Bergen, Norway - 28 Aug 2001 My photo album of Bergen
	Bergen is an historic Hanseatic League trading and fishing port with a mountain backdrop, a colourful mix of cobbled streets, picturesque medieval houses, colonaded shops and waterfront cafés. We docked at 7.40am at Bontelabo, terminal 1, Skoltegrunnskaien, just behind the Fisheries Museum and in front of the Costa Marina who was also in port today. Dull & Misty on Arrival There is a lot to do and see in Bergen. There many museums [including a fisheries one] and galleries, aquarium, Bergenhus Fortress and funicular to Mt Fløyen. We walked along Bryggen towards the centre of the city. This takes one past the ferry docks and along the quay where the 18th century merchants traded. The gables on the colourful buildings, with the narrow alleyways and overhanging balconies feature in all the postcards and photos one sees of Bergen Bryggen The sun was now coming out with the promise of a warm day as we arrived at the Fish Market on Torget at the end of the quay. Bustling, and besides fish it was dotted with souvenir stalls selling the usual trinkets along with Norwegian sweaters and reindeer skins [also seal skins and Arctic fox furs]. Whale meat looked awful, especially the dark black peppered version; tasteless I understand, but I haven't tried it. Top Bergen from Mt Ulriken We boarded the Bergen Doubledecker which does a sightseeing tour of the city centre and takes you up to the Bergen Cable Car for a ride up Mt Ulriken, the highest of the 7 mountains surrounding Bergen. It was WINDY up there. There are two gondolas, red and yellow, which pass each other at the halfway point. They started swinging in the wind near the summit. There is a restaurant at the top and lovely views of Bergen and the surrounding area, both from the cable car and the top. One can hike down; there are various trails marked, I assume one can ski in the winter. There is supposed to be a changing light show in the evening from the summit, but we didn't see anything. Once back down the mountain we continued on the bus tour. Around the old district of the city, the funicular, and then dropped us back in the centre again near the fish market. Fish Market Top We looked around some shops and wandered the alleyways. Beverley bought herself a tiny off-cut from a reindeer skin for her bedroom. A bit miffed that I wasn't going to buy one for the house I think. Just about every other vistor to the city seemed to be buying the skins and Norwegian jumpers, of which there are thousands to choose from. We then walked back to the ship, via more shops and the Bryggens museum which we just poked our heads in as Beverley then decided she didn't want to go around it. This is right next door to the Radisson SAS hotel, a popular stop for American visitors. A coachload arrived as we were there, who off loaded their roller cases and headed into the museum. It wasn't until about the 10th or so person had gone in that they realised it wasn't the hotel:) Bergen I was going to take Howard to the Fisheries Museum next, but Beverley decided she wanted to play bingo:( By the time she realised she had the wrong lounge, and we got to the right one, it had already started:) Howard then didn't want to go to the museum and it was getting near its closing time so we wouldn't have had much time in there. It was nearly time for dinner too, another informal night, but with a British theme. Top Dusk over Byfjorden Beverley didn't want to go to the show tonight, but stayed up with me until we left Bergen at 11pm when we went to the Midnight Buffet, just to see what was on offer; though we did eat a few sandwiches and some salad. One could have had hot or cold food, a full meal even. Goodness knows how these people are hungry, but some are really tucking in. It was pretty watching the lights down the fjord and under the two bridges, Olsvik and Litua Sotra at midnight out of Bergen.

	The Itinerary
	The Ship
	Cruise Intro
	Photographs