Bergen

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and is located on the Hardangerfjord on the southwestern coast. We had a grand welcoming to Bergen after a week of traveling in northern Norway. Three second cousins and their spouses met us at the airport.

Hogne and Britt Astrid met us at the airport. It would be the only time we could see them since they were leaving on vacation the next day. There were two other couples at the airport to greet us.

While in Bergen, we stayed with my second cousin Jomar and his wife, Bente, in their lovely home. We were able to unpack, do some laundry, relax, sightsee and visit other relatives.

My second cousin, Jomar, outside their home in Bergen.

Gary and Jomar chatting in Jomar and Bente’s living room.

The day we toured downtown Bergen it was raining…it’s always raining in Bergen, they say. Not always.

Jomar and Gary visiting while Bente and I shopped.

We parked the car and walked around the harbor area…the area you see in iconic Bergen photos. We walked through old fish market which has turned into a tourist attraction,

and the new fish market which is very nice, and used by locals.

Dried fish hanging in the new fish market.

We shopped on Bryggen street, in old, colorful wooden houses, now shops, along the wharf.

A bright spot in the rain. This hydrangea was outside a shop in Bergen. I had not seen this color of hydrangea before. I love it.

As we were eating lunch, the sky seemed to lighten up so we decided to take the cable car, Fløibanen Funicular, to the top of one of seven mountains that surround Bergen.

However, it started to rain again so the panoramic view wasn’t great…but it was still fun. We had been to the top in 2007.

The misty, panoramic view from the top of Mt. Fløyen.

The best part of Bergen was times spent in the homes of my different cousins…Jomar and Bente, Jarle and Oddlaugh, and Siv. We shared meals together, laughed a lot, learned more about our families, and created memories. They treated us like royalty.

LtoR: Magrethe (Jarle’s daughter), Jarle (my second cousin), Reidun Jane (another second cousin and Jarle’s sister), her husband Rolf, and Jarle’s wife, Oddlaug.

Me, Bente, Siv, Anne Lise, on Siv’s deck overlooking the Bergen harbor.

Dinner at my cousin Siv’s…a beautiful table setting, and a beautiful view.

Prior to our trip into downtown Bergen, we had packed Jomar and Bente’s electric/hybrid car for our roadtrip to Kaldestad.

Bente and Jomar packing the car in the rain…everything fit!

We continued on our journey to the ferry, en route to our destination…Brita’s house in Kaldestad. A blog on Brita’s house is forthcoming.

Trondheim

Trondheim is the 3^rd largest city in Norway. Oslo is the largest, next Bergen, then Trondheim. It’s a walkable city, and that is how we got around.

This colorful canopy of umbrellas in the downtown area made me smile.

Our first day in Trondheim, we walked the city loop before the afternoon rain came. We got a good look at what we were interested in, then settled in to read and relax on this rainy afternoon. It was a nice break to slow down and have a rest day.

The lobby of our funky hotel in Trondheim.

The next day we walked to another botanical garden. Although not as spectacular as the one in Tromsø, it was nice to visit. And we took a couple small detours on the way back, for different vistas overlooking the city.

We liked the grass border around the different beds in this garden.

A perky purple flower in the botanic garden.

The Nidaros Cathedral is Tronheim’s most famous “monument”, where royal coronations are still celebrated today.

The cathedral was built over a 230-year period, beginning in 1070 to 1300 when it was substantially completed. Nidaros is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.

Inside the cathedral, looking towards the beautiful stained-glass rose window.

The cathedral was large with very high ceilings and spacious areas for interior seating.

The cathedral is the burial place of King Olav Haraldsson, around 1030, but nobody knows for sure the precise location of his burial place under the cathedral floor.

Nidaros Cathedral is a place near and dear to St. Olaf College here in Northfield. King Olav Haraldsson is St. Olaf College’s namesake.

The Old Town Bridge is another popular attraction in Trondheim. It stretches over the Nidelva River. It was built during the reconstruction of the city after a fire ravaged the city in 1681. The wooden bridge was replaced in 1861.

Bakklandet, a view from the Old Town Bridge.

The bridge is a gateway to Bakklandet, the old town, and a very picturesque area on the eastern bank of the river. It is made up of narrow cobbled streets lined with colorful wooden houses. So quaint.

The curious bicycle lift, in Bakklandet.

This is at the top of the bicycle lift, looking down the steep hill.

Many towns along the coast are hilly, and bikes, especially e-bikes, are very popular in Norway. Trondheim has a bicycle lift…an ingenious idea we’ve not seen before. Supposedly it’s the only one in the world. It boosts you up a steep hill while on your bike. Unfortunately, we didn’t see anyone use it the few times we were in the neighborhood. We watched a YouTube video to see it in action.

We enjoyed our two 13K (8 miles) walking tours of the city, seeing many of the main tourist attractions.

Below are photos of doors I found interesting in Trondheim.

The priest’s entrance for the Nidaros Cathedral.

We passed another old church in Trondheim with a priest’s side door.

Next stop…Bergen!

A Norwegian Odyssey

It’s been two weeks since celebrating America’s Independence Day, the 4^th of July. Although we didn’t get to see any fireworks in the night sky, Gary and I were welcomed to Bergen, Norway on the 4^th of July with an American flag waving for us, in the reception area of the Bergen airport. A few of my second cousins met us at the airport to welcome us to Norway. What a great way to be greeted on the 4^th of July. It was better than fireworks.

Warm greetings from the Norwegians, for Gary and I.

When we first arrived in Norway, a week prior to meeting up with the relatives, we flew directly up to Tromsø, a city 200 miles above the Arctic Circle…the land of the midnight sun. And we were witnesses to that sun that did not set…I saw the sun at 2 am one morning when I woke up.

The midnight sun, from our hotel room window, 2:16 am.

After two days in Tromsø, we boarded the Hurtigruten, a Norwegian coastal ferry and postal service boat that travels along the Western Coast of Norway, making many stops along the way. We had reserved a cabin on it for three nights…and it was amazing. We were delighted and surprised to realize it was more than a working ship, but very much a comfortable, not extravagant, ship with wonderful buffets at mealtime, and relaxing chairs next to large windows overlooking the magnificent beauty of the Norwegian coast. We liked the size…not too big…and the only entertainment was the breathtaking sea and scenery, and that was enough.

We disembarked the ship in Trondheim, where we spent the next two nights at a hotel. We walked around the city for two days, plus had a needed, relaxing rain afternoon.

Trondheim is the city where St. Olaf College performs choir concerts in the majestic Nidaros Cathedral. I’ve heard about this cathedral for years while working at St. Olaf. It was fun to finally see it….and when we purchased tickets…we learned the young woman behind the counter had been to St. Olaf College singing with her Norwegian women’s choir.

I don’t understand the question mark on Bergen’s airport identification sign.

Then… we flew to Bergen, where we began the second half of our trip with my wonderful, amazing Norwegian relatives, who treated us like royalty. We spent the next nine days with them and it was over-the-top wonderful!

From the airplane, along the mountainous coast of Norway.

From the airplane…along the western coast of Norway.

Norway, a country of 5 million people, is a stunningly, beautiful country with mountains, fjords, pristine shorelines, and breathtaking natural beauty. It is clean with friendly, warm and welcoming people.

In the coming days I will be posting blogs about this amazing odyssey. I will struggle with what photos to share…I took many!