waterfront and neighbouring area
we love bergen! such a cute, pretty city and so compact it was easy to get around on foot. each of our days was spent in awe of this place with its big bay, mountains everywhere, and steep streets of clapboard houses.
our days started with a walk into town, strolling towards kaffemisjonen, for coffee and pastry, of course. the coffee is artisan and according to stefan, excellent.
the u-shaped waterfront is always packed; with restaurants and cafes everywhere. on our way, we had front row seats to the pastel palette of bryggen's wooden wharf houses, just across the bay. this neat row of unesco protected houses, from the 14th century, seem to haphazardly lean against other.
it's along the waterfront that you will find the scandinavian shop, røst... where a couple of beautiful wooden spoons came home with me. i recommend baker brun for pastries. and the torget fishmarket is a must visit too.
we ate well in bergen! marg + bein (means bone + marrow) is a pretty spot, scandinavian design with big windows to let in the gorgeous northern light. we all loved our food here; highly recommend. another good spot is pingvinen, a gastropub that won't disappoint. for dessert, go to hallaisen, a cute little ice cream shop where you can have cinnamon bun or caramelized brown cheese flavour... i chose pistachio and it was italian-worthy.
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| can you spot kai and i? |
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| delish bone marrow served with beets |
neighbourhoods
bergen's even more charming in its little backstreet neighbourhoods; hillside enclaves of cobbled streets and clapboard cottages.
we stayed in one of those quaint areas, a bit off the beaten track. klosteret is on the southern side of the bay, across from bryggen. walking around here is a bit fairy-tale like with wooden cottages, narrow alley ways, and families at cafes or playing in the gardens.
nearby is nordnes, the peninsula that sticks out from the harbour. it's a fairly quiet area compared to bryggen but still cute with shops and cafes, a park, and the shortest cobbled stoned street called bekketomlen which is only 60 feet long.
fjellsiden sits cosily behind bryggen on the mountain side making it very hilly. if you live far up the hill, i think you'd need really good leg muscles in case you forget the milk. this neighbourhood is dotted with teeny gardens for the kiddos to hangout, friendly residents who happily chatted with us, and lots of curious cats. oh, it's here you will find det lille kaffe companet, a cute coffee shop serving the BEST almond cake ever. when we went back a second time, they were sold out and i was gutted (i emailed them for the recipe, fingers crossed) but sitting on the cobblestone street with the pretty houses kind of made up for it.
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| that's the almond cake! |
museum
of course, there's more to bergen than cool cafes, good food and cute neighbourhoods. we also spent time at the kode museum. it's split into four separate buildings along lille lungegårdsvann, a lake with a fountain.
the star is, naturally, the building devoted to edvard munch. the paintings featured included some of his more lighter, brighter ones, not just the ones that best represent this tormented artist.
there were also other treasures hanging in the museum, including klee and picasso.
mt. fløyen
one day we went up mt. fløyen, bergen's downtown mountain, via the funicular, to admire the city from above. mt. fløyen gives a panoramic view of the peaked roofs, mountains and inner fjord.
the funicular is just a couple of blocks from the waterfront and shoots up a thousand feet. once at the top, we picked a trail here and there to walk, among the trees and cliffs. kai, of course loved it, he much prefers nature walks to city walks. at the top we had a very good hotdog; i really wanted a second. i always think food tastes better when eaten in nature, especially with the view we had.
on our way back to town, we jumped off the funicular a bit earlier and walked the switchbacks down which still offered great views of bergen.
fjordcruise
on our last day, because so much was closed due to easter, we planned an activity. i initially hoped for a sauna and swim in the fjord but spa solstrand - which looks amazing - was also closed. the food tour, closed too. so, we got on another boat to see more fjords.
the ride between bergen and mostraumen was pretty nice. leaving the harbour, we glided under a series of suspension bridges and then passed by low hills with houses and farms but soon enough, the mountains start to appear on either side of you. and again, you are amazed with mother nature.
the boat sailed right up to a waterfall :)
if you're looking for a destination to wow you with stunning views, head to western norway... filled to the brim with breathtaking fjords, colourful architecture, and amazing restaurants and cafes.
while we didn't see and do everything we wanted (lot 333, colonialen, edbard grieg museum, sandviken) what we did do was worth the trip and monies.
