The city of Bergen was founded in 1070 AD by Olav Kyrre, king of Norway. It is surrounded by mountains and is called ‘The city between the seven mountains’. It was once the capital of Norway and from 1370 to 1754, German merchants controlled Bergen’s trade as part of the Hanseatic League.
Our rental apartments are in this building; the boys are on the ground floor and Bev and I are on first floor while the owners live on the top floor. I reserved a BMW wagon through Hertz but they did not have any available so I had to settle for this. I know, its a ‘first world problem’.We had seen a travel video about this restaurant called Bare Vestland that does a four course tasting lunch of locally sourced dishes.The freshly baked bread was amazing and only enhanced by the butter with bacon and mushroom – served on a stone.The chef hard at work in the kitchen.Morten Tungesvik is the chef/owner.Seared cod with vegetables. The fish no doubt brought in from boats in the harbor just steps away from the restaurant.Across from the restaurant, we toured the open-air markets with the freshest catch of the day. For over 500 years Bergen has produced salt cod (klippfisk) as seen hanging here.The surrounding farms produce a variety of berries that are offered in the market.
The first German merchants built stores along the wharf called The Bryggen in the 1300’s but most of these building standing were re-built after a massive fire in 1702. The narrow alleys are lined with small shops and restaurants. No, my camera is not that shaky, the buildings actually do lean quite noticeably!
One of the older buildings at the end of an alley.A wooden carving of the Wolf Fish.An upstairs jewelry store.A garden gate to the small park above the Bryggen.Spring flowers enjoying the rain which averages 90 inches per year.
When we originally planned our trip, we looked at flights from Amsterdam to Bergen, Norway. The more we read about Norway, the more interested we became in the idea of flying to Oslo then taking the train to Bergen. Some travel books list this as one of the most scenic train trips in Europe. So for $64 each we decided to take the 7 hour train from Oslo to Bergen.
The Schipol Airport in Amsterdam is very large and modern. I especially like to ‘easy-to-read’ signage for each gate. We were departing from C16 on SAS for the 2 hour flight.We were impressed by the very Scandinavian presentation for the lunch salad in what looked like a box for a fancy watch or a new gadget from Apple.The trio of chocolates was a nice after lunch treat.The Norway Tourism marketing campaign uses the phrase: “Norway – Powered by Nature” which greeted us at Oslo Airport.The regional train station is below the Airport which made for a quick and easy connection for the 23 minute ride to Oslo Central Train Station where we would board for our trip to Bergen.Here is a screen shot from the phone showing the 7 hour, 300 mile route to Bergen.
As we booked about 3 months ago when the tickets first became available on-line, we were able to get a discounted fare of $64. This includes a $9 surcharge for “Komfort” Class which has more leg room, free wi-fi, power outlets at each seat, and most importantly…complimentary coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate.Plenty of room and expansive views.The trip takes you from sea-level to an elevation of 4,058 feet (1,237 meters)George Lucas filmed “The Ice Planet Hoth” in the Empire Strikes Back near this area of Finse.This is in June so you can imagine what it looks like in the middle of winter.
Along the route, the train will go through 178 tunnels, the longest one being 3.3 miles long! Here is the view as we approach Finse. Listen for the announcement in Norwegian and English.
We arrived as scheduled at 10:30 p.m. at the Bergen Train Station. It was indeed a spectacular train voyage which gave us a sense of how much Norway really is……… Powered by Nature.A short 10 minute taxi ride (the “Automobiles” part from the blog post title) and we arrived at our rental apartment. With sunset at 11:01 p.m. it was still very light outside at 11:20.Evan entering the apartment that he and Kyle share. Bev and I are on the upper floor of this home built in 1881.With the sun still lighting up the sky at 11:30 p.m.
To get to the first level of our apartment there were two flights of stairs like this – narrow, steep and winding.. Then another flight to get to the bedrooms and a fourth flight to get to the roof-top. Bev’s FitBit was busy counting stairs.A typical sidewalk scene dominated by bike parking.We found a lunch spot called De Plantage on the west side of town. It looked like an old greenhouse with lots of glass and light. The tree in the center was unique.The boys enjoying the ambience.Need a table for two?This was delicious. As described on the menu: “Toasted sourdough with Dutch goat cheese cream with grilled pear, honey, rucola and hazelnut.”
We then took a train to Zaan Schans a village on the outskirts of Amsterdam with a collection of 8 windmills dating back to the 1600s. We were able to enter one of them and climb to the the top.
There is a small village nearby with bakeries, cheese shops and a traditional clog making factory.They make them in all sizes, even for large American feet.
Maybe a clog-canoe?
Old clogs become wall-hanging flower pots.
I’ll bring the cheese, if you bring the wine and crackers.
Kyle and I dropped by the bakery for fresh almond cookies and apple tarts.
After the train ride back to town, it was time for dinner at a brewpub called De Biertuin. Excellent local brews and tasty burgers.
We planned a visit to the Hermitage Museum which is partnered with the Russian Hermitage in St. Petersburg. It has an exhibition of the Romanov Family as well as a section on the Dutch Golden age of trade in Amsterdam.
Russian Czar Nicholas II.An exhibit of Dutch Trade Guilds group portraits.We walked from there to the NEMO Science Museum. The weather had turned cold and windy with light showers.I had to get a shot of the same tour boat we had taken the day before.We wanted to visit the NEMO Science Museum that we had sailed past yesterday. It is a five story structure designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano in 1997 which houses hands-on science exhibits for kids of all ages.Lunch at the roof-top restaurant at the NEMO included fries with a tube of ketchup! It felt kind of like putting toothpaste on your fries.
Didn’t I mention that it was a blustery day?
Bev and Kyle approaching the EYE Film Institute which archives an international collection of 37,000 films and includes an exhibit on the history of filmmaking.
After finishing the canal cruise at about 7:30, it was time for dinner. Seoul Food Korean take-away was closed so we went to FoodHallen which was hopping busy.So many choices for dinner…We went for the Dim Sum platter for 4. Delicious!Some ‘graffiti’ artist had left his statement of civic pride on the railing. We agree!Sunset on the canal and a very busy and enjoyable day in Amsterdam.
We started at the Van Gogh museum. Rather than paying for each museum, we purchased a MuseumKaart membership for 59 euros which offers entry into 400 museums for a month. We calculated that it would be a good value as we plan to visit 5 or 6 museums versus the 17-20 euro entrance fee per museum.The painting that Bev most wanted to see called “Almond Blossoms” was the first one we saw when we started the tour.Like most people, when I think of Van Gogh, his sunflowers, wheat fields and self-portraits come to mind. I really enjoyed seeing the variety of his works like The Irises. He created 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings but only sold one during his career. The rest were left to his brother.The Rijks Museum, first opened in 1885, houses the works of the Dutch Masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Dyck.One of the stained glass works depicting Rembrandt.
In the afternoon, we took an hour tour-boat cruise through the canals and into the harbor.
More canal views.
The Nemo Science Museum.
Montelbaanstoren, built in 1512, is a part of the protective wall that once fortified the city from enemy ships.
We are very happy with the apartment we rented through Homeaway. It is up two of the narrowest flights of stairs we’ve ever seen to get to the living area with a kitchen and dining room. Up another flight of stairs to 2 bedrooms, bathroom and laundry room; then up another flight of stairs to the roof-top terrace. There is a sun room that has been converted to a bedroom and an outdoor sitting area with a grill. Great views of the canal from the roof top.
The living room with windows and balcony overlooking the canal.
A short video ‘walk through’ from the dining room to the kitchen. Very Scandinavian Euro-modern.
Roof-top terrace.Looking back toward the sun-room.Kyle would rather be sleeping!
We stopped at a nearby supermarket to stock up for breakfasts and snacks. We found the prices to be very similar to the U.S. and Google translate helped find the right coffee cream and yogurt. No need to translate “banana”. Glad we brought Pike Place coffee from home!
Just a 10 minute walk from our apartment, we visited FoodHallen, an indoor food market with 20 stalls and choices from Dim Sum to Hamburgers. It occupies the space of an old tram station.It is always important to stay properly ‘hydrated’ when you travel to new places.
After lunch we stopped for a chocolate-banana-split-sundae in a freshly cooked soft waffle cone. A bit pricey at 7 euros but enjoyed by all four of us.
We will keep this place in mind for a take-away dinner one evening.
