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.
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.
The day we toured downtown Bergen it was raining…it’s always raining in Bergen, they say. Not always.
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.
We shopped on Bryggen street, in old, colorful wooden houses, now shops, along the wharf.
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 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.
Prior to our trip into downtown Bergen, we had packed Jomar and Bente’s electric/hybrid car for our roadtrip to Kaldestad.
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.
