Transatlantic Cruise: Day 14--Sea Day and Day 15--Bergen, Norway

Thursday, August 29

A day at sea and it gives us a chance to relax and regroup before we start exploring ports again.  The ship offers lots of different activities throughout the day.  We pick and choose what interests us and usually Terry can be found getting a run in while most of the passengers are attending a presentation in the theater. 

Tonight is formal night so we get the fancy clothes out and attempt a ‘selfie’ photo before going to dinner.

Friday, August 30

Today we are up and ready to explore Bergen, Norway.  Before anyone can disembark, the captain comes on over the loudspeaker and tells us some disappointing news.  “There is a low pressure system developing off Greenland which is expected to intensify and pass over Iceland creating gale conditions with heavy seas.  As the safety and security of our passengers and crew is our priority, and to avoid the worst of the weather, we have made the necessary decision to cancel our call to Lerwick, Shetland Islands on Saturday and Torshavn, Faroe Islands on Sunday.  Instead we will extend our Friday call to Bergen to include an overnight in this port and will sail from Bergen at 5:00 pm on Saturday.”

So, we will miss 2 ports but get extra time in Bergen.  And as it turned out, that worked well for us.

Bergen has played a crucial role in Norwegian history and culture since Olav the Good founded the city in 1070. Perched between the sea and seven hills, Bergen has witnessed Vikings setting sail on voyages of exploration, trade and war. In the Middle Ages, its old port was a major trading hub for the Hanseatic League, the band of Germanic merchants whose trading empire encircled the Baltic and North Seas.

The city retains much of its 18th- and 19th-century charm and we set out to find the Bryggen Museum to sign up for a walking tour.  The ship did not port until 10 am and by the time we found the museum, both the 11 am and 12 noon tours were already full. (There were 3 other cruise ships in port).  The 1 pm tour is given in Norwegian so that was out BUT since we knew we would be in port tomorrow, we signed up for Saturday’s 11 am tour and then set out to explore Bergen on our own with help from Rick Steves’ port guide.

We headed to the Rosenkrantz Tower that dates back to the 13^th century when Bergen was the Kingdom of Norway’s first capital.  It was a garrison, with a tower for the king’s residence and a large hall call Hakon’s Hall for his banquets.  We just walked around the outside as we have seen so many similar fortresses in the past few weeks.

While the city dates from 1070, little survives from before the last big fire in 1702.  In its earlier days, Bergen was one of the largest wooden cities in Europe.  Congested wooden buildings, combined with lots of small fires to provide heat and light in the homes, spelled disaster for Bergen.  Over the centuries the city suffered from countless fires.  Each time the city burned, the destroyed material was tossed into the harbor, creating a landfill upon which much of the old town we see today was eventually built.

The Bryggen area of Bergen, right on the waterfront, is a collection of wooden merchant buildings lining the north side of Bergen’s harbor.  This was where the Hanseatic (German) merchants set up the business of trading fish and other commodities throughout the Baltic area.  We’ll learn more about those days when we take the Bryggen Museum Walking Tour tomorrow.

The fish market or ‘Torget’ as it’s known locally has thrived here since the 1500’s.    These days you can still buy herrings, cod,  and just about any other fish or crustacean you are likely to recognize.  Minke whale is the red meat caught off the coast of northern Norway and is sold here. 

Caviar in a squeeze tube!

At this point Terry kept edging away from the fish smells so
we had to leave the fish market.

Last year we watched the “Whale Wars” episodes filmed in the Faroe Islands as the Sea Shepherds were trying to stop the whaling.  It was not pretty to see how the whales were herded onto the beach and then slaughtered.  Whale meat has been a big part of the Norwegian diet for centuries and is sold in the restaurants (with lots of sauce poured over it to disguise the blubbery taste!)

From the Bryggen waterfront we hiked uphill a couple blocks to the Floibanen Funicular that takes you to Bergen’s ultimate viewing point, Mount Floyen.  It’s a steep 320m ascent.

Once at the top there are views over the city, the harbor and the islands beyond.  There are a number of trails heading out across the mountaintop and to the city below.

After taking in the views of Bergen, we set out to do a little hiking on the forested trails on top of Mount Floyen.  It was great to get away from the crowds and we definitely enjoyed the beautiful scenery all around us.  This type of siteseeing is very much to our liking.

Whaaaaaaatt?

Well, this doesn't help much either.

Yes, we are on the right trail.

We chose to hike down the mountain instead of returning on the funicular.  The trail took us through the residential part of the city.  It was fun to see the houses and gardens, and to try to pronounce the street names.

Prices in Bergen (and most of Norway) are very high---lunch plates seemed to be in the range of $25 to $40, sodas were around $7, and beers were over $10.   But we did see a McDonald’s……best looking one we have ever seen!  We didn’t go in so can’t compare what prices may have been.

There are plenty of shops selling Nordic sweaters and trolls.  We resist any temptation to buy and head back to the ship to rest up for tomorrow’s second day in Bergen.