Why Bergen? The Answer in a Nutshell® !

Q: Why Bergen?

 A: Simple.

1)      The Baltic cruise we are going on does not include Norway, a rather important part of the region; and,

2)      Fjords. We had seen them in Alaska, Chile, and New Zealand. I wanted to see the originals, and Bergen is the Gateway to the Fjords.

Bergen is Norway’s second largest city and its first capital, located on the west coast. It has a history back to the Viking days and has retained a lot of the old European flavor. As in all of Norway I saw, it looked pristine, clean with lots of water, trees and fresh air. The center of town wraps around the harbor with a lively fish/farmer’s/flea market flanked by a tight row of wooded shops dating to the early 1700’s and guarded by a 13th century fortress and castle. The wooded structures are in an area called Bryggen and next to them a row of larger stone buildings from the 18^th century.

We stayed two nights in the Grand Terminus Hotel, an elegant dowager of property next to the train station with a real Old World ambiance. The central area is compact and a pleasure to walk about, with old churches and landmarks aplenty.

Monument to the history of Bergen, starting with Viking stuff up to the present time.

You can’t help be reminded of Norway’s contribution to Western culture, starting with the always dour-appearing Henrik Ibsen

Mr. Grumpy Pantz in front of the Bergen Theater

to the iconic composer Sibelius.

 They both get their statues, along with lesser-known local 18^th century legend Ole Bull, by all accounts a virtuoso violinist, composer, political activist, and bon vivant.

Bergen has an active art scene, well-represented by the four-headed KODE museums. They highlight Norwegian masters such as Edvard Munch (much more on him from Oslo), as well as more contemporary things.

One section is devoted to master silversmiths, a local specialty since the guilds of the middle ages.

A silver filigree dragon boat

We asked why the museums are called the KODE, a special word in Norway or an anagram perhaps. We were informed authoritatively that no one knew what it meant, it is a recent invention, and means “code”, which means whatever you want it to mean. 

KODE Building #1

Something to do with the female reproductive tract

Of particular interest to me was the Leprosy Museum in the former St. Jørgen’s Hospital, a block from our hotel. 

St. Jørgen’s Hospital

I had no idea Bergen held such an important place in medical history. It was had the largest population of patient’s with the disease in the 1800’s, and this is where in the 1870’s Dr. Gerhard Armauer Hansen lived and worked. He first postulated leprosy was an infectious disease and we now call leprosy Hansen’s  Disease to honor him. (In a related incident, he was the plaintiff in a landmark patient’s rights law suit after he injected a patient’s eye with infectious material to see if he could cause manifestations of leprosy.)

Besides wandering aimlessly around the cobbled streets of old Bergen, no visit is complete without a ride on the Fløibanen 1,000’ up Mt. Fløyen to take in the panoramic city view.

A brief intermission to discuss trolls: unlike leprechauns, which native Irish seem to loathe as an uncouth American stereotype, the Norse seem to loooove trolls. These carved monstrosities appear everywhere to lure tourists in, and star in their own series of folk-tales. I would do a blogging disservice not to give them at least fleeting mention.

Troll example #1

and Troll  #3

Troll #2.

As the “Gateway to the Fjords”, there are many options for fjord-touring, but the most efficient is Norway in a Nutshell©, through which we booked out train-bus-ferry-train-train excursion from Bergen to Oslo. This spectacular trek leads down to branches of Hardangerfjord, one of Norway’s longest and deepest fjords.

I may as well let the photos of the valleys, waterfalls, cliffs, and waterways speak for themselves.

The ferry goes to the village of Flåm, where after a brief visit one boards the tourist railway to Myrdal.

Flåm, at the head of the Aurlandsfjord

Passengers are told of the legend of Nøkken, the spirit that lives behind Kjosfossen Falls and is said to lure men to their doom with her enchanted singing and dancing.

Just the Falls

Falls + Tiny Nøkken

After already a long day, another five hours on the next train across high barren landscape will get you to Oslo. Despite being 11pm, it is still light and lively, leaving two more days to go in Norway.

(In Norwegian) "Tra-la-la-la. Come dance with me on the rocks in the waterfall!!!