Bergen, Norway - September 7-8

 September 7  Train from Oslo to Bergen

     

We had an early train (8:25) to Bergen. It was almost an 8 hour trip! About half-way there, the scenery became breathtaking. The day was warm and clear once the morning fog lifted. The path ways along the lakes were filled with hikers and bikers. 

      Again, we met very interesting people on the train, all who gave us tips on various cities and modes of travel. One was a couple from Minneapolis who have done a lot of traveling, both internationally and camping across the U.S. They are members of a couch surfing group and sometimes stay for free and also open their home to travelers from all over the world.

Bergen harbor from "our" tower

Stairs to the hotel's tower

They were off to take the "mail" boat, a 12-day trip up to the Arctic Circle and back to Bergen.

     Another couple was from Australia and they also have traveled extensively. They gave us suggestions for Lyon where recently visited. 

 

Our hotel

   We took an Uber to our hotel, the Clarion Hotel Hvnekontoret which seems very nice. After a short rest, we took a walk, especially as today and tomorrow are supposed to be the "last days of summer" and then the rain arrives. Bergen gets 90 days of rain a year. At least that what the hotel clerk told us.

So, we walked along the harbor to the Fish Market; it was crowded with people enjoying the warmth. Then, we took the Funicular on Mount Floyen which scales the cliff for a breath-taking view of Bergen. We met up with the Australian couple which was nice.

Forest walk, Mount Floyen

Cashmere goat at Mount Floyen

    Then, we came back to our hotel for dinner. This hotel includes breakfast, a light lunch and dinner with the price. We thought the dinner was quite good - very good chicken, carrot soup and lots of salad choices.

Sept 8 

We started our day by going to the exercise room in the basement. Barbara did some yoga and Mark worked on figuring out how to transfer photos from our camera to the internet. Then, we went to the hotel's breakfast - an absolutely huge array of food for breakfast offerings - from eggs to smoked salmon, from multiple fruits to sausages, from cheese to breads, and from yogurt to porridge. Definitely no need for lunch!

We went to the Tourist Information Bureau to get maps etc. We wanted to take a little ferry around the harbor and waiting almost an hour and gave up. Instead, we wandered around the center of Bergen which was very enjoyable. 

Looking toward our hotel

At the end of our walk, it began to rain, so, we went back the hotel for a light afternoon tea (Swedish pancakes with fruit/coffee/tea).

Later we treated ourselves to the sauna in the basement and went to dinner.