Bergen

We ended our Scandinavia trip in the beautiful harbor town of Bergen. I had heard amazing things about Norway from my friends Lisa and Mark who both consider it their favorite country. Even with all that hype, Bergen still exceeded my expectations. 

The old town (called Bryggen) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was originally established before 1070. 

St Mary's Church is the oldest and tallest building in Bergen. Construction began between 1130 and 1140 and was finished in 1180. The outside of the church was beautiful and I wish I could have seen the inside. But sadly, it was closed to tourists since it was Sunday. 

We went on a three hour boat cruise of the fjords near Bergen. The water was so dark it was almost black. The whole scene was beautiful with the cliffs and all the greenery. 

Our boat cruise catered to tourists and had fun stops planned throughout our journey. They stopped by one island that had a bunch of goats. One of the crew members fed the goats hot dog buns. 

Another time they stopped at a waterfall and filled a bucket with the water. They passed around glasses of the cold, clean water to everyone on the boat. Warren tried it and said it tasted like normal water, but it was refreshing. 

Back in Bergen, we had lunch at the fish market. I had fish soup and Warren had a steak made from whale meat. Both were delicious, but Warren was really pleased to try a unique meat. He also tried reindeer soup when we were in Norway, which he really enjoyed. 

I was surprised to find that Bergen was very lively, even in the first weekend of their off season. There were loads of people at bars and restaurants on Saturday night. We also saw lots of advertisements for local live music and events. I shouldn't have been surprised, though, because Bergen is the second largest city in Norway. 

I had a great time visiting this adorable city and would recommend it to just about anyone. We had a great time overall in Scandinavia and it was nice to end on a high note.