July 11-13, 2014
Bergen
-Friday
Friday morning we were scheduled for a historical sightseeing tour of Bergen, which is perhaps the most historical city in Norway. That is an extremely strange thing to say about a city, but it is true in the sense that it was the capital of Norway when Norway had its golden age in the 14th century. Unfortunately, though our tour guide was very good, "historical sightseeing tour" was a slightly less accurate description than "sightseeing tour." Part of the reason, I believe, was that the tour is usually offered by a two part team that includes an art historian. The art historian was unable to be there.
Nonetheless, we made our way around the city looking at all the endearing nooks and crannies; we even visited a tiny community garden. We passed through some charming residential neighborhoods and had a nice look at the city as appears, perhaps, to the local population. The historical parts we did go through were the mandatory Bryggen and the outdoor fish market.
Bryggen perhaps the most iconic part of the city. Though Bryggen existed before the arrival of the Hanseatic League it was they who gradually took over use of the buildings. These were German businessmen who were spread all over Europe in a network of trade. They played an important role in Norway's international trade which is one of the reasons Bergen became of such importance to Norway at the time. Our group crouched and shuffled our way through the famously crooked and narrow passage ways of the buildings which now houses shops, offices, restaurants, and gift stores. They also have a Christmas store.
Our tour ended at, but did not include, a couple of the Medieval structures that I wanted to see. These are Haakon's Hall and Rosenkrantz Tower. They are both part of the Bergenhus Fortress which has been through a thoroughly complicated transitory past. It has been at different times a royal seat, a bishop's seat, a defensive post and has gone through many renovations and alterations. There's a long story in these stones.
Later that evening some of us rode the Fløibanen Funicular (yes, funicular is an English word and fun to say) to the top of one of Bergen's seven mountains. Bergen is famous for being rainy and overcast which means that the view is often hindered by the elements, but it was bright and sunny when we were there and the city lay out beneath us in its own brand of splendor.
Later, after we rode the funicular back down the mountain and had dinner, we experienced Bergen at night. Here's a photo that I can not take the credit for taking of the sunset over the bay.
-Sunday
On our long trek back to Oslo on Sunday we stopped for dinner at a place called Haukelister Fjellstue. This is one of many lodges that are kept and maintained by the DNT which is the Norwegian board for hiking. It is situated on the banks of a fjord and at the foot of some mountains. It was truly one of the most impressive displays of nature that I saw in Norway.
Some of our group even took a dip into the water. It was cold. They screamed.
We finished our return trip with impressive speed because of the skill of our bus driver and because some of the people in our group were interested (violently enthuastic) to watch the World Cup final. When we finally pulled into Blindern it was about 9PM, just enough time to rest and recover for classes the next morning.
Nonetheless, we made our way around the city looking at all the endearing nooks and crannies; we even visited a tiny community garden. We passed through some charming residential neighborhoods and had a nice look at the city as appears, perhaps, to the local population. The historical parts we did go through were the mandatory Bryggen and the outdoor fish market.
Bryggen perhaps the most iconic part of the city. Though Bryggen existed before the arrival of the Hanseatic League it was they who gradually took over use of the buildings. These were German businessmen who were spread all over Europe in a network of trade. They played an important role in Norway's international trade which is one of the reasons Bergen became of such importance to Norway at the time. Our group crouched and shuffled our way through the famously crooked and narrow passage ways of the buildings which now houses shops, offices, restaurants, and gift stores. They also have a Christmas store.
Our tour ended at, but did not include, a couple of the Medieval structures that I wanted to see. These are Haakon's Hall and Rosenkrantz Tower. They are both part of the Bergenhus Fortress which has been through a thoroughly complicated transitory past. It has been at different times a royal seat, a bishop's seat, a defensive post and has gone through many renovations and alterations. There's a long story in these stones.
Later, after we rode the funicular back down the mountain and had dinner, we experienced Bergen at night. Here's a photo that I can not take the credit for taking of the sunset over the bay.
-Sunday
On our long trek back to Oslo on Sunday we stopped for dinner at a place called Haukelister Fjellstue. This is one of many lodges that are kept and maintained by the DNT which is the Norwegian board for hiking. It is situated on the banks of a fjord and at the foot of some mountains. It was truly one of the most impressive displays of nature that I saw in Norway.
Some of our group even took a dip into the water. It was cold. They screamed.
We finished our return trip with impressive speed because of the skill of our bus driver and because some of the people in our group were interested (violently enthuastic) to watch the World Cup final. When we finally pulled into Blindern it was about 9PM, just enough time to rest and recover for classes the next morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment