Bergen Day 2

The sun is out in Bergen! I am watching the sky to see if pigs are flying because that’s about as common as a sunny day here. Lucky me! Also my head is spinning from a walking tour I just did with an excellent local guide. Normally I think Rick Steves does a really good job in his guide books, but here in Bergen even he says go on a walking tour with a local guide. So much history! You know that saying you don’t know what you don’t know? That’s how I feel about Vikings and the history of this area. I have given very little thought to Vikings. I picture men in armor wearing helmets with horns. The end. Well the horns are totally made up. They did wear helmets but no horns. And they weren’t very tall. But they were quite barbaric and don’t get much credit for all the places they started colonies. I have learned so much about them in such a short period of time I could almost write a book - or at least a lengthy pamphlet. I’m not going to try and write about everything I have learned except to say it was fascinating, and made me even more curious to learn more.

Always best to start with a great picture so here is one of my favorites. Looking across the harbor at the Bryggen UNESCO World Heritage Site. That’s the row of very old wooden houses you see next to the big ship. Between every other house there is a very narrow passage taking you to more historic buildings behind them. They have been through numerous fires and explosions - quite a history starting with a large German population hundreds of years ago. The ground water is deteriorating so the houses are sinking and there is a major project happening to save this important area. There have been excavations done there which currently show buildings existing all the way back to 1100.

Here are some pictures from the area behind the houses. Top left - the first restaurant which started as a central cooking building for the German merchants. Because of the real threat of fires they cooked in just one building. Top right - a very crooked staircase inside one of the buildings which you still can use to get up to the second floor. Makes you feel like you are drunk!

St. Mary’s Church - the oldest parish church and preserved building in Bergen dating back to 1130.

Bergenhus Fortress - a reminder of Bergen’s importance as the first permanent capital of Norway. Parts of it date back to the 13th century. Free to go in and walk around the grounds but a charge for the official tour.

If you’re in Bergen and like hot dogs or sausage this place I’ve been told on good authority is a must stop spot. When I walked by before it opened this is how it looked. I looked at the menu and at least 10 different kinds to choose from.

Walking by again shortly after it opened was an entirely different scene. The line of people wrapped around the building so get there early or expect to stand in line.

There are lots of cute coffee shops, bakeries and cafes and I went into one intending to get a coffee and cinnamon roll and ended up with a slice of veggie pizza. It was delicious!

Happy to report I tried the Brown Cheese finally. I discovered they make it into gelato and it was delicious. Tastes like Dulce de Leche! Both are dairy so it counts😜

Such a wonderful city to just stroll the streets and check out anything that catches your interest. This restaurant down a darling street is as cute as anything I’ve seen in Paris.

Just more random pictures of things as I strolled the streets. Bergen is built on 9 hills so everyone must be in great shape climbing the streets and stairs to get home.

Speaking of walking I’ve been doing a ton of it. Having the right shoes is essential and these Allbirds I bought are working out great. Good support and they are washable so if they get dirty I just wipe them off. Good to go the next day. I’m about halfway through my trip so still lots more ground to cover.

Last night in Norway so I had an amazing dinner at one of the restaurants on the second floor of one of the historic homes dating back to the last fire in 1702. To Kokker in Norwegian means two Cooks. Had a delicious piece of catfish with potatoes and fresh pea pods. I great way to wrap up my time in Norway.

That’s part one of my trip - part two starts tomorrow. The first part of this trip was through a Collette tour. This is my third trip with Collette and I’ve been happy with all of them. Nice hotels and they plan the transportation and some of the activities. It allows a good amount of time also to do your own thing - so I spent quite a bit of time researching the places we would visit and deciding what I wanted to see in my free time. Part two is totally on my own, so that’s been very fun for me as well. I’m heading to a country I love dearly - not my first trip there. Any guesses? Check back soon and see where in the world is Patti!