5. Bergen

...and so, against my will and the wills of the other passengers, our ship clears Alesund and turns towards the south. A bad storm in the northern regions of Norway has halted our progress, ripped our itinerary to shreds, and we are now heading south to Bergen.

Since it is surrounded by water and mountains, Bergen experiences 200 days of rain per year.

We step off the Regatta and wonder whether today is going to be one of those 200 days of rain as I feel a drop here and there and the sky is thunderously dark. Although the ship has hurriedly organised some walking tours, we opt to explore Bergen by Hop-on-hop-off and by foot. After purchasing a ticket for the HOHO, we are instructed to take the fifteen-minute walk into town and pick up the bus there. Rain threatens us all the way from the port, wind drying out eyes as we pass the fortified walls of the Bergenhus Fortress, and a few spits hitting us as we walk past the timber peaked buildings of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bryggen. A short while later, we are on the top deck of the Gray Line bus. Fortunately, in Bergen, the roof of the bus is almost always closed, providing us with a warmish and dry view of the city. The bus traipses up one street, down another street, up another, round a corner, along the other side of the same street we were in before, winding in an out of the city streets until it stops at Stop 5; the Mount Floyen Funicular. We alight and make our way to the ticket office, purchasing two return tickets to the top of the mountain. Somebody said that it was possible to walk down, but one look at the gradient of the hill that is in all definitions a cliff, put that idea right out of my head.

The five-minute ride by funicular, two counter-weighted trains attached to a single cable that simultaneously move in opposite directions, is both brief and very picturesque once we emerge from the tunnels. Mid-way through the journey, our upward train veers off to one side to allow the downward trains to pass before resuming our way along the single rail line. The Floibanen funicular was built between 1914 and 1918, taking much longer than expected due to material shortages during the First World War. Some of the brave hearts on our ship who did walk down Mount Floyen found the remnants of bunkers built during the German occupation of Bergen during World War II and shared their photos with us.

At the top of Mount Floyen, we notice that the dark clouds have scattered and patches of blue sky are peeping out from fluffy cumulus clouds presenting us with clear views of city and fjord as far as our eyes can see.

We have been lucky with the weather so far.

We wander along the viewing platform to witness the city and mountains and from this vantage point, understand how Bergen got its name. Bergen evolved from the old Norse name Bjorgvin. Bjorg meaning mountain or hill and references the seven hills surrounding the city and Vin, which refers to meadow or pasture. King Olav Kyrre founded Bjorgvin in 1070 and by the Middle Ages, the name had changed to the name we now use; Bergen.

As we emerge from the tiny station at the end of our visit, we watch the back end of our HOHO bus gain speed from the nearby stop. We either have to wait forty minutes for the next bus or we can further explore the city. As time is short, we decide to take a leisurely stroll back to the ship, visiting several shops in the historic row of buildings known as Bryygen, which face the wharf before retracing the steps we took this morning back to the Regatta.