Bergen, Norway

Today was our final stop at a Norwegian Fjord, Bergen. It, like all the other cities in Norway, is beautiful also. Bergen, founded in 1070, was the capital of Norway during the middle Ages. It is surrounded by seven mountains and water all around.

I guess you could say that of all the places we have seen this trip, Norway has been my favorite. It is just beautiful.

Upon arrival this morning I had just finished using my flat iron and put it away when I smelled smoke. Since the smell of smoke on a ship is never good, I quickly got my flat iron back out to make sure it hadn’t started a fire or anything. Everything appeared okay so we went off to breakfast.

During breakfast the Captain came on the loud speaker and announced that we were “not to worry if we smelled smoke. The ship was not on fire”. Instead there was a fire in one of the old buildings not far from us and the smoke was drifting towards the ship.

Fires are very common in Bergen. Most of the old houses are built of wood. Our afternoon tour guide told us that each quarter of the town has a fire station as there is a huge fire every century. Last week they had another building on fire.

Bergen is the 2nd wettest city in Europe. It has 270 rainy days a year. Even with all that rain the wood is still very old and the buildings can burn. We actually walked along the harbor front and saw the building on fire. I guess it is common place for Bergen’s.

When it doesn’t rain the entire town and people go outside to celebrate and have fun. It is a good time for them to get sunshine and experience the outdoors. But in 2006 Bergen went 2 months, 60 days, without rain. At first the citizens were excited but then the people of Bergen became very anxious, stressed and nervous. Because it wasn’t raining they were expected to celebrate everyday and be outside and they wanted a break from their celebrations! On the opposite end in 2005 it rained straight for 3 months and when they finally had a day without rain, it became a holiday that day. Employers gave all their workers the day off to enjoy the outdoors!

We walked to the main square in the morning and the local fish market was going strong as was the smell. There is nothing like fresh fish to make you feel welcome. Because it was Sunday many stores did not open until noon and we needed to be back to the ship for our afternoon shore excursion.

Today we saw the Fantoft Stave Church and Troldhaugen.

There are only 28 Norwegian Stave churches still in existence. These are wood churches built in the Viking design. The Vikings left Norway in 1130. These Stave churches were built right after that. There are no windows except one, in the church. Most don’t have floors or pews. Pregnant and ill people (they were considered “unclean”) were forced to stay outside and the Priest would offer the sermon close to the window so those outside could hear it. The dragons on the outside kept the evil spirits from entering the church.

The church we saw today burned down in 1992. Luckily they could recreate it in the likeness of another Stave Church. A Stave Church is very distinct in looks; inside and outside. Not much to look at on the inside but a unique design on the outside.

From there we proceeded on to Troldhaugen, the home of Edvard Grieg, the composer. It is included in “1000 Places to See before You Die”.

Troldhaugen means “Troll Hill” and you could actually imagine trolls living in the forest where his home and piano studio were. You know those trees that you see in cartoons with long limbs that look like fingers? The trees that all of a sudden have a face that appears? Well that’s what the trees looked like at Trouldhaugen.

Did we tell you that trolls are big time over in Norway? There are trolls in every store. These are the cute kind of trolls either. These are ugly trolls that scare little children. I guess that is what parents tell their kids to get them to mind. If they don’t behave a troll will come out of the forest for them!

Edvard Grieg was born in Bergen. He was raised by parents who supported culture. His mother was one of the best piano teachers in Norway. He hated school though. There was a rule in Norway that one could not attend school if they showed up to school wet. They would have to go home and change. Somehow Edvard showed up everyday wet and would be sent home. Of course he never made it back. He studied music all over, married his cousin Nina and went back to live in Bergen. He and his wife are both buried in Troldhaugen. Their burial site is in the side of a mountain at the bottom of a hill.

Bergen is a beautiful city. Its wharf is home to houses that are so old that they are leaning to the side. The door’s lean also. But no one seems to notice because the beauty is in the building’s themselves.

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