Exploring the Back Streets and Waterways of Bergen

It seems like every summer I find a new town that I claim is the prettiest town I have ever seen. Today I would have to say that Bergen, Norway is right up there with the best of them.





It was very chilly when we ventured out this morning and we quickly realized our lightweight sweat jackets from Target wouldn't be warm enough. Not willing to pay literally $100 or more for a sweatshirt emblazoned with the Norwegian flag or a moose logo, we chose a rather unpretentious looking department store and found nice jackets for around $30 .





Feeling much warmer, we walked all over town admiring the fountains, parks, and sailing ships in the harbor. While enjoying a cappuccino and croissant, we watched people strike poses on some stepping stones in a fountain in front of a statue playing the violin.



While the food at the fish market looked delicious and we saw people eating sandwiches heaped high with shrimp, we decided to have lunch at Peppe's Pizza right on the waterfront. They had heated outdoor lamps and kindly placed blankets on every chair.





No visit to Bergen is complete without a harbor cruise. The White Lady was a 50 minute cruise and they too had blankets to wrap yourself in outside. We sailed past several cruise ships, a naval academy, and a training center for workers on oil rigs in the North Sea. They had life boats placed on ramps headed down toward the water to practice with in the event of an emergency.



Back in town we stopped by an old wooden building, now a museum, where the German merchants would enjoy their meals back in the 18th century. All of the cooking pots were on the lower level.







After dinner tonight we decided to explore the many small cobblestone lanes winding throughout the town. Just off the water front is this cafe with a wonderful retro sign which lights up at night.



In front of it, though, just out of the frame of the picture is something more somber. It is a memorial to those who died in the tragedy in Oslo. We stopped for a moment and although we could not read the messages, many pictures drawn by children reflected the feelings of everyone. One picture had the sun crying.

Before heading in for the evening, we walked along the water's edge. All cameras were aimed into the west where the sun was sinking below the horizon, an end to a memorable day.