Norway
Sandviken

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
  • Day 12

    Bergen brummt…

    June 21, 2023 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Die einstige Hansestadt wartet mit einzigartigen Sehenswürdigkeiten auf. Das 1070 gegründete und heute 282000 Einwohner zählende Bergen war lange Zeit die bedeutendste und grösste Stadt des Nordens und von 1217 bis 1299 auch Residenz des norwegischen Königs.

    Heute noch stehen die Norweger zu grossen Teilen hinter Ihrem Königshaus. Sie sind sehr traditionell, so sieht man viele junge Mädchen in Trachten (Jungs in Anzügen), die anlässlich Festivitäten getragen werden in den Strassen.

    Bergen, zwischen 7 Hügeln gebaut, war einst eine Stadt mit vielen schmucken Holzhäusern, doch grosse Brände, während denen ganze Stadtteile abgebrannt sind, haben dazu geführt, dass heute nur mit Beton und Stein gebaut werden darf, geblieben ist nur das alte Feuerwehrdepot.

    Der historische Stadtteil Bryggen (hanseatische Landebrücke) teilt den Hafen in zwei Teile. Am malerischen Pier stehen noch immer die alten farbigen Holzhäuser, die einst von den Hanseaten erbaut wurden, am Ufer ein reges Kommen und Gehen schöner Segelyachten. Meist standen 5 Häuser hintereinander, davor immer ein Vippenboom, mit dem die Schiffe be- und entladen wurden. In den schmalen Gassen zwischen den Häuserreihen, gibt es heute ein tolles Angebot von guten Geschäften. Wir haben uns mit Norwegerpulli und wasserdichten Regenjacken eingedeckt.

    Die Lübecker Kaufleute hatten das Monopol auf der Vermarktung des Stockfisches. Diese Fische, im Freien getrocknet, waren zu jenen Zeiten gute Nahrungsreserven, weil ewig haltbar. Zum Verzehr müssen sie dann tagelang eingelegt werden. Es gab ein reger Tauschhandel: Fische, Pelze und Lachsöl gegen Getreide. Seit 1276 bis heute werden auf dem Fischmarkt frisch gefangene Spezialitäten aus dem Meer angeboten.

    Die Marienkirche ist das älteste noch erhaltene Bauwerk von Bergen. Sie wurde zwischen 1130 und 1270 erbaut mit einem vergoldeten Altarschrank und einer barocken Kanzel.
    Troldhaugen ist das ehemalige Wohnhaus vom berühmtesten Komponisten Norwegens, Edward Grieg (1843-1907), heute Museum und Konzerthalle.

    Gegen Abend sind wir mit der Floiban auf den nahe gelegenen Floyen (320m) gefahren und hatten so einen traumhaften Ausblick auf die Stadt.

    Die Entdeckung Amerikas hat ein neues Datum. Im Jahre 1021, also vor Christoph Kolumbus, bezwangen die Wikinger die stürmische Nordsee und segelten von Island über Grönland nach Neufundland - so erzählt es zumindest das Denkmal auf dem
    grossen Platz mitten im Zentrum.

    Bergen, eine unglaublich lebendige Stadt mit ihren coolen Einwohnern, die sich mit den Touristen sehr gut arrangiert haben, selbst wenn 3 grosse Kreuzfahrtschiffe ihre Passagiere loslassen - gemütliche Beizen hat es genug und anzusehen gibt es ganz viel, nicht zu sprechen von den vielen Ausfahrten in die Fjorde.

    Wir würden jederzeit wiederkommen - auch wenn es hier hie und da regnet…!
    Read more

  • Day 6

    6th Stage

    January 30 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    Of course, you only get the treasure if you get up early, but we took it easy and enjoyed the pass road in peace. Between watercourses and spectacular nature, we couldn't miss the whale steak in the evening!
    It was extremely tasty and rare to get, Norway is the last country allowed to sell it. It tastes a bit like liver only better ;)
    Read more

  • Day 2

    Dag 2

    January 16 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Na een goede nachtrust en ontbijt zijn we richting de oude stad Bergen gegaan (Bryggen). Het nieuwe Bergen ziet eruit zoals elke stad. Wél met mooie gebouwen en winkels enzovoorts, maar winkelen kun je overal en daar komen we niet echt voor.
    Na Bryggen het we de kabeltrein 🚠 (soort van metro) genomen naar boven, alwaar we een gewéldig uitzicht hadden over Bergen.
    Eind van de middag werden we weer opgehaald bij het hotel om naar de terminal te gaan. Na het boarden en een korte instructiefilm konden we aan boord van de Richard With
    🚢
    In onze cabin werden we welkom geheten met een fles heerlijke champagne 🥂 🍾
    En na een korte kennismaking met de crew was het tijd voor de afvaart!
    De reis is begonnen! 🍀🥰
    Read more

  • Day 1–2

    Dag 1

    January 15 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    We werden vanmorgen luidkeels gewekt door de wekker ⏰
    Ik was al een eeuwigheid wakker, maar John zat rechtop in z’n bed van schrik en ik lag dubbel van het lachen. De stemming zat er meteen goed in!! 🤣🤣

    Op weg naar Schiphol. Het was mistig en erg druk…onderweg flinke file ivm een ongeluk, maar we waren ruimschoots op tijd, dus geen stress.
    Auto geparkeerd en met de shuttlebus naar de terminal. Koffers gedumpt en meteen alle administratieve handelingen maar verricht…het kan maar gebeurd zijn.
    Met een uur vertraging zijn we vertrokken. We hebben geluk gehad, want er zijn best heel veel vluchten gecancelled vanwege de dichte mist, maar op het moment dat wij vertrokken, trok de lucht net open.
    Na een goede vlucht aangekomen in Bergen, alwaar onze taxi al klaar stond om ons naar het hotel te brengen.
    Mooie kamer, die gepoetst bleek door ene Tippiwan 🤣 (waar kenden we díe ook alweer van??😉).
    Eerst ff uitgerust en daarna wat te te eten en drinken gescoord 🥢🍱🥤.
    Pootjes omhoog….morgen weer een dag!
    Read more

  • Day 37–40

    Bergen

    January 14 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    Bergen was cold and wet, but it didn't stop us making the most of it. Loved the houses built into the hills, the little alleyways and colourful wooden clad houses. We visited the Floyen funicular and the clouds lifted long enough for us to get a few photos.
    Would definitely return here
    Read more

  • Day 20–22

    Bergen (part 1)

    October 1, 2024 in Norway ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We arrived in Bergen around midday and our AirBnB host very kindly let us check in early. We dropped off our bags and immediately headed back to the harbour area which is essentially the city centre and where all the restaurants are. We had a look through the fish market and decided we would definitely come back for a dinner at some point because Bergen is well known for its fresh seafood, with everything at the market having been caught locally recently. We also got to try some reindeer in sausage form, whale, and moose. All were very nice, whale being the biggest surprise as it wasn't fishy at all, it was actually quite meaty. We're not sure how they catch the whales and we're not looking it up because we don't think we'd like the answer. We wandered around the city, mainly to visit the Bergenhus Fortress which used to be the seat of power in Norway before it moved to Oslo, and Bryggen which is a street of colourful houses (basically every street is full of traditional coloured houses here so it wasn't THAT special).
    The next day we spent our morning in the Central Park reading our books. We then did a big hike up Sandvikspilen (one of Bergen's 7 surrounding mountains). The hike was very steep and locals use it like their Jacob's Ladder so were running up and down just for daily exercise. We had an amazing view of the city from the top of the mountain before continuing on another 3km hike across the tops of the mountains to get to the peak of Mount Floyen (another of Bergen's 7 mountains). Here we had a celebratory drink for Eth receiving his final uni results of his degree!! Visited a troll forest, watched the sunset, and most importantly got to pat some goats. They have 10 goats who were bought to maintain the lawn and have now become accustomed to people so will come right up to you asking for pats. They were really big and even had the goat beards, it was incredible. We knew there were Floyen goats so we looked for them for quite a while before they just walked up to us - you don't find the goats, the goats find you. Rather than doing another hike down the mountain, we caught the funicular which is like a steep tram and took less than 10 minutes to get us back to the city.
    So far Bergen has been absolutely amazing. It's both of our favourite city of the trip yet (only has to beat Reykjavik and Oslo at this point). All of the buildings are what you expect from Norway and it's actually not too busy. This is what we consider the "real Norway" and we can't wait to keep exploring over the next few days.
    Read more

  • Day 3–4

    The Coastal Cities of the West

    September 18, 2024 in Norway ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    The day started early with a stunning sunrise out in the fjord. Since the little city of Lysebotn is hidden deep beneath 1,000-meter-high mountains, the sun only reaches the actual city in the afternoon when it approaches from the west. It was a chilly morning, almost cold, as I waited for the ferry to take me from the bottom of the fjord to the first tiny harbor, Songesand. I had the pleasant company of another motorbike rider on the ferry, sharing war stories and praising the roads from yesterday. After an incredibly beautiful ferry ride of almost an hour, we reached Songesand and had a blast on the narrow roads leading out of the mountains. He went inland, and I turned left towards Stavanger and the coast. From there, the rest of the day was an endless passage of tunnels and bridges that combined to make a very special journey through the Norwegian archipelago on the west coast.

    The first tunnel I passed through today was the longest underwater tunnel in the world—the “Ryfylketunnelen,” 14.4 km long with a 291-meter drop from entering the tunnel to its midpoint. An impressive construction!

    I visited the harbor of Stavanger, but a large cruise ship had just arrived, and the buzz of tourists slightly ruined the otherwise sunny marina environment. :)

    From there, I went north, and after another ferry ride and countless bridges/tunnels, I reached Haugesund. Every west coast city on a sunny afternoon with no wind is a blessing, and Haugesund is no exception. You can’t avoid noticing the oil industry presence in the city (oil rigs, the Maersk training center, and a lot of helicopters :)), but it still has a lovely charm.

    After one last ferry crossing, I arrived at the last coastal city of the day, Bergen—Norway’s former capital. I decided to let the tent dry for the night and check into a small hostel with an impressive view of the city. A hot shower and a short drive down to enjoy a beer by the harbor, which was filled with people enjoying the last sunlight of the day.

    Back at the hostel, I caught up with both Camilla and the Seattle family just in time to enjoy the sunset over the mountains (the last picture). As a ferry man told me earlier today, this was probably the best weather day of 2024—weather karma. ;)
    Read more

  • Day 25

    Leaving Bergen

    August 20, 2024 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    Let's go back to Sunday night, when we were still on the ship. Remember that Monty Python sketch where the diner points out his fork is a bit dirty and it ends up the chef comes out and commits suicide. Well, Sue mentioned to the waiter that we thought the between-course granita was not quite as good as it was 2 nights previous. He was very concerned and apologetic. Next thing, the restaurant manager came over and, once he cottoned on to the issue, was most concerned and apologetic. Then the chef came out and he was more than concerned and apologetic. He offered to make us something else. We don't know if he went off and committed suicide.
    Monday morning brought disembarkation. We pushed our suitcases around to the hotel and set off exploring. We had 2 main tasks. First was to shop for raincoats. Dean found his was not up to Norwegian conditions and needed to be upgraded. Sue wanted to augment her collection. The other thing was to go to the Hanseatic Museum. Bergen was an outpost of the Hanseatic League (13-17th C's). Unfortunately, the permanent museum is closed for renovations and we were just shy of its reopening in 2027. So we had a tour of one of the associated buildings, which was more about what life was like for the Leaguers than about the history, economics, geo-politics and intrigue.
    That evening, we had a very nice dish of fish - would you believe it was COD - at the modern fish markets.
    Today, Tuesday, we were grateful for our raincoat purchases and trudged on to the Maritime Museum and Bergen Museum until your correspondent was officially overwhelmed.
    It became clear why the Independent Tour Director (Sue) had chosen the hotel. It is a very short puddle hop to the light rail, which has taken us out to the airport for an overnight stay before an early morning flight.
    Read more

  • Day 6

    Regentag in Bergen...☔️

    August 15, 2024 in Norway ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Wir durften heute einen der ca. 250. jährlichen Regentage in Bergen genießen 😉🫠🙃
    und waren shoppen, Kaffee trinken und kleine Köstlichkeiten verspeisen
    und haben uns trotz allem nicht die gute Stimmung nehmen lassen
    🤭
    Read more

  • Day 14–15

    Bergen

    August 8, 2024 in Norway ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Although it is the second city of Norway with a population of around 290,000, Bergen is a perfect destination for a cruise ship - very scenic and with all its main sights concentrated in quite a small area.

    Add to this World Heritage status for the Bryggen dock area and you have an excellent spot to wander around trying to keep dry in the sporadic rain showers.

    We wandered into town up and down narrow cobblestoned streets, lined with pastel-painted timber houses and looking very nice in the slightly misty atmosphere.

    Then, the Fish Market, or more appropriately, the Fish and Other Yucky Things Market, with whale salami and moose and reindeer meat on sale as well.

    Further around Byfjorden, the neat little inlet surrounded by the old town, was Bryggen, a row of old painted timber warehouses repurposed into tourist traps but picturesque nonetheless. Rebuilt in parts after regular fires, most recently in 1955, they were apparently hammered together by carpenters for whom the ninety-degree angle was a foreign concept.

    In increasingly dodgy weather, we then made our way to the Floibanen, a funicular railway which took us up 300 metres up Mt Floyen, something of an oasis in the city and made up of spectacular views, shops, walking tracks and goats.

    The modern city, a short walk from the old town, is also attractive, with broad streets and squares and some nice buildings.

    Tonight we sail north and enter Geraingerfjord, which should make for some spectacular views for a few days.
    Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android