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.
So if you go to Norway you just have to take a trip to see a fjord or two. They are everywhere on the west coast of Norway so we book a day trip and off we go. Bergen is full of islands and it seems they are all filled with homes and bays and places to keep boats and walk-ways down to the water from the hill sides. Different styles of homes, and different sizes. Jim, of course, has been talking about Swen and Ole for years and how the live down by the wharf in Bergen. So we are looking and ya know, by golly, we spot what just has to be their houses, right on the water with a little place for their humble boat! but the trip goes on and the view is getting a little boring and we wonder if maybe we booked the wrong cruise. But finally we turn up a narrow canyon and spot a waterfall from high on a cliff, there is another and the walls go higher and we see a cove where legend has it a thief stored away his stolden goods until one day he was discovered and ended up on the wrong end of a rope. But the view gets better but the weather worse as a little rain hits us and a cold wind whips round the port side of our vessel and it is time to duck inside. Many other waterfalls appear and we declare this voyage a good choice afterall.
So, next day after a long breakfast, we all meet on the street and decide to take a walk - perhaps up the hill to a small church like building. Up we go by the cable car and climb steep steps to finally arrive at not a church - just a building but the view is nice - "Right Jim?" "Jim!" Jim is off on the path to WALK up the damn mountain to the top! What the hell - lets go and see what happens. "We can stop anytime we want", says Jim. We walk, it rains, we walk, we sweat, we walk, switch back after switch back but the view is getting incredible and even though we have the wrong shoes and lack of planning we all kind of get into the walk. Finally we arrive and the view is as advertised - spectacular! We see the entire city and hills and bays and islands and the city. I bet Tina will toss in a photo to show the view. Wow! There is a playground for kids and a delight - troll heads on poles hidden in the trees for the kids to find, picnic tables scattered about and a nice cafe. In we go for wine and beer. Wine down and Jim decides to walk down. Tina, Krim and I vote for more wine and beer and to try the cable car ride down. The cable car kicks us out in the middle of town and we are delighted. What a cool thing! Right in the middle of town you jump a cable car for $6 and a 7 minute ride to hiking trails and beautiful views and a delightful day with an easy beautiful walk down to town through ferns and trees and views of the city.
We reward ourselves that evening with dinner at the "Bare" Restaurant in the center of town with great reviews. Ouch, it is expensive but looks way too interesting to pass. So we vote to do the three course meal with wine and are glad we did. We start with appitizer one - dried fish skin with something on top - not good for Jim and Clyde but "The Girls" like it. Next comes pork rind and now we are talking and smiles all round. The food continues with all sorts of new tastes - smoked food using hay, hay sprinkles, indiginous berries, chicken liver with pork, Halibut cooked in juice, pork, sorbet with berries and several of the courses served by the chief chef. The wine and champagne was wonderful. It was great.
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