May 13-15, 2023
Our flights, Newark to Oslo and Oslo to Bergen went smoothly.
Arriving in Bergen, at our hotel, the Bergen Børs Hotel, we met Janice & Kevin’s daughter (also our goddaughter), Kim, who had arrived a day earlier. Together we explored this delightful city with Kim acting as our capable tour guide.
Situated on Norway’s southwestern coast, Bergen is surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Sognefjord, the country’s longest and deepest fjord. The city features colorful wooden houses on the old wharf, once a center of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire.
The Fløibanen Funicular goes from the city up Fløyen Mountain for panoramic views and some short hiking trails.
Pics from Bergen – Fløibanen Funicular & Park
2023-05-14 Bergen, Norway
On our first morning we explored the heart of the city on foot. It’s hilly and lovely with lots of colorful houses and roofs and some unique architecture. Parts of the downtown are really old and the people work hard to maintain and adapt the old structures. Many of the streets are very narrow and all of them are paved with cobblestones.
Later that morning we boarded a passenger ferry that took us to the village of Rosendal, about two hours away. Even with fewer than 1,000 residents, the village boasts plenty to do for a day.
We began with a walk to Baroniet Rosendal, a manor house that was completed in 1665. It is surrounded by gardens that also date from that time. Although we did not get to tour the house, we enjoyed the views, the gardens and the small flock of sheep on the grounds.
Close by we walked to Steinparken, meaning the stone park. Blocks of stone that have been sculpted and placed together in the park to show the geological diversity of the Folgefonna peninsula. Surrounding a restored water wheel powered sawmill, the park features paths through the woods passing the stone sculptures, colorful, polished boulders and inviting picnic tables and benches carved from, you guessed it, stone.
