Impressions of Bergen

We stayed in a vacation apartment in the first floor of this 1760s era building.

It was a charming neighborhood of cobblestone roads and walking-only "streets."

Believe it or not, this is actually a driving street!

Our first morning, we took the Fløibanen (a funicular, or type of railcar) up into the hills to enjoy the panoramic view

We enjoyed a fabulous meal of fish and chips here at the fish market.
It was so good there was not even any question of us returning for lunch the second day as well!

This is the classic photo shot of Bergen (mine has the lovely crane in the background as well as the two church spires that are completely surrounded by scaffolding and wrapped in some kind of plastic as well). These old buildings, called "Bryggen," date to the 1700s and housed a vital industry of trading and fishing. They happened to be saved by the man who owned them--he didn't upgrade in the late 19th century like all of his neighbors. At the time he was thought to be slightly mad, but now Bryggen is the much-photographed "face" of Bergen.

The "new" buildings built around 1900

It was fun to walk the narrow alleys of Bryggen and browse the specialty shops that have now taken over the old warehouse spaces.

We also visited Edvard Grieg's home, Troldhaugen. Here is pictured the performance hall (added by the museum--the grass-roofed building) as well as his little composing cabin down by the lake. 

Edvard Grieg's home