Discovering Bergen

Bergen, located on the west coast, is the second largest city in Norway. It is famous for rain. And more rain. Over the last couple of days I have experienced this first hand. It is all from very short, sudden bursts of rain, to long showers that threatens to drown anyone without an umbrella. Not that there are many people without, most citizens seem to carry one around, no matter how the sky looked when they left home.

Bryggen

Despite the weather, Bergen is one of the cities that is a must when visiting Norway. “Bryggen”, the old wharf, is on the World Heritage List. It’s a reminder of the town’s importance from the 14th to the mid-16th century, when it was part of the Hanseatic League’s trading empire. In addition, the colorful, wooden houses are beautiful and adds character to their surroundings.

After Bryggen is walked and photographed, the sidestreets are almost as interesting. Mostly because of their quirky names. My personal favorite is “Witchy Bitchy Bakken[Hill]”:

Discovering is hard work, so after walking up and down and around, having a “Skillingsbolle” is the best thing ever.

P.S. Bergen is the first stop of my three-week tour of Norway, where I’ll visit some of the most famous cities, but luckily I’m not leaving here yet. I’ll be back with more from this incredible city.

P.P.S. Stay dry everyone!