Part 1 : Bergen
Nearing a year into social distancing and staying safe at home I just can’t shake the wanderlust bug. Since no one is sure when we will be able to safely travel again I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane to look back at a vacation to Scandinavia during the summer of 2019. For now, this will have to scratch that travel itch.
Day 1: Flight from Seattle
The journey began with a 10 hour flight from Seattle Tacoma International to London Gatwick aboard Norwegian Air (may its long haul service R.I.P). The 787 Dreamliner provided a fairly comfortable ride even in Economy. The in flight meal, at additional cost, tasted even better than it looked.
Day 2: Arriving in Bergen
After a few hours in a jet-lagged state at London Gatwick it was time to board the slightly less than 3 hour flight to Bergen. A short ride into the city with Flybussen (the local airport bus) it was time to check into the room at The Scandic Neptun. Maybe I’m just used to Pacific Northwest prices but I felt that you could get quite nice rooms for decent rates in the Nordics. After dropping off the bags it was time to see what this city had to offer.
So what does Bergen offer? Beauty. I repeat: Bergen is beautiful! Steps away from the hotel, the city is nestled along the harbor with the mountains in the background which takes your breath away. Bergen’s Fish Market lies at the end of the harbor and is the place you go if you have a hankering for the catch of the day.
Just around the corner from the Fish Market on the east side of the harbor lies Bryggen, the commercial district built by the Hanseatic League. Today it is a prime tourist location filled with gift shops and restaurants housed in the characteristically colorful buildings. The district has been a UNESCO World Historical Site since 1979, and I can understand why. Just down from Bryggen is Bergenhus Fortress. The grounds are a great place to walk around and admire some of the best preserved stone fortifications in all of Norway.
The next stop was to ascend to the top of Fløyen, one of Bergen’s many mountains. They make it easy to summit via a funicular, Fløibanen. After a gorgeous 8 minute ride you get to see how Bergen grew sandwiched between water and mountains. It’s spectacular!
When we couldn’t handle any more beauty from the vantage point we decided to walk back down into the city. It was time well spent. Whenever the trees gave way to the view it left me breathless. It is always a pleasure to be in nature yet so close to the city center. After a walk around admiring Bergen’s architecture we were hungry. Time to head back to the Fish Market for fish and chips.
After enjoying that perfectly fried fish the only thing we were missing was a beer to wash it all down. Well, we were in luck! Bergen has no shortage of places to grab a drink out on a patio. Why not watch the sunset from Sjøboden Bergen located in Bryggen right along the harbor? It was a pretty fantastic way to end the first day in Scandinavia.
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