Day 7 - Bergen - Part 2

We got back into the main part of Bergen in the late afternoon. Our first priority was to try to sort out somewhere to stay. Nothing was available in Stavanger, so we started looking at other fjords in the area. I sent a few emails to various places along the Hardanger. In the fjord tour book, the Hardanger Fjord picture is an old guy with a big grin and a handful of apples. Apples are a good enough reason for me to check out a place! After we sent off inquiries we went out to track down dinner. The Torget fish market is right in the middle of town at the harbor. It was just about to close for the day, but we were able to stroll through for a bit. We picked out a nice salmon fillet with dill and capers. Back at our room, we cooked up a nice meal with some tortellini from the grocery.

After dinner we wandered up to the funicular railroad. It takes you from downtown Bergen to the top of one of the mountains. Had we headed up when we still had daylight left, we would have been able to hike around - there are miles of trails. As it was, we probably couldn't have picked a better time. Just as we were heading up the mountain, the sun started to set.



Summer sunsets in Norway are amazingly long. So even after the 12 minute ride to the top, we were still able to stand along the plaza and look out over the city. It was a bit chilly, but it was an absolutely stunning view.


Once the sun finally set we walked around for a while. It was obviously dark so hiking trails weren't really an option. But there was a little souvenir shop, a restaurant, and some play grounds. Maybe Norwegian kids are used to all the trolls, and perhaps it being dark made him creepier than usual, but the statue at the playground seemed more alarming than charming.


We could have walked back to the city, but I wasn't entirely sure where the trail would kick out and I didn't feel like being lost in Bergen in the middle of the night. Todd was already stressed out enough about us not having a place lined up for the next night!