7-21...7-23-2015: Delightful Bergen

Wow is what we found our rooms to be - right next door to each other on the 6th floor we each have a small balcony we can step out on and look straight down to the water. Across the water we look at the famous old buildings of Bergen and it is a sight to remember. I bet Tina will throw in a picture or two of our view in both sunlight and in darkness - it is beautiful.

 

We take off on foot to the old town in the rain. It rains all the time here and in fact this is the home of the first umbrella vending machine. But, you have to take what you got and over the next few days we spend lazy days getting to know the place.

This is an old city that came into prominence from fishing but really hit the big time when it became part of the Hanseatic league - rich German merchants seeking trade and wealth. Bergen was the most populous city in Norway at one time and was the city of government for the country. The old town where once the commerce for the city was centered is now full of shops entered through narrow walk ways and alleys with retail, souvenirs and workshops for leather and jewelry. Its fun and we spend some time and a little money.

The city has a Cathedral and Krim and I visit. The architecture is different from central Europe but still impressive with high ceilings and church artifacts. The history of the building is a turbulent one as the building was first used by an King Olav the Holy, Norway's patron saint and it first mentioned in writing around 1150. Franciscan friars arrived in town in the first half of the 13th century and began to use the church. Fire messed up the place in 1248 and again in 1270 but fixed up each time. The church is pretty plain and has been so for most of it's history.

There is a cable car that runs up one of the 7 hills surrounding the city and the entrance is right in the middle of town. Over 1,000 feet above the city the view is said to be spectacular so we have it on our list. It is raining on this day (of course) but between rains we sneak our for a walk. "The Girls" do some shopping, Jim does some needed work and I decide to check out the oldest building in town- St. Mary's Church. Probably built in 1130 by rich German merchants, the church has been in continuous use since early medieval times. A major restoration was just completed this year so I am lucky it is open. There are life sized statues of the twelve disciples plus moses and John the Baptist. The pulpit is a mystery as it is unlike any other in Norway. It was presented to the church in 1676 by prominent merchants but the biggest prize of the church is the alter reredos from the end of the 15th century. It is a screen, probably from Lubeck Germany and depicts Mary and the infant Jesus and other biblical scenes.