Bergen — Jim Winslett

We sailed into Bergen, Norway this morning with an interesting sunrise over the water

Reminder that you can click any image and see it on your screen in full, without scrolling

Bergen is Viking’s home port, so it wasn’t a surprise to see another Viking ship at dock - but it was a bit of a surprise to see that it’s Viking Venus, which we will be sailing on next year, around the British Isles.

We did the early morning tour (as usual) and saw a few sights. Some highlights included this playhouse (theatre, not kid’s thing, obvs)

And some buildings on the water

And more buildings on the water

A McDonald’s that lives in one of the oldest buildings in town (circa 1710)

Mickey-D’s isn’t the only US chain setting up shop in old buildings. Across the street from it is one of the neatest Starbucks I’ve ever seen.

And then we finally got to the famous row of buildings in Bryggen

Those there are newer - the UNESCO site is the older ones on the other end - here’s a shot from there.

It’s quite the complex as these buildings have been around since the 1700s and they’ve been added onto, altered, etc over the centuries - so much so that it can sometimes look more like Diagon Alley than Bergen.

Thru those narrow gaps between buildings, there are more buildings. Then more. It’s like a maze of old buildings. Everything in the pic below is hidden behind the front row of buildings. You’d never even know they were here if you didn’t explore down a tiny little alleyway.

The rest of the city is charming as well, especially if you can get out of the main touristy areas.

After heading back to the ship for dinner, I discovered that the funicular is open until 11pm, so I guessed correctly that the crowds would be gone by 9pm and I could catch the pseudo-sunset from up top.

So back into town I went, up to Fløibanen, the funicular station.

This funicular is brand new this year and it’s unusual, at least in my experience. Rather than an arrow-straight track, the path winds and twists as it goes, and a bit of it is even underground.