Bergen

Yesterday when we arrived in Bergen, it was raining. Today was overcast but not raining so we were happy since it rains over 300 days each year here in Bergen.

Our host has a deck on the top floor of a six story building so she has a view.

Apparently people protested when the ugly grey monstrosity was built but somehow the local government approved it. Whoever voted to allow it to be built should be totally ashamed of themselves.

As you will see Bergen is a lovely city with lots of attractive buildings. The city population is a bit under 300,00 and the area a bit over 420,000.

Many of the streets are cobbled and some are narrow. Cars cannot be parked in the city unless you have a special permit.

The narrow street near the apartment.

There are about 9 krona to US $1.

We are planning to eat here tonight. 

There are some modern buildings.

Interesting manhole cover.

One of the reasons why I picked this apartment was its proximity to the train station. Tomorrow we will catch a train to Oslo.

I arrived here on a train from Oslo in late January 1974. It was raining of course and dark since it was late afternoon.

I picked up our tickets from the machine that I had booked in advance.

It is an elegant station. By chance we met a Canadian man from the Lofoten who was taking the train to Oslo. I wouldn't be surprised if we meet him again since he is saying there a few days.

We then started to walk towards the harbour area.

We walked on one of the quieter streets.

Bergen has trams and trolley buses. We wondered what this strange object was in the distance.

We noticed an interesting looking courtyard and wandered in.

My door picture.

A small church at one side of the courtyard.

Yes, it was a leprosy museum. Unfortunately we arrived too early and I am sure Marianne would have found it absolutely fascinating. I would have stayed outside. Many of Bergen's attractions are only open for the warmer months when the tourists are around.

A door to the church.

We liked the door knob.

Interesting sculpture/

Notice the panda next to the girl under the umbrella. Alcohol is expensive in Norway. We went into a supermarket later to get some food for lunch and asked the checker where to buy wine. She told us where to go and also that alcohol is not sold in bottleshops after 6 pm on weekdays, 3 pm on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays.

We came to the strange wrapped building and realized there was a church underneath.

Entrance to the church.

What it looks like normally. 

An approximation of what is under the plastic painted on the outside.

Another plastic covered building that was being worked on. It makes sense in an extremely rainy climate.

Back in 1974 I only stayed a few hours in Bergen before taking the night train back to Oslo. I remember taking this inclined railway to a viewing point over the city. Naturally I had to do it again.

Passengers waiting for the next ride.

We got on and the car proceeded up the hill while the matching car came down.

Passengers disembarking at the top.

The views are wonderful.

The wharf where the Lofoten berthed yesterday.

Our apartment is down there somewhere. 

We may walk around the lake after dinner.

A restaurant building.

It's still a long way to the North Pole.

I wonder if the lower one is Iceland.

In 1974 I was puzzled by the precipitation that was coming down. It was not rain or snow but very small ice balls. I asked a young couple what it was called and they told me something which I did not understand (sludd). Of course it turned out to be sleet but as a person who grew up in a warm part of Australia, I had no idea.

Hiking is popular in Norway.

Not all that cold.

The top of the railway. Note the two wires that each hold a car.

The car arrived.

And we descended.

I suspect houses up here with the view are expensive. 

Photo of the old cars that were introduced in 1974, probably just after I was there. Note that they are coloured red and blue which are Norway's colours.

I wondered if these were the cars I had ridden in but I think I was in the prior model. There is more information here.

We wandered on.

It's called yarn bombing.

Tulips. Spring must be here.

We came to the Bryggen area which is now a World Heritage site and has lots of old small buildings.

I was amused by the crow and the black cat having a spirited conversation.

There were plans to redevelop the area which is next to the harbour, but fortunately sense prevailed.

Some of them have been converted into very expensive shops.

Marianne was fascinated by this.

And she went in. Those blankets at the top of the door are to prevent tall people like me banging their heads on the lintel. They work.

My job was to make sure she came out with nothing.

Other men outside cowering while their wives were inside the shops. Will the bank balance survive?

Entrance to a back alley.

Interesting method of holding the planks together.

It was a fascinating collection of buildings.

St Mary's church which was built in the 12th century and is the oldest surviving building in Bergen. Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside. The Wiki article shows some interior pictures and it is quite interesting and different from other churches. It has some very old paintings on the walls that appear to have been painted about the same time as the church was built. 

Part of the Bergenhus Fortress that overlooked the harbour. We did not go in but started to return to the harbour and back to the apartment.

The main harbour.

A cute little boat.

It's quite a large harbour and with the local temperate climate it is easy to see why it became the largest port in the area.

Looking back to the top of the inclined railway.

The two men who we ate dinner with on the Lofoten were staying at this hotel.

Distinctive man-hole cover.

More old warehouses.

An old mine.

The fish market had closed down for the day. It was about noon.

You could still buy some seafood.

Holberg who was immortalized by Grieg's Holberg Suite. He was born in Bergen.

Grieg was also born in Bergen and here is a Youtube example of the Holberg Suite.

We passed by a shop with some regional costumes for the Norwegian Constitution Day on May 17.

These dresses has Hardanger embroidery. 

Finally I was amused by this line of women all carrying yellow plastic bags.

Bergen is a lovely city. We have left plenty of stuff for 'next time' when we go on the Lofoten again. By the way, the sun did appear briefly a couple of times today for a total of about five minutes.