Emm in London: Norway

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Visiting Bryggen, Bergen's iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site

With its rich history and distinctive appearance, Bryggen is one of Bergen's most iconic landmarks. Like much of Bergen, Bryggen was quiet three days before Christmas but it is usually a bustling area filled with visitors.

Bryggen has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. This recognition was granted due to its historical significance and its importance to the Hanseatic League's trading empire during the 14th to the mid-16th century. The Hanseatic League was a powerful economic and defensive alliance that dominated maritime trade in northern Europe for centuries.

We were bitterly disappointed not to run into Bergen trolls in Bergen. These life-sized trolls hide in the mountains of Bergen but we saw neither trolls nor mountain goats of Fløyen. I didn't buy any trolls but I did buy a Bryggen magnet for our collection and a Christmas Gonk.

Bryggen has been ravaged by several fires throughout its history, the most devastating of which occurred in 1702. This fire led to the complete rebuilding of the area, which explains the uniform architectural style seen today. Despite these challenges, Bryggen has been continually rebuilt according to traditional methods and styles, preserving its historical essence.

The buildings at Bryggen housed offices and living quarters for merchants and workers involved in trade, particularly in dried cod from Northern Norway in exchange for grains from mainland Europe.

The buildings in Bryggen are notable for their distinctive wooden architecture, with their gabled facades facing the harbor. This construction style is characteristic of medieval Hanseatic trading centers.

Today, Bryggen is not only a historical site but also a vibrant cultural hub. It houses several museums, including the Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene, which offer insights into the life and operations of the Hanseatic merchants. In addition to its museums, Bryggen features art studios, craft shops, restaurants and cafes.

This is sadly my final post about our magical winter break to Bergen. I fell in love with Norway and will definitely return to the region for more Nordic adventures in future.

A Journey on Bergen's Fløibanen Funicular

I know you shouldn't pick favourites, but if I had to choose my favourite day in Bergen, it would be the second day when we journeyed to the top of mount Fløyen on the Fløibanen funicular.

I'm sure many of you know, but a funicular is a railway that usually travels up (and down) a mountain and which historically travels along a rope. The word funicular derives from the Latin word for rope or cord, being funis.

In many funiculars, the ascending and descending cars were counterbalanced but this is not necessarily a defining feature of funiculars.

It was a cold and snowy day on our visit to Mount Fløyen and it snowed while we were up there too.

I'm not quite as fearful of heights as I used to be since I confronted my fear of heights in 2014 but I have to admit that I was very careful up at the summit. The views were absolutely dizzying and I held on very tight to the railings, while Stephen watched from a very safe distance.

I've taken funiculars in Folkestone, Prague, Hastings and Bergen. Bergen and Prague tie for their breathtaking qualities.

I would love to visit again one day, especially in summer. There is a trail you can walk down from the mountains to the town. Given that it was snowing quite steadily while we were up there and the snow plough was in action, we decided against the walk on this occasion.

But there are also mountain goats and trolls that you can meet on Fløyen, both of which seem more visible in summer.

Still, our time on Fløyen was quite magical and has made me ever more determined to ride every funicular that I can. They are a lot of fun.

It was soon time to partake in our favourite Bergen pastime, namely getting a hot drink and watching the world pass us by. After that, it was on to our next adventure.

@mandyist Travel on Bergen's Fløibanen and experience the best views a funicular can offer Love @Visit Bergen #funicular #bergen #norway #travel #winterwonderland #scandinavia #traveltiktok #traveltok #norwaytiktok #norwaytravel #norway🇳🇴 #norwaytiktok🇳🇴 ♬ golden hour - piano version - main character melodies

A Rare Meteorological Phenomenon in Bergen

"You may want to come to the terrace". I'd been sitting on a window seat in my hotel room in Bergen, enjoying the view over the snowy rooftops, when the message came through. We were taking a quiet moment after breakfast before exploring for the day. I was intrigued and rushed outside without a jacket to see what had intrigued Vanessa so.

I entered the terrace and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Vanessa told me to turn around and so I did. And the sight before me took my breath away.

I have to admit, I genuinely thought we were seeing rare daylight aurora borealis until I realised that we were witnessing an even rarer meteorological phenomenon: nacreous clouds.

Nacreous clouds are polar stratospheric clouds which form only below -78C. According a tweet by BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker, "they can be extremely high – three times higher than an airplane at cruising altitude. Nacreous clouds are in indicator of especially cold air high in the atmosphere"

As you'd expect from clouds, they were constantly on the move, changing shape and blowing apart. The photos in this post were taken just 7 minutes apart.

I'm very pleased to have seen something interesting, from a meteorological perspective. It wasn't quite the Northern Lights but it was more successful than our trip to Iceland to see the Midnight Sun and seeing only grey midnight cloud cover instead. That, of course, is a story for another day.

A Winter Break in Bergen, Norway

We spent three days in Bergen just before Christmas and it was glorious. Before this trip, I held a somewhat irrational fear of visiting cold places at cold times. Now that I've seen the magical winter wonderland of Bergen, I'm contemplating ski trips in France and more visits to Scandinavian countries in winter. I barely recognise myself.

A Walkable City

Bergen is a very walkable city. We caught a tram from the airport to Kaigaten and then walked the short way to our hotel. We bought a weekly travel pass for less than £20 but we honestly didn't need it. You'll want to walk everywhere in Bergen.

As many of you know, I often travel with my disabled mum and see cities through a lens of accessibility, even when I travel without her. With its wide, flat walkways, much of Bergen is accessible for people with mobility issues. The areas around the shopping precinct and harbour are most accessible while the hilly residential areas would be less so in very snowy conditions.

I would recommend our hotel Comfort Bergen for allowing easy, accessible access to most of the places we visited during our stay.

Bryggen

Bryggen is the most recognisable place in Bergen with its iconic, colourful buildings. I'm planning a dedicated, up close post on Bryggen but for now want to demonstrate how short the days are in Bergen in winter. The photo above was taken at dusk at 4.19pm...

... and this one was taken at 9.39am. It was still dark when we'd left our hotel minutes before.

Food and Drink in Bergen

No visit to Bergen would be complete without sampling the famous Trekroneren hot dogs. The hot dogs are absolutely delicious. I went for my favourite, bratwurst, while others in my party sample the reindeer.

We had two spectacular meals in Bergen. The first was at Fjellskål where we had seafood soup and octopus to start, and sugar-coated cod and traditionally cured herring for main course. We also went to Pingvinen where I sampled Lapskaus, a traditional Bergen lamb stew.

It was very cold in Bergen and we were thankful for our winter coats and thermal leggings. We were also thankful for the many warm coffee shops with delicious pastries.

We also discovered mulled rum at the Bergen Christmas Market and it became my favourite thing ever, more adored even than Baileys Hot Chocolate.

The Port of Bergen

This World War I memorial to local sailors reads "Fordum til sjömandens jammer og död, nu til hans velfaerd, tryghed og bröd" which translates as "Formerly for the sailor's lamentation and death, now for his welfare, security and bread". Despite my clumsy translation, I found this memorial to be quite moving.

Bergen is so full of history, with a rich Hanseatic heritage. The port of Bergen has held strategic importance since the city was founded in 1070.

Of more interest to classical music fans, Bergen was home to Edvard Grieg, composer of the Peer Gynt suite which is my favourite classical album.

Nighttime In Bergen

Bergen was magical at night and oh, so quiet. Perhaps it was the time of year? With two days to go before Christmas, people may have been at home with their families.

Or perhaps it was the quiet that descends on a city after hours of falling snow?

We enjoyed a marvellous three days in Bergen and would love to return in summer time and see the fjords. Check back over the next couple of weeks to see posts on: