Day 152 – Bergen, Norway

It was another bittersweet morning as we said a final goodbye to some of our favorite crew members. Although we are happy for them since they are beginning a well-deserved vacation, we are very sad for ourselves. We are slowly losing our family.

Virtually all passengers who boarded the ship in London disembarked this morning, and another contingent will embark later today. Most will be with us until Reykjavik, although some will remain on board until New York.

It was another sunny and warm day in Bergen as I left for my optional excursion, “A Snapshot of Bergen.” I covered much of the old city on foot yesterday, so today, I wanted to go a bit farther afield. This was the description:

See Bergen both up close and from a bird’s-eye perspective on this expansive tour. With your guide, pass the medieval fortress at the entrance to the harbor. Stroll along the seafront to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bryggen, the picturesque wharf that helped put Bergen at the center of the Hanseatic League. Visit the Schøtstuene Museum and explore its multipurpose rooms in which wealthy Hanseatic merchants gathered during the winter months. Embark on a scenic drive through the city for a visit to the elegant Fantoft Stave Church. Built entirely of wood in 1150, it was moved to this site in 1883 to preserve it as part of the nation's heritage. Return to the city where you will ascend Mt. Fløien via funicular railway. From the summit, enjoy spectacular views of Bergen's seaside setting before returning to your ship.

As soon as we left the port, we headed directly to the Fløibanen funicular railway, thus avoiding the crowds that would arrive later. Fløibanen opened in 1918 and climbs 1,050 feet above sea level from the center of Bergen to Fløyen, one of the seven mountains surrounding the city. The funicular is not just a popular tourist attraction, but also the means of transportation for people living on the mountain and for children attending kindergarten on Fløyen. The views of the city and harbor from the top were spectacular.

Fløibanen Funicular Railway Entrance and Model

Beautiful Views of Bergen

While at the top, we were able to see the famous Fløyen goats, who clear and control vegetation growth on a defined area of the mountain by eating bushes and trees. The goats, however, were asleep on the job this morning, but they were very cute. I also walked through part of Trollskogen, the Troll Forest that is home to the mysterious inhabitants of Mount Fløyen.

The Fløyen Goats Were Sleeping on the Job

Assorted Trolls in Trollskogen

Our next stop was the Fantoft Stave Church, a stave church originally built around the year 1150. The church was relocated to the outskirts of Bergen in 1883 to save it from demolition and was reconstructed in 1997 following a fire. Norwegian stave churches are the oldest preserved wooden Christian churches. These medieval structures are characterized by their unique post and lintel construction and are significant for their architectural style and cultural heritage.

Fantoft Stave Church

Details of Fantoft Stave Church

The Interior of Fantoft Stave Church

We returned to the city and drove through Nordnes, a historic neighborhood known for its wooden houses, narrow cobblestone streets, and stunning views of the harbor and mountains.

Houses of Nordnes

From there, our bus dropped us off in Bryggen, the medieval center of the commercial activities of the Hanseatic League in Norway. We spent a lot of time in Bryggen yesterday on our walking tour, and today’s tour repeated only a very small portion of what we had covered.

Scenes in Bryggen 

Our main destination in Bryggen was the Schötstuben Museum, a complex of four assembly rooms and two cookhouses that represent the assembly rooms of the Hanseatic merchants where they could meet, hold court, and enjoy warmth, food, and socializing.

Here, we learned about the cultural and economic legacy of the Hanseatic League, a group of North German merchants who developed an international trading network. Bergen was one of the most important hubs for northern European trade between the Middle Ages and 1760s, and the primary export was stockfish, which is unsalted cod that had been dried naturally in the cold wind and sun on large wooden racks. Stockfish from Northern Norway, primarily Lofoten, which we will visit in a few days, was responsible for 80 percent of the city’s export value by the fourteenth century. Stockfish is still available today.

Rooms in the Schötstuben Museum, and a Stockfish

Map of the Hanseatic World

The excursion today was another excellent one, with a very knowledgeable guide, and I came away with a much better appreciation for Bergen’s history and architecture.