Tag: Bergen

Located between the Hardangerfjord and the Sognefjord in western Norway, Bergen was officially founded by King Olav Kyrre in 1070. There was already a trading settlement there as far back as the 1020s or 1030s. By the early 13^th century Bergen (Bjorgvin) had become the capital of Norway and remained so until the 1830s when Oslo became the capital city.

The afternoon excursion for which I had signed up was called Panoramic Bergen. It was a combination of riding on the tour coach and walking around to explore parts of the city more thoroughly.

Just a short walk from the ship was Håkon´s Hall. King Håkon Håkonsson built Håkon´s Hall between 1247 and 1261 as a royal residence and feasting hall. It was the first of its kind built in stone. Good thing too as the mostly wooden Bergen has tended to have a lot of fires and has burned down several times.

Standing a short distance from Håkon´s Hall is the Rosenkrantz Tower, which is regarded as the most important Renaissance monument in Norway. It was built by Magnus the Lawmender in the 13^th century. The original building has been extended several times to increase the fortification of the building and to create offices for the governors of Bergen. In the 16^th century it became the governor’s castle.

When visiting the Rosenkrantz Tower, it is possible to see King Magnus Lagabøte’s bedroom, the chapel with its original altar, and the room on the ground floor where the guards lived. Underneath the guardsrooms are the dungeons, which were in use until the first half of the 19^th century. Up in the attic are several cannons. These were used only once in war, during the battle of Vågen in 1665.

During World War II, in 1944, the Rosenkrantz Tower was badly damaged when a cargo ship loaded with explosives blew up just outside. The upper floors collapsed and were rebuilt in the 1960s.

After a passing glimpse at Bryggen, we headed over to the Nordnes Peninsula to have a wonderful scenic view of much of the city. After taking some photos, we headed to the Nykirken i Bergen, which is the parish church of the Church of Norway in Bergen. The name Nykirken literally means “new church”. It was consecrated in 1622. The church has burned down a few times and rebuilt in the same place on the medieval foundations of the Archbishop’s Palace.

We started with the grave, just outside of the church, of a former pastor of the church who died in the early 1800s. Then we went under the church to take a good look at the old foundations.

Back up inside the church were mainly closed box pews that could seat over 750 people. Plus, there was an angel hanging from the ceiling aways in front of the altar that could be lowered by a pulley system to be just above the baptismal font whenever a baptism was performed. Composer Edvard Grieg was baptized in this church when he was a baby.

After leaving the Nykirken, we boarded the coach again and drove around more of Bergen until we got to the National Theater. The theater was founded in 1850 by Norwegian violinist Ole Bull to develop Norwegian playwrights. Henrik Ibsen was one of the first writers in residence and became an artistic director of the theater. There is a statue of Ibsen in front of the theater in the photo I have included. He looks a bit scary.

Ole Bull (1810 – 1880) was a virtuoso violinist and composer who was considered by some to be on the same level as Niccolo Paganini. Much like Mozart, he showed his talents at an early age. He was only four years old when he could play everything he heard his mother play on the violin. He was just nine years old when he became first chair in the orchestra of Bergen’s theater and was a soloist with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. By the time he reached adulthood, he had also become a major sex symbol of his day. His statue stands in a park a leisurely stroll away from the theater.

When Bergen was founded around 1070, the area in which it began was essentially where the part of the city called Bryggen (Tyskebryggen) is located today. The Hanseatic League was established there in about 1350. Although the area has been burned down many times over the centuries, it has been rebuilt each time on 15^th century stone cellars. Today Bryggen houses mainly museums, shops, restaurants and pubs.

The buildings visible from the water have several more buildings behind them (about 67 in all). Access to these buildings is via walkways through the buildings in front. The area behind is quite interesting – especially the museums, which give an idea of what life was like at the time in Bryggen.

Due to the likelihood of fire, there were ordinances against flames of any kind. This meant no candles or oil lamps. No heating. I would think that cooking wasn’t allowed either.

There was a hospital for lepers with a church next door. The church had a separate section for the lepers to keep them apart from the rest of the congregation.

Some of the houses date as far back as 1703 when they were rebuilt after the 1702 fire. However, there was another fire in the 1950s, so some houses were rebuilt at that time. There is a Radisson Blu hotel there. If I were to return to Bergen without benefit of a cruise ship, that might be a good place to stay.

Headed back to the ship to get packed. Those of us going on the Scenic Train Ride from Bergen to Oslo were supposed to have our large cases outside of our rooms by 10pm so they would be picked up and sent on to our hotel in Oslo. I was done by 6pm and so headed for the World Café for my last dinner onboard the ship. Sherry and Christina met up with me after a bit. They were flying home from Bergen the next morning. I still had a couple more days to go before I flew home.

Next time – Post Cruise extension – Scenic Train Ride from Bergen to Oslo

Our morning expedition in Bergen was called A Taste of Norwegian Farm Life. This was a small farm just outside of Bergen. Ǿvre Eide Farm on Jorval Lake was located on mountainous terrain and had some horses and sheep. They also had some buildings with sod roofs. The roots of the farm date back to the 16^th century.

The first horse to which we were introduced was a Norwegian Fjord horse. It is believed that the Fjord is one of the world’s oldest horse breeds and that they migrated to Norway and were domesticated over 4000 years ago. They were used as war horses by the Vikings and have also been used as farm animals in western Norway for hundreds of years.

Fjord horses tend to be very strong and agile. They are not as small as the Shetland Pony, but they are still relatively smaller than most other horse breeds. They are always of a dun color. I felt that this particular horse and I bonded immediately since we were both small and blonde. But it could have just been because her breed tends to be quite friendly.

Another one of the girls working at the farm brought a lovely Shetland Pony by to say “hi”. He was 30 years old and still looked quite healthy and youthful. He was taken to an area where he could hang out on his own for a while outdoors.

The last horse to which we were introduced was a Dole horse. This is a Norwegian horse breed that was likely descended from the Friesian. The breed is used mainly for agricultural purposes. I thought this particular fellow was quite handsome with his braided mane.

After being introduced to the horses, we were taken to meet some sheep. These were Spælsau sheep which consist of roughly 22% of the sheep in Norway. They are a Norwegian breed that has been domesticated since the Iron Age.

This sheep breed gives both milk and meat of good quality. The wool has two layers. The underlying layer keeps the sheep warm while the outer layer helps protect the underlying layer against the wind and rain. The wool from Spælsau sheep, which is long and glossy, tends to have a beautiful shine. It was used in old Norwegian tapestries during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Viking ship sails were also made from Spælsau yarn. In clothing it is light, stable, and absorbs very little moisture.

The sheep were much more interested in the food the girls were offering them than in us. One of the males was apparently quite dominant and tended to butt the others out of his way. Their interaction was fun to watch.

After watching the sheep being fed, we were taken to an indoor area often used for weddings. Here we were given some fruit juice as a greeting. I had raspberry. Then we were seated and fed some almond pralines and some pastries with berries and cream while sipping coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

After we had our fill, a couple of the girls showed us their traditional national costumes. These were called “bunads”. The color and style of the bunad was based upon where the mother of the girl was from. Each one is specially made for the female, in Norway, of Norwegian materials, and is supposed to last a lifetime.

When we returned to the ship, we had about 45 minutes before I needed to leave for the afternoon excursion. But I was feeling pretty full from the pralines, pastries, raspberry juice and hot chocolate, so just had a small salad before heading off from the ship again.

I was really liking this part of Norway. It was around in this area and a little further north that my Norse Viking ancestors came from. I have always loved mountains and water. Put me in a location with a mountain on one side and a lake, river or sea on the other and I am content. Up until this point I had felt that it was most likely from my Scottish, Welsh and Swiss ancestry. But obviously, the Norse ancestry has a part in it too.

Next time – Touring Bergen and Bryggen