DAY TWELVE: Bergen-Stavanger-Reykjavik-Dulles

On our final day, we awoke to the first cloudy morning we have seen in Bergen--more the norm for a city that boasts over 300 cloudy days each year! The top of Mt. Floyen was enshrouded as the funicular ascended to the cloudy summit. Upon checkout from the hotel, we parted with our remaining kroner except for bus fare to the airport.

We bade farewell to the Hotel Havnekontoret and crossed the front courtyard to catch the Flybussen in front of the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel. (Side note: Based on my single interaction with their front desk, the RBR Hotel also appears to be a well-run hotel if you find their pricing agreeable. Also, both hotels are only 100 yds. from a full service supermarket) This is the furthest stop from the airport and the empty bus gradually fills before departure every 15 minutes.The trip to the airport takes about 40-45 minutes and current Flybussen pricing is 100 NOK pp--which can also be paid with a credit card.

Both arriving and departing Oslo passengers are funneled through the large Duty-Free shopping area going to/from your gate, so you cannot avoid the opportunity to purchase the typical alcohol, tobacco, chocolate and beauty care product options. Duty free pricing was less than you would pay on the open Norwegian market, but generally more than one would likely pay in the US or online. Linda felt her cosmetic purchases were priced a bit high and a 750ml bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc was 109 NOK ($18.) vs. $12.99 at Total Beverage. A one liter bottle of Smirnoff vodka was very reasonably priced at just 199 NOK ($33) vs. the 350+ NOK in the VinMonopolet. So, consider buying alcohol at Duty Free when you arrive in Norway--especially weekends, since the VinMonopolet closes from Saturday 3pm (!!!) until 10am Monday morning!

If you have purchased goods in Norway and want to seek reimbursement for the 18% VAT, then this would be the time & place to do this in the airport. After you leave the Duty Free area, you go a short distance to the "bookstore" to file for your refund. A bit strange as the photo indicates, this looks like your typical airport bookstore, not an agency that would refund VAT. However, the refund went smoothly and they refunded our VAT back to the credit card with which we had made our purchases.

For this flight segment, our Icelandair airship is "Krafla", so named for a caldera in northern Iceland with 29 recorded eruptions--the last of which continued from 1975-1984. Our Icelandair departure from Bergen included a 25 min flight south to Stavanger, which is located in the far SW corner of Norway. Stavanger is a hub of outdoor activities as well as being important to the offshore gas/oil industry.

After a short time on the ground, we chased the sun west across the North Atlantic towards Reykjavik. After a little more than an hour, the snow-capped mountains on the eastern tip of Iceland appeared off the right side of the aircraft. What a welcome sight this coastline must have been for the Vikings after several days sailing on their long boats!

At Reykjavik airport, everyone departing the EU must pass thru an exit point to show your passport and boarding pass before continuing to your departure gate. After a 90 minute layover in the Saga Lounge in Reykjavik, we continued west on our last leg back to the US. This time we are on board the airship "Hekla", Iceland's most famous volcano, which last erupted in 2000. Within an hour, the rugged coast of Greenland appeared off the right side of the airplane. Even in mid-July, the snow-covered landscape looks very forbidding. It is quite obvious why early explorers encountering Greenland must have said "umm, let's keep going...it's got to get better than this!"

As we part company at Dulles, the four of us are in complete agreement that we have all thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful visit to Norway. And sharing this experience with Manfred and Linda has been a privilege as they are a pleasure to travel with. It is fortunate that we enjoy traveling tous ensemble as we will be together again in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam) for three weeks in January, 2014.

 

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DAY ELEVEN: Second Day in Bergen

Great weather again! Today we are headed to the Fløibanen Funicular, which departs about 200 yards from the Fisketorget and climbs 1000 feet in seven minutes to the top of Mt. Fløyen for a commanding view of the city of Bergen. Two Fløibanen cars run in alternate directions precisely timed to pass each other on a section of double track halfway up a steep hillside every 15 minutes.

From the spectacular viewing platform 1000 feet above Bergen, you can see Vågen bay, the Nordnes peninsula, the island of Askøy and all the way to the Norwegian Sea. The top of Mt. Fløyen is the starting point for many hikes--ask the ticket office for the guide with 10 routes around Mt. Fløyen. At the end of the day, Mt. Fløyen offers a great vantage point for sunsets from the Fløien Folkerestaurant at the top. However, we were told that for many days of the year, the view from Mt. Fløyen is foggy or in the clouds. You can monitor the view from the Mt. Fløyen webcam.

The Fish Market is located at the end of the green steeple

After enjoying this wonderful elevated view of Bergen, we took one of the hiking paths and wandered through vegetation that was strikingly similar to the ferns and conifers we commomly see in Canaan Valley, WV. On a clear day, the local populace also flocks to Mt. Fløyen for hiking, picnics and feeding the unique red squirrels.

Identical vegetation to that seen in Canaan Valley!

Following our descent from Mt. Fløyen, we headed back to the hotel to check on Linda who was trying to shake a respiratory virus she picked up earlier on the trip. The Hotel Havnekontoret was a shipping headquarters dating back to the 1920's. Hotel guests are permitted to obtain a key and climb it's historic watch tower to enjoy a great view of the city and harbor.

Watch tower on top of hotel

Working movement for the clock in the tower

Next we visited the Bryygen Museum, located about 3 minutes walk from our hotel. The lower floors of this archeological museum detail the earliest history of Bergen from 1050-1500 AD. The ground floor encloses the remains of actual wooden tenements in their original arrangement and location dating from the 12th C. In addition to remains of a 100 ft long wooden ship found on site, there are various artifacts that detail life in medieval Bryygen. Even today there is universal recognition for the purpose of this medieval two-holer...though I must say people must have been smaller and men must had better aim! :)

The "Beffen"

Our Beffen would be crushed like a bug!

While up on the hotel watch tower, we spotted a tiny little orange ferry boat (the "Beffen") navigating a short route back and forth across the harbor. So, now it was time to ride the Beffen across the harbor and take a walk down the long penninsula of land called the Strandsiden.

The Strandsiden is mostly residential with narrow streets, neat little courtyards and friendly people to strike up a conversation with. One favorite topic was the beautiful weather Bergen had enjoyed these past two days. When we would innocently :)) ask them "isn't the weather like this all the time here?", they would roll their eyes or double over in laughter. We wound our way up the terraces and found ourselves at the highest point on the Strandsiden where we met a young lady from Tromso...why does this sound like the opening line of a bawdy limerick? You may recall Tromso was one of our Hurtigruten ports located several hundred miles north of Bergen where we visited the Artic Cathedral and the Polar Museum. Since we had been there just the previous week, our memories were fresh and we enjoyed a pleasant conversation with her about her hometown versus the city life in Bergen.

Strolling along, we were treated to the sight of our Hurtigruten ship, the Kong Harald, pulling into the wharf having retraced the route southbound and back to Bergen. By this time, the ladies were ready to head back to the hotel. However, Manfred and I felt compelled to hang out at a cafe in the theatre district and people watch.

This guy plays bottles with varying levels of water!

Finally, it was time to join the ladies for dinner on our last evening in Bergen. Tomorrow will be a long day with a flight first to Iceland, then back to the USA!

 

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DAY TEN: First day in Bergen

After a nicely varied breakfast buffet (which included cooking one's own bacon & eggs) at our Hotel Havnekontoret, we walked a couple tenths of a mile west down the harborside road to Bergenhus Fortress. Inside the defensive walls of the fortress are Håkon’s Hall and the Rosenkrantz Tower. For a city that receives 80" of rain and normally has only 60 days of sunshine each year, our weather in Bergen is beautiful and in the 60s.

Havnekontoret Hotel

King Håkon’s Hall, constructed between 1247 and 1261, was the political center of his 13th C. Norwegian kingdom. In 1944, a German ammunition ship exploded in the harbor just below the fortress, severely damaging Håkon’s Hall. The original stonework remained, but the woodwork and contents were exactingly recreated after WWII based on archeological diggings and research.

Håkon’s Hall

Our tour guide at Håkon’s Hall

Primstaven tapestry

The tapestry that runs along the east wall is a "Primstaven" (from Latin, meaning "calendar stick") which has a mark for each day of the year with symbols that remind people of the significance of the day. Our guide did a very nice job explaining the history and significance of the Hall and contents.

From left, the fortress, our hotel and the Bryygen

From Bergenhus Fortress, we walked back east along the harbor towards the Fisketorget (Fish Market), which has been in operation at this location since the 1500's...although this photo above seems to indicate some claim for an earlier date!

Dried cod hanging in fish shop

These days, the Fisketorget caters more to tourists and most of the seafood is "cooked to order" for passers by. There are stalls selling reindeer hides, moose & reindeer antlers, torsk (dried cod), caviar and the like.

From the Fisketorget, we wandered the narrow streets of the Bryygen, which was called the "German Wharf" until WWII. After a terrible plague killed half the residents of Bergen in 1350, German traders established a Hanseatic trading center which controlled trade in Bergen from 1370-1754. We happened upon an interesting old church on these side streets.

We all agreed it was time for a "beer break" and we searched for a cafe ONLY with seating in the sunshine. This speaks to the difference in the Bergen vs. DC area climate in July--in DC, we would have been seeking seating in the shade!

Now fortified with beer, we visited the Hanseatic Museum, which is actually a well-preserved Hanseatic merchant house from the early 1700's. With creaky floors, cupboard beds, hundred-year-old cod hanging from the ceiling and neatly arranged desks with ledgers, it feels like it is simply in wait for the next workday to begin.

Hanseatic Museum

Hundred year old dried cod hanging from ceiling

Note this crest has half the German Eagle and half is the sacred dried cod

By now, Linda and Kenny's meters read "EXPIRED", so we head back to the hotel for a brief rest before cocktails and dinner. After dinner, Manfred and I take a walk from the Bryygen towards the art and theatre district in the city center.

Although the local population was still going strong after 11pm when these last two photos were taken, it was time for this tourista to get some sleep!

 

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