We had been warned that Bergen would most likely be rainy as it is reputed to have 266 wet days each year and it was very grey when we arrived. However as we set out on our first day we had blue skies which lasted all day and in fact it was just a little too warm for us clad in our cold weather clothes.
We walked down towards the harbour and after some advice from the Tourist Bureau, walked further along and found the entrance to the Funicular climbing up the side of the steep hillside away from the waterside.
This is a very popular attraction and rightly so - the small funicula carriage slides slowly up the hillside and when at the top it's possible to see all of Bergen far below. It's a magnificent view and we were blessed with a beautiful blue sky as a bonus.
Later we walked along the old harbour side - Bryggen. I had wanted to visit the Hanseatic Museum which has been in this part of Bryggen for several hundred years. Unfortunately it closed on 1st October this year for restoration work and won't re-open for 6 years. The exhibits will be moved to another building - but these won't be open to the public until next summer. Just my luck!
These old waterside buildings are tenements with long narrow passages between them. Doorways and stairs certainly look very ancient. There are a few arts and crafts shops (including a beautiful yarn shop), some lovely clothing places and, of course, souvenir shops.
On our last day in Bergen (grey and misty rain), we travelled out to Troldhaugen about 20 minutes out of Bergen to visit Edvard Grieg's house and museum. Grieg's music has always been a favourite and I especially love his Solveig's Song.
The house is lovely and we could view the ground floor with many of the Grieg family's furniture and possessions still in situ. The walls are lined in unpainted timber and there are wonderful views from the windows.
A short walk down towards the water edge is his 'work cabin', and nearby carved high up in a rocky outcrop is the burial place holding the ashes of Grieg and his wife Nina.
Back at our hotel, we waited with a cuppa in the comfy foyer sofas until it was time to join the 'Nordkapp' and the next part of our trip.
We walked down towards the harbour and after some advice from the Tourist Bureau, walked further along and found the entrance to the Funicular climbing up the side of the steep hillside away from the waterside.
This is a very popular attraction and rightly so - the small funicula carriage slides slowly up the hillside and when at the top it's possible to see all of Bergen far below. It's a magnificent view and we were blessed with a beautiful blue sky as a bonus.
These old waterside buildings are tenements with long narrow passages between them. Doorways and stairs certainly look very ancient. There are a few arts and crafts shops (including a beautiful yarn shop), some lovely clothing places and, of course, souvenir shops.
On our last day in Bergen (grey and misty rain), we travelled out to Troldhaugen about 20 minutes out of Bergen to visit Edvard Grieg's house and museum. Grieg's music has always been a favourite and I especially love his Solveig's Song.
The house is lovely and we could view the ground floor with many of the Grieg family's furniture and possessions still in situ. The walls are lined in unpainted timber and there are wonderful views from the windows.
Back at our hotel, we waited with a cuppa in the comfy foyer sofas until it was time to join the 'Nordkapp' and the next part of our trip.
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