Cruising Bergen Harbor and just walking around

 25 May 2022.

We had sun today! After a couple days of overcast and rain the sun actually broke out with the intention of remaining out. We had been warned by many that Bergen is known for its rainfall.

Our breakfast was leisurely (no surprise there). We relaxed at home, caught up on our blogs, talked about getting to the Bergen airport on Friday (a discussion that repeats itself but is nonetheless fun to have). A little after 10:00 we grabbed our coats and headed out the door. Our harbor cruise was scheduled to leave at 11:00 and it was only a 5-10-minute walk to the dock, but we thought since the sun was out we should be too.

Before we boarded the boat I took a few snaps of Bryggen and our neighborhood from the other side of the harbor.

looking out of the harbor toward the Bergen fjord

Following photo: the ship on the right is one of the Hurtigruten Coastal Voyages vessels that makes the round trip from Bergen north to Kirkenes on the Russian border; two red ships and one yellow one are North Sea oil rig supply vessels.

We also strolled up the quay on the south side of the harbor before launch.

a view back down to the waterfront

the "Eric Bloodaxe," our boat of the day.

Along the quay near Bryggen is the 55-meter long "Shinkai", a super-yacht with its own 3-man submarine reportedly belonging to Russian owners but that remains unclear. Back in March the local police went aboard to check credentials but little was gleaned about ownership. In early May a local ship gently collided with the yacht causing damage on the starboard (right) side, which is shown in the second photo.

the "Shinkai"

note the damage on the upper hull caused by a recent collision

The video clip shows the various ships, including the "Shinkai," lined up along the northern side of the harbor. You can see the Hurtigruten Coastal Voyages vessel, followed by three ships dedicated to providing supplies to the oil rigs in the North Sea.

On our swing around Bergen's harbor we had a good look at a World War 2 German U-Boot bunker, which belongs to the Royal Norwegian Navy. Were were informed that today, behind the three garage doors of the old bunker are three Norwegian submarines, which were moved here recently due to the increased tensions with Russia.

the three garage doors in the center is the World War II German U-boot bunker "Bruno"

looking back up to the funicular, top distance

looking up the Bergen fjord

aircraft engines or cars? I suspect the former

At one of the city's public swimming areas one can take a cold dip in the ocean then back out into a heated pool. One of the crew members on our boat claimed she used to do this several times a week. . . 

the public pool/swimming area

better times await

A second video clip showing part of the northern side of the Bergen harbor.

a survey vessel whose purpose remains a mystery

one of the high-speed express fjord ferries 

getting ready to dock

Strolling another side of the city we haven't seen before, near where our boat docked.

Heading home we stopped at this very fine "gourmet" grocery to pick up a few items -for lunch - OK, mainly chocolate, salsa and chips.

The city's music festival kicked off today. Set up in the pedestrianized Torgallmenningen, or "all people's square", there will be a variety of concerts at various venues through June 8. Note the line of vintage fire engines blocking off the area.

Back home we had a nice lunch and relaxed for the better part of the afternoon. 

The rain came and went again. After it went we left the apartment for a late afternoon stroll and to do a dry run to the stop where we'll get the tram to the airport early Friday morning. That done we walked past the Seafarer's Memorial in the Torgallmenningen. The memorial represents four distinct eras in the history of Norwegian seafaring. Along the way we stopped at the shop of Sebastien Bruno where we picked up an eclair for dessert later this evening, and afterwards passed another street sculpture. (We've seen several of these around the city, most often in doorways.)

We walked over to Bryggen on the way home.  My hope was that the pastry shop Baker Brun still had skolebolle but they were all out. Nevertheless, we settled for very nice looking croissant and pain au chocolat to supplement tomorrow's breakfast.

Tucked in for the night, supper was broccoli and roasted potatoes followed by the eclair we had bought earlier. While the supper was tasty the eclair was rather less so. The choux was OK but overall the pastry was bland with little pistachio flavor. It should also be noted that the cost was over $8.00!

Tomorrow it is back on the water but this time for a longer cruise up to Mostraumen. Stay tuned!