50 years ago it was primarily a market where local people purchased fish for dinner. I remember buying a sack full of shrimp to peel and eat sitting on the edge of the harbor tossing the shells into the harbor at my feet. Even two years ago that part of the market made up about half the vendors. Today, most of those vendors have been replaced by those selling prepared food to eat on site. One vendor makes paella.

Enjoying a beer after a day or touristing

Other highlights we did not have time to visit on this trip include Troldhaugen, the home of Edvard Grieg, Norway’s preeminent composer. There, one can tour his home, the small building overlooking the fjord where he composed his music, and a beautiful concert hall for performances throughout the year. Bergen’s wide variety of museums include an art museum, a couple of historical museums, a fishery museum and an aquarium. Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen) is a collection of 30 old houses just outside the city limits. Any visitor to Norway misses out if they don’t spend a few days in this beautiful coastal city.

A bird overlooks the fact that we are leaving town, our bags in tow.

You can see an earlier post about Bergen here.