21 Feb Bergen, Norway, Part 1: From Bryggen to the Blue Stone
My trip to Bergen, Norway was one of the most personally rewarding I have ever had. Why? Well, Bergen is a beautiful city, to be sure. But that’s not the reason. It’s because I had the opportunity to connect with a cousin, George, that I had never met (long story, I won’t get into it). George was our tour guide for the entire visit, and provided us with the perfect balance of touristy things to do, and time spent with him and his family. By sharing our life stories, old photos, and family “secrets”, we bonded instantly, just like we had known each other all our lives. It was a special trip I shall never forget.
But even if you don’t have a long-lost relative there, Bergen has a lot to offer the traveller. With its historic sites, spectacular views from its surrounding mountains, great restaurants, and proximity to some of the best fjords in Norway, Bergen should definitely be on your bucket list.
It’s a city of about 280,000 (second largest in Norway, after Oslo, the capital) situated on the country’s southwestern coast, on an inlet of the North Sea. It’s easily accessible by air (we flew in from Toronto via Copenhagen), and it’s a popular stop for many cruise lines. If you’re coming in by land from the southern part of the country, it’s about a 7 hour train ride from Oslo.
We arrived midday on a Tuesday. George and his wife, Bjorg, met us at the airport and dropped us off at our hotel, a very chic boutique establishment in the downtown area. After getting settled in, we decided to take a tour of the downtown on foot. Just a few hundred feet from our hotel, we noticed a large group of people sitting on and standing around a long rectangular slab of stone resting at an angle on top of a block of concrete. We found out later from George that it was the famous Blue Stone of Bergen, a monument that has become a central meeting point for locals since it was erected in 1993. Apparently, if you’re in the downtown area and you want to meet up with friends (say, for lunch or a drink) you tell them to meet you at “The Blue Stone”. Everyone in Bergen knows where it is.
For the rest of the afternoon, we continued our tour of the downtown, stopping into stores and shops, taking photos of monuments and local landmarks, and just generally getting a sense of the “vibe” of the city. Making a complete circle back to our hotel, we sauntered through a small park in front of “The National Stage”, Bergen’s largest theatre, where “Skipet de Zee Ploeg” is playing (a play about Wendy and Peter Pan). In the park there’s a statue of Henrik Ibsen, the famous Norwegian playwright. I’m reminded of my university days studying The Doll’s House and Peer Gynt.
The real touring began in earnest the following day. Our first stop was the Edvard Greig Museum, where we visited the historic home (known as Troldhagen), studio, and property of the renowned 19th and early 20th century Norwegian classical composer and pianist, a native and life-long resident of Bergen.
Around 6 pm, George picked us up at our hotel to take us for dinner at his place. Like many in Bergen, George’s house is perched on the side of a hill. We wend our way through the downtown, out into the suburbs, and along narrow winding steep streets until we reach George’s place. After a tour of the house, we settled in for a lovely meal prepared by Bjorg. After dinner, we spend the evening sharing stories, trading photos, watching family videos, talking, laughing, and just getting to know each other. It was wonderful visit.
The real touring began in earnest the following day. Our first stop was the Edvard Greig Museum, where we visited the historic home (known as Troldhagen), studio, and property of the renowned 19th and early 20th century Norwegian classical composer and pianist, a native and life-long resident of Bergen.
It’s a beautiful setting on a hill overlooking a picturesque lake. The highlight of the tour for me was a 30-minute live performance of Greig’s music by a celebrated local pianist. I even recognized one of the compositions, The March of the Trolls. (Norwegians are big on trolls.)
Our next stop was Mount Floyen (400 m / 1,312 ft), one of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen. From the downtown area, you take a funicular (cable) train up a very steep incline. It takes about 8 minutes to get to the top. (If you’re really adventuresome, and in good physical condition, you can walk up. It’ll take you 45-60 minutes.) At the top, there are several look-out areas, with spectacular views of the city and harbour below. There’s also a restaurant, gift shop, children’s playground, statues of trolls (there’s those trolls again!), and even a barn to house the goats who are there to help keep the grass down. From the main tourist area, you can branch off to one of the many hiking and biking trails that traverse the mountain. Mount Floyen is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bergen, and a must see for any visitor. But it’s very popular with the locals as well, especially on weekends. Hikers, cyclists, families, lovers, even school children, frequent Mount Floyen. In fact, we saw a group of pre-school children on one of the hiking paths. (Their teachers were with them, of course.)
A personal side note: I’ve mentioned the 7 mountains surrounding Bergen. The tallest one is 643m (2,109 ft), and the smallest is 350m (1,148 ft). Each summer, my cousin George and a few friends and family members, hike all seven mountains. It takes them about 10 hours. And my cousin is 76 years old! Norwegians are obviously in great shape.
After descending Mount Floyen, we toured Bryggen, probably Bergen’s most visited and recognizable tourist attraction. It’s a row of brightly-colored heritage buildings that once housed the shops and warehouses of the merchants of the famous Hanseatic League, an organization of merchant guilds and market towns that dominated commercial activity in Northern Europe from the 14th to the 17th centuries. Today, Bryggen is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and consists mostly of gift shops, craft stores, museums, pubs, and restaurants. In fact, we had a lovely meal that same evening at one of Bryggen’s restaurants, the Tracteurstad. We were joined by George and Bjorg, their two daughters, one son-in-law, and a granddaughter. I loved the rustic décor, the traditional Norwegian fare (seafood, reindeer, and mutton, for example) and the excellent service.
On our third day in Bergen (Thursday), we leisurely toured more of the downtown area on foot in the morning, including Bergen’s famous outdoor Fish Market, located right on the harbourfront. There you can find fresh fish and seafood, local farm food like fruit, berries and vegetables, as well as flowers and plants. The outdoor Fish Market is open from the 1st of May into the fall, as long as the weather cooperates. There’s also an indoor fish market and several restaurants at the location that are open year round.
But the highlight of our third day in Bergen was our fjord tour. You’ll need to read my next blog to find out all about it!