Inside Norway: Bergen in the Rain

Location: Mount Fløyen, Bergen, Norway

Bergen was the last stop in our Scandinavian tour. Founded in 1060 by King Olav Kyrre, it’s Norway’s second largest city behind Oslo.

Our tour guide reminded us to always bring our raincoats when we went out. According to her, it rains 300 days in a year in Bergen, making it one of the rainiest cities in the universe. She was right, of course. It rained two out of the three days we were there.

 
During our stay, a local guide led us on a tour of the Bryggen Museum while offering insight into the history of the city all the way back to its glory days as a center of the North Atlantic trade.

He also mentioned about the city being destroyed by fire and rebuilt through the centuries. As a matter of fact, the Museum was built over the site of the fire in 1955. This led me to think Fire and Rain by James Taylor could be an appropriate theme song for the city. Just kidding.

 
We spent the rest of our time exploring the historic harbor district that features rows of wooden buildings constructed exactly as they would appear after the fire in 1702.

 
I was amused to see this McDonald’s Restaurant that doesn’t have the big golden arc sign displayed outside. It must be in line with the efforts of preserving the face of the historic neighborhood.

 
How about this sign from a Mexican Restaurant? Mr. Trump couldn’t be more proud.

 
It was fun taking the funicular to the top of Mt. Fløyen which offered a fantastic view of the city. If you’re afraid of heights, it might not be worth trying. It’s 1,050 feet above sea level.

On our last night in Bergen, we gathered for dinner at a restaurant serving traditional Norwegian food. Don’t tell Santa Claus, but I had reindeer for the main dish.

It was a great vacation by any measure. At the same time, I felt sad that I had to say goodbye to people just as I was getting to know them.