Bergen "The Gateway to the Fjords"

Bergan was our last stop and what a beautiful city, full of rich history and tradition! We had a full day here and didn't even scratch the surface. Much of the city located along the water's edge was lost to fire in the 1702 because of all the wooden structures so close together. At that time in Norway's history, this area was occupied by the Hanseatc League whereby they dominated the Northern European trade routes. Many of the original old buildings have been restored and converted to little shops. There is a Hanseatisk Museum that gave lots of history and displayed many artifacts. Life was quite harsh in those early years. You can see the existing old buildings and style of architecture here.

We did take an inexpensive museum tour that was recommended in the Steve Ricks Tour book that was indeed stellar and worth 3 times what we paid. Our docent showed how the drying of cod and shipping of cod was big business in Norway hundreds of years ago. I believe this gal said she spoke 5 or 6 languages! I can't even speak Spanish!

We did not take any tours the cruise line offered because Bergen is such a modern city that it was easy to find a "hop-on, hop-off bus" for a few Norwegian Krone. We did take the funicular up to the top of Mount Floien to view the city of Bergen below. The fog would blow in an out, but it was an amazing spot to look out over. Bergan has universities, hospital, and many large businesses. It is second in size next to Oslo.