Scandinavian charm - Bergen

A Scandinavian vacation is incomplete without savoring the essence of Norwegian life – nothing epitomizes that better than the historical city of Bergen.

Bergen means ‘a meadow in the mountains’ and is Norway’s second largest city. It goes back about a 1000 years in recorded history. Everything in Bergen has a historical flavor – be it the wharfs, the buildings, the museums – a town with a rich historical culture which seems to have got embedded in the lifestyle of the city.

Bryggen (wharf) area, right besides the city jetty still has the some of the 15th century wharf warehouses which have been converted into museums, souvenir shops, cafes etc. This area is brimming with activity and life, with hordes of tourists swarming around. The best way to partake Norwegian culture is to sit outside one of the cafes here with a beer or coffee mug and see life pass by – you have a good chance to see some state of the art cruise liners docked right nearby.

The jetty

There is so much to do and explore in Bergen and I saw some wonderful places which will always remain etched in my memory like - the Old Bergen Museum which is an open air museum with wooden houses and is a perfect representation of Bergen architecture as it was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

There is the Fantoft Stave Church which was built in Fortun in Sogn in 1150 in a village near Sognefjord and moved to Bergen in 1883.  It was burnt down by arsonists in 1992 and was later rebuilt just the way it was. What is unique about it is that in medieval times when churches in other parts of Europe were made of stone these were made of wood and showcase Norwegian architectural legacy.

St Mary's Church is the oldest building in Bergen from the 12th century; it’s a great Romanesque church. Though, we could not see it from inside as it was closed for restoration and will open in 2015.   

We took a near vertical ride on the Floibanen Funicular cable car from the city centre to the top of the Floyen Mountains which is 1,050 feet above sea level.

Funicular ride

The journey up takes 5-8 minutes and here we got a bird's- eye view of the city with the mountains on one side and a magnificent view of the islands nearby. At the top there is a cafe, Floien Folkerrestaurant, which is an attraction in itself. There are a lot of hiking trails here and on the way back we trekked down and it was a picturesque walk passing through the wooded terrain.

Panoramic view of Bergen city

Old Bryggen is a UNESCO heritage site with cobbled pathways and old harbor buildings and is a reminder of the town’s importance as part of the Hanseatic Leagues trading empire from the fourteenth to the mid sixteenth century. Its wooden wharf houses are a part of nine hundred year old Norwegian tradition.

Wooden wharf houses

There is a massive fish market right near the harbor which the foodies can't miss and you get to select the choicest catch which is then cooked for you or you can get it packed too. The market also has souvenir shops run by locals, selling trinkets and clothes.

Fresh catch

Zachariasbryggen is a building on the harbor front next to the Fish Market and is filled with bars, cafes and lounges, in the heart of the city. It’s a nice place to relax and remains open till late at night. A well known restaurant here is Peppes Pizza; it’s a buzzing joint (though pricey but then Norway is not called the most expensive country for nothing) with some great tasting authentic Italian  food. They have a great bar too where we chilled out in the evening with Norway's local beer- Hansa.

Bergen has something of interest for everyone, a great eclectic mix, clubs - for the party goers (Rick's, Banco Rotto),  a great cultural life and a thriving indie music scene and most definitely deserves to be on everyone’s list of top places to visit in Europe.

I found Norwegians to be warm, simple and a fun loving lot.

Celebrations and Parades in Bergen

Idyllic Sigtuna

Going on a vacation is always great fun. The planning starts a couple of months in advance especially if one is travelling to a Schengen country as they need your flight and stay details- for visa. This is good in a way, otherwise I know we would have been dilly dallying till the last minute over which airline is better, which hotel is most central. Seriously the more choices we have-the harder it becomes to decide. Another positive is that once the bookings are done my workaholic husband can't pull off any excuses for not travelling. 

Thankfully deciding on which country to visit didn't take too long as we all were very keen on the fjords.

           

The first leg of our journey began from Stockholm. The Arlanda Express, which is really super fast, took us from the airport to the city centre in 20 minutes flat. The fare is expensive but was covered in our Scandinavian (Eurail) Pass. Our apartment was very conveniently located, a mere 5-7 minute walk from the station. The next day the children flew in from the US - what would holidays be without them.

My first impression of Stockholm- historic monuments and buildings seamlessly blend with the modern day infrastructure- and retains its pristine beauty. Stockholm gives a sense and feel of an affluent city- with people having contentment and ease writ large on their faces. Stockholm as a city has so much to offer so for the next couple of days we were totally engrossed covering every bit of it.

Having covered Stockholm we decided to explore the countryside. We did a day trip to this picturesque village called Sigtuna, on the shores of Lake Malaren. Sigtuna is 45 minutes from Stockholm. It's easily accessible by train, bus and boat. This is a medieval town on the lake side with private motor boats and yachts moored there. It appeared that everyone in Sigtuna owned one.

Sigtuna is Sweden's oldest town established in the 10th century by the Vikings. This place is steeped in history. There are the ruins of St Peter's church from the 12th century which had gotten destroyed in a fire. What stood out was how neatly everything was maintained. Rune stones, which are memorial to the dead, are scattered all around. There are more than 150 of them. These runes have inscriptions which are the oldest text in Swedish. Sweden's first coins were minted here. It's 'Main Square' has a tiny Town Hall, the smallest in Sweden. There is the 13th century St Mary's Church which is still in use and has some medieval artifacts. Another attraction is the Sigtuna Museum which showcases this place's history through the ages.

After all this walking around one can take a break in the ice cream shop or at the lovely cafe called Tant Brun (Aunt Brown) named after a Swedish children's book character by Swedish writer Elsa Beskow. It's famous for its home made cakes and pies - raspberry, blueberry and apple, and coffee which is served in a copper pot. This cafe is set in a 17th century old wooden building. It has a low doorway and we had to bend down to enter. The baked goods are made fresh and we thoroughly enjoyed the warm apple pie which was served with vanilla cream. At Stora Gatan, the main street and Sweden's oldest there are beautiful wooden shops selling clothes, toys and antiques. We walked around Lake Malaren which had a fabulous view. A lot of people were riding their bikes, fishing, and some were just lying on the grass and enjoying the sun. There is also a small harbour and a jetty here. Parallel to the harbour is a cafe which sells ice cream in a waffle cone. Believe me Ben & Jerry and Haagen Dazs would not even be a distant second.

On the way back we stopped at Uppsala, the University town. We returned to Stockholm after a very enjoyable day. I enjoyed visiting Sigtuna as it is a charming town with a laid back air. It has an old world quaintness interspersed with all the modern amenities. A must see.

Lake Malaren - Sigtuna

The ruins of St Peter's Church




The overflowing 'parking' at Sigtuna harbour




'Rune Stones' - Inscriptions