Scandinavia 2019 - Day 4: Bergen

This morning, we left the apartment just after 9 AM, in search of some breakfast.

As predicted, our extreme luck with the weather did not carry over from yesterday.

Having successfully secured morning vittles, we meandered over to the Fløibanen station, to take the funicular up to the top of Fløyen.

At the top, we sat and enjoyed the splendid view while eating our breakfast.

Most of us had sandwiches. I opted for the custard-danish/cinnamon-bun hybrid.

We wandered around the pathways at the top, looking down on Bergen.

Along the way, we met some of the local goats that are employed as groundskeepers. According to a few signs, they're confined to the top of the mountain via electronic fence and collars.

Once we were back down at sea level, we strolled along the harbor, towards Bergenhus Fortress.

En route to the fortress, we took a shortcut through Bryggen. Originally the merchant district, it's now a collection of preserved buildings containing tourist shops and a museum.

Part of the charm is the precariously-leaning buildings.

While it had been overcast all morning, it started to rain lightly as we arrived at the fortress.

As we had seen mentioned on the web, Rosenkrantz Tower is under renovation, wrapped up on the outside, and the roof is currently off limits.

We enjoyed a damp walk around the fortress grounds, seeing Haakon's Hall, and looking out over the harbor.

Remnants of yesterday's festivities were still in place.

We stopped for awhile at the museum inside the fortress, which was mostly about WWII resistance, similar to the museum we went to in Oslo a few days ago. The building was turned into a Nazi jail during the occupation.

As we were now roughly at the start of the suggested walking tour from the guidebook, we left the fortress and strolled through town, seeing the highlights along the way. The weather was again cooperating, and the light rain had ceased.

We explored Bryggen more thoroughly on the second pass, but opted not to patronize the museum.

At some point along the way, we ate the leftover pizza from last night, affectionately referred to as "backpack pizza".

We continued along the waterfront, mostly just strolling and enjoying the surroundings.

At the head of the harbor, there was a lively fish market (has been for 500+ years, apparently), packed full of people; it was just after 1 PM.

This guy was offering free samples of moose, whale, and reindeer sausage.

 

Next to the fish market, we paused to admire the information center, which seemed out of place, architecturally.

I'm not sure where the recommendation came from, but we detoured a few blocks away from the harbor to find a hot dog stand for a late lunch.

The selection of sausage flavors and toppings was extensive, and delicious. They take their hot dogs quite seriously here.

Having satisfied our hunger, we continued our stroll along the quaint streets of Bergen.

Eventually, we headed back down to the information center in search of some decent internet speed and a short rest.

Next door, the fish market continues indoors.

Next on the walking tour is a stroll through Torgallmenningen (main square), and a stop at the Seafarer's Monument.

The end of the main square turns into Ole Bulls Plass. By now, the clouds were even clearing up.

There was still an hour or so until we had to head to the train station, so we continued our stroll back towards the pond and square where the fireworks were set off, last night.

Now that the weather had improved dramatically, people were starting to emerge for walks in the plentiful green spaces throughout town.

There were clumps of people in their formal Constitution Day outfits, posing for photos along the path that encloses the fountain pond.

Along the southern edge of the park/pond, there's a stretch of art museums. And there were more people in their traditional outfits, sauntering about.

Eventually, we circled back to the train station and found some food to take on board for a light dinner. The train departed at 4 PM, scheduled to arrive back in Oslo around 10:30.

It's reassuring to know that each car is equipped with a saw... in case we derail somewhere in the mountains and need to build shelters?

Most of the ride was the same scenic route that we had seen the day before,  except the bit between Voss and Myrdal was new to us.

The weather wasn't nearly as nice today, but the view was still perfectly pleasant at the lower elevations.

Once we got up into the higher areas, though, it was thick and foggy outside the windows.

By the time we stopped in Finse to pick up a gaggle of cross-country skiers, it was nothing but white as far as we could see.

It was 10:30 PM by the time we got off the train.

Tomorrow, we're headed out into the Oslo attractions that are farther from downtown. It should involve lots of walking.