Friday, September 13, 2019, Bergen, Norway

Bergen, Norway

Bergen is home to the Hanseatic League's only kontor (trading enclave) still in existence:  Bryggen wharf.  In this historic district, narrow wooden walkways are flanked by parallel rows of small, vibrantly painted buildings, once the homes and warehouses of merchants.  Totaling more than 60, with the earliest dating to the 18th century, these distinct structures are all that remain after the numerous fires that have ravaged Bergen.  They were largely reconstructed within their original property lines with their restoration and continual preservation staying true to medieval Norwegian building techniques, materials, and tools.  Consequently, Bryggen has come to serve as an important window into both Norway's maritime legacy and architectural traditions.

Nestled between gargantuan snow-capped mountains, magnificent fjords, and one of Europe's largest glaciers, picturesque Bergen is an ancient city with deep Viking roots.  Founded in 1070 AD on what was a Viking settlement, Bergen is Norway’s second largest city.  For many centuries it was the country's capital and in the Hanseatic League, a merchant powerhouse with ports throughout the Baltic.  Perhaps its most iconic landmark is the gathering of quaint, historic wooden buildings of the UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharf.  Not to be missed is a stroll through the Torget Fish Market, where the fresh catch of the sea awaits - from cod and prawns to local caviar and icy oyster.  It features many other historic sites including the medieval King Haakon’s Hall, the Rosenkrantz Tower, and the Nordnes Peninsula with its 19^th century white painted wooden houses.  Once the capital of Norway, Norwegian kings resided here, and many historic events took place in the port.  Bergen owed its wealth and prominence to the fish export trade, which has been at the heart of the town since the Middle Ages.

Bergen is a city and municipality in Hordaland on the west coast of Norway.  At the end of the first quarter of 2018, the municipality's population was 280,216; the Bergen metropolitan region has about 420,000 inhabitants.  Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway.  The municipality covers 180  square miles and is on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen.  The city center and northern neighborhoods are on Byfjorden, 'the city fjord,' and the city is surrounded by mountains; Bergen is known as the 'city of seven mountains.'  Many of the extra-municipal suburbs are on islands.  Bergen is the administrative center of Hordaland, and consists of eight boroughs: Arna, Bergenhus, Fana, Fyllingsdalen, Laksevåg, Ytrebygda, Årstad, and Åsane.

Trading in Bergen may have started as early as the 1020s.  According to tradition, the city was founded in 1070 by king Olav Kyrre and was named Bjørgvin, 'the green meadow among the mountains.'  It served as Norway's capital in the 13th century, and from the end of the 13th century became a bureau city of the Hanseatic League.  Until 1789, Bergen enjoyed exclusive rights to mediate trade between Northern Norway and abroad and it was the largest city in Norway until the 1830s when it was overtaken by the capital, Christiania (now known as Oslo). What remains of the quays, Bryggen, is a World Heritage Site. The city was hit by numerous fires over the years.  From

1831 to 1972, Bergen was its own county.  In 1972 the municipality absorbed four surrounding municipalities and became a part of Hordaland county.

The city is an international center for aquaculture, shipping, the offshore petroleum  industry and subsea technology, and a national center for higher education, media, tourism, and finance.  Bergen Port is Norway's busiest in terms of both freight and passengers, with over 300 cruise ship calls a year bringing nearly a half a million passengers to Bergen, a number that has doubled in ten years.  Almost half of the passengers are German or British.  Natives speak a distinct dialect, known as 'Bergensk.'  The city features Bergen Airport, Flesland, and Bergen Light Rail, and is the terminus of the Bergen Line.  Four large bridges connect Bergen to its suburban municipalities.

Bergen has a mild winter climate, though with a lot of precipitation.  From December to March, Bergen can be, in rare cases, up to 36°F warmer than Oslo, even though both cities are at about 60° North. The Gulf Stream keeps the sea relatively warm, considering the latitude, and the mountains protect the city from cold winds from the north, north-east, and east.  

We thought we had experienced it all with the changing weather saying in Kansas:  "If you don't like the weather today, just wait 'til tomorrow."  Well, we experienced a huge difference from that because the weather has changed from rain to sun then repeated nearly a dozen times in daylight alone today!  It would shower hard for 10-15 minutes, stop then often the sun would come out for 15-30 minutes, then the cycle would repeat.  Our guide told us in winter they have periods of rain, snow, and ice that makes surfaces slick resulting in dangers walking and driving conditions.

We arrived at the port around 8 AM today.  

Morning sights we saw along our path to Bergen Harbor:
One of the four large bridges that connects Bergen to its suburban municipalities.

A cruise ship on its way out to sea.



Panoramic Bergen

After breakfast we enjoyed a relaxing tour by deluxe motor coach as passed the main sites in Bergen, stopping at several to take pictures and hear more about the area from our tour guide.  Founded in 1070 AD, Bergen features many historic sites including the medieval King Haakon’s Hall, the Rosenkrantz Tower, the picturesque wooden buildings at Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the bustling fish market, and the Nordnes Peninsula, with its 19th-century white painted wooden houses.  At our photo stop at Nordnes we admired the views over Bergen Harbor.  Once the capital city of Norway, Norwegian kings resided here, and many historic events took place in the port.  We heard interesting stories from our guide about Bergen’s colorful past as we toured through the streets of Norway’s second-largest city. 

On our way off our cruise ship we noticed this competitor cruise ship and then took pictures of ours on our walk to the bus.

Bryggen (the dock), also known as Tyskebryggen (the German dock), is a series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of Bergen, Norway. Bryggen has been on the UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites since 1979.

The city of Bergen was founded around 1070 within the boundaries of Tyskebryggen.  Around 1350 a Kontor of the Hanseatic League was established there, and Tyskebryggen became the center of the Hanseatic commercial activities in Norway.  Today, Bryggen houses museums, shops, restaurants, and pubs.

More information:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryggen

Sample of murals in Bergen.  Murals seem to be popular in Europe.

Connor?

Sample of streets in Bergen.

Summer home (castle) of Norwegian king.

Sample of homes and apartments we saw on our excursion.

Hotel across from our cruise ship port.

RVs parked along street; presumed to be storage parking.

Interesting vines covering the rock wall below homes.

Park in view from our cruise ship.

A funicular railway is one of the modes of transportation which uses a cable traction for movement on steep inclined slopes.  A funicular railway employs a pair of passenger vehicles which are pulled on a slope by the same cable which loops over a pulley wheel at the upper end of a track.  The vehicles are permanently attached to the ends of the cable and counterbalance each other.  They move synchronously: while one vehicle is ascending, the other one is descending the track.  These particularities distinguish funiculars from other types of cable railways.  For example, a funicular is distinguished from an inclined elevator by the presence of two vehicles which counterbalance each other.  The name "funicular" itself is derived from the Latin word funiculus, the diminutive of funis, which translates as "rope."Take the funicular railway to Mount Fløyen and see all of Bergen in just six minutes. 

For description of the mechanics, please see:  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funicular

 

For more information:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qej5f04rFFA

The funicular railway is one of Norway's most famous attractions.  The trip starts from the city center, just 500 feet from the Fish Market and Bryggen.  The exiting trip up to the mountain is a magnificent experience in itself.

From Mount Fløyen, approx. 975 feet above sea level, you can enjoy the beautiful view, study the city scape in detail, the seaward approaches, and fjords surrounding Bergen.  At Fløyen there is also a restaurant, cafeteria, souvenir shop, and play area.

Read more about what to do at Mount Fløyen here.

Fløibanen funicular (the Fløibanen train):

The Fløibanen line is 2,769 feet long, covers a height difference of 991 feet, and carries over 1.8 million passengers a year.  The line is single track with a central passing loop and was build in 1918.  The track has a gradient that varies between 15 and 26 degrees. There are two cars, each of which can carry 100 passengers; the cars are individually named and painted, with Blåmann in blue and Rødhette in red.  The track has six stops and are frequently used by locals living up on the mountain side as well as two kindergartens on the mountain.  During the summer and rush hours only certain departures will stop at all stops.

Dale of Norway:  A Living Museum

Diane visited one of Norway's few remaining textile centers and saw how the iconic Norwegian sweaters are made.  She enjoyed an hour long scenic ride to the village of Dale, nestled in a sweeping valley among soaring peaks on the west coast.  The drive took the bus through 30+ tunnels each direction.  They spent two hours getting acquainted with the Dale factory, world renowned for more than just its sweaters.  This historic mill harnesses the power of local waterfalls.  The community of Dale developed around this ingenuity and the textile industry that it supports.  Today, the entire village embraces a culture that centers around knitting and creating traditional designs.  Exclusive garments are made here for sports and fashion also.

 Samples for sale at the factory outlet.

 Where have we seen these before??

The needle point picture above was the size of the factory until 20-30 years ago; it employed 1,200 workers at its peak.

This portion of picture above is all that is in operation today.  Fifteen the number of employees dropped to seventy; currently there are a hundred.

 The company recently celebrated its 140th anniversary.

 Clock made in Cincinnati, Ohio.

This troll is the company mascot.

We will spend tonight docked in the Bergen harbor.  Tomorrow will be a laundry day; weather will determine what we do tomorrow.  If it's clear enough we will go on a Hop-on, Hop-off bus in the harbor area.  Sunday we are scheduled to visit a local family farm to learn about their way of life in Norway.

We will postpone our departure from 6:30 Sunday evening for 6-8 hours to let a storm pass from south to north in the path of our route.  The captain's letter this evening said we will then travel at a slower speed for safety.  We will miss our second stop at Shetland Islands (left there last evening) and head slowly to Torshavn, Faroe Islands.  More news tomorrow evening.