Norway > Wandering through the Bryggen

Norway - The Bryggen the famous wooden trading houses from the Hanseatic era

This morning Bergen is on the program. After breakfast the bus departs for the city. The hotel is close to the airport, which is still about sixteen kilometers from the center. It’s lightly raining, but small patches of blue sky are already visible. We have two hours to explore Bergen. First, Ruud takes us around the Bryggen. The Bryggen are the famous wooden trading houses from the Hanseatic era. The mainly German merchants built these houses right by the harbor. Behind the beautiful harbor quay turns out to be a maze of small streets with little houses. Unfortunately, the district has been struck by fire several times over the centuries. The last time was in 1957. The burned-down part could no longer be restored. On the site of the 1957 fire now stands the SAS hotel. The houses are currently mostly used by artists and shopkeepers. Through the Bryggen we arrive at the harbor and the fish market. As Ruud predicted, postcards here really do cost 2 NOK (0.25 euros) instead of 4 to 9 NOK (0.51 to 1.16 euros) elsewhere. So we buy our cards here and walk among the fish stalls. Following the city walk, we head toward the Mariakirke and the Bergen Cathedral. Both are not open yet. Via cozy shopping streets we explore the city. From time to time we need the umbrella, but just as often the sun breaks through pleasantly. Back at the harbor we buy sandwiches for lunch, since there is hardly any time for a lunch stop today. We walk again through the narrow streets of the Bryggen. With the sun now shining, it all looks much more cheerful. By chance we discover a staircase leading up to a gallery, where we walk through.

Norway - You can also walk behind the waterfall

This gives an extra beautiful view of this old part of the city. Around 11:00 a.m. we are back at the bus. From Bergen we drive along the Hardangerfjord toward Kvanndal, to cross the fjord at Bruravik with the ferry toward Brimnes. We are half an hour early here, but luckily the sun has already come through nicely. We enjoy the stunning view from a bench in the sun. At Eidfjord we bid farewell to the fjords and enter Troll country. This area is characterized by the jagged shapes of the mountains and boulders. Ruud makes the Troll route extra exciting by making troll sounds in the tunnels. The Troll route leads to the high plateau of the Hardangervidda. At the start of the plateau we visit the Hardangervidda Nature Museum. Here, among other things, a film is shown about the plateau and nature in the different seasons. Thanks to the panoramic screen, this gives a fantastic overview. There are also displays of the various animals in the area and images of the numerous waterfalls. In the rest of the museum there is much more about the plateau’s nature. The Hardangervidda was for many years an impassable area, but with the construction of the highway it has become more accessible. The route lies above a thousand meters and thus above the tree line. In winter the entire area is covered under a thick layer of snow. It is therefore popular for winter sports. In summer many Norwegians head out to the more than a thousand small lakes in the area. With the combination of blue sky and sunshine, this makes for spectacular views of nature.

Norway - On the Hardangervidda we visited the Voringvoss Voring waterfalls

On the Hardangervidda we visit the Vøringsfoss (Vøring Waterfalls). These waterfalls have a height of about 180 meters. From the viewpoint it offers a beautiful panorama, especially together with the low-hanging clouds. The waterfalls consist of three separate streams. After the plateau, we follow the main road toward Geilo and then Gol. Along the way we pass the old stave church of Torpo, which we only see from a distance. From Gol we take the road toward Hemsedal. Shortly before 7:00 p.m. we arrive at the hotel. The hotel is about six kilometers outside the village of Hemsedal. Hemsedal is especially popular as a winter sports resort, but in summer it is almost deserted. We are therefore the only guests in the hotel. In the evening, after dinner, we sit talking in the restaurant. We feel like a drink, but the waitress is nowhere to be found. Not in the bar, not at reception, not in the kitchen. Ruud manages to pull out two beers from the fridge in the bar. However, the beers turn out not to be good anymore. Then the hunt begins for the bottle of wine or the waitress. By 10:00 p.m. the hotel is practically deserted. The staff is nowhere to be found. After half an hour we have searched everywhere, but found nothing. Suddenly the waitress appears. She actually came to turn off the lights, but now she takes our order. However, we have to pay immediately. At eleven o’clock we go to our room.