Our Trip to Europe

Day 10 – Bergen, Norway

Our shore excursion today isn’t until the afternoon so we decided to explore the town on our own that morning. We left the ship fairly early and were required to take the ship’s transport into to town – you could not walk out of or into the port of Bergen due to security. The transport dropped us off and we headed for the Floibanen funicular to the top of Mt. Floien. It was a very steep ride up the mountain and we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the city. The day was sunny with temperatures in the low 60’s. We could see our ship in the port and all around the beautiful city. There was a troll statue that you could take your picture with and we couldn’t resist. Riding the funicular back down the mountain we were able to get the front row seats with a full glass window in front of us. It was quite disconcerting and the thought of what happens if the cable breaks ran through your mind.

Our next stop was at the Mariakirken (St. Mary’s Church) built in 1140. They have a beautiful pulpit with carvings of women depicting the 7 virtues. There were a lot of statues and other wood carvings in the church that were amazing when you consider how old everything was. One thing I have found interesting in Europe is that they don’t put cut flowers on graves. The churches are surrounded by old graves and they are done up like small gardens where live flowers and plants are planted on top of each grave. They are beautiful and you don’t have a bunch of dead flowers in vases sitting around.

We then headed down to the Bryggen which is the old wharf in town. The streets are cobblestone and the buildings are wood, very narrow and quite colorful with many of them leaning in different directions. There are small side streets where you can barely see the sky up above with additional shops and cafes. At the end of the wharf is the fish market. There are all kinds of open air stalls selling everything imaginable. We saw flowers of all kinds, crafts, Norweign sweaters, and then there were the fish stalls. All kinds of fresh fish and seafood were on display, including smoked whale. They offered us a taste but we weren’t brave enough for that. They also have sandwiches made up with the fresh seafood that you can buy for a picnic lunch.

We headed back to the ship for lunch and then met up with our group for our afternoon tour. We went to the Old Bergen Museum where they had moved a number of the old wooden homes from the city center and set them up just like they were in the old days. We went in a couple of them and they were furnished. We saw the old bank and a merchant’s home but there was also a dentist office, a bakery and a church. We weren’t able to go in all of them though. It was very quaint and interesting. We then headed out of town to the Fantoft Stave Church. This church had burned to the ground but was rebuilt in 1992 just as it had been built in 1150. They used the exact same materials and the same building techniques. The church is built with only wooden pegs and rope. The roof is basically the same as the bottom of a Viking ship turned upside down and placed on support posts. It was a very simple church that they tar every three years to keep is from rotting so the church has a black color to it. There was also a small door in the side of the church, just big enough for your head. This door was used by the people with leprosy. They could open it during the church ceremony so that they could hear the sermon. There were a lot of lepers in Norway for many years.

This was a great day. We enjoyed the town and learned a lot about the history of Bergen. Tomorrow we head back into the fjords and a ride on the Flam Railway. Hopefully our beautiful weather will hold.