Our Adventures in Norway. Just strolling along. Part 7
We awake to a beautiful Bergen day, the sun is shining and we are heading out to run/hike up Floyen.
There is actually 10 hikes you can take once you get to the top of the funicular station. We are just taking the switch back path to the top with the elevation of 0 to 425m then taking the funicular down.
The view is amazing from the top and we enjoy the panorama of the city before heading down on the funicular
When we get to the bottom there is quite the line up to get on board since it is just opening, thank goodness we have beaten the crowds. We head over to Baker Brun cafe for a coffee and a pastry and plan our day.We decide to spend our day exploring on foot. I really wanted to check out the leprosy museum but it was closed for the season. Bergen had the largest concentration of patients in Europe between 1850 and 1900. Leprosy is often known as Hansen disease, after the Norwegian physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen who discovered the leprosy bacillus in Bergen in 1873. Sharon and I took some time to stroll the grounds and peered in the windows of which was once St George's hospital.
My cousin had suggested going out to see the home of the Norwegian pianist and composer Edvard Grieg. But the hop on hop off bus was no longer running so getting there was a bit of a problem. We just enjoyed the sights of the town and I stopped in to pick up a few prints from Katrine Lund's shop in the alleys of Bryggen. We asked her about how quiet things are in October. She tells us that this area in the summer is overflowing with tourists and you can hardly move but the buses slow to a trickle in the fall.
I prefer it to be quiet so that is the price we pay for the museums being mostly closed. Our strolling ends once we visit the Rosenkrantz Tower, it is considered one of the most important renaissance monuments in Norway dating back to 1270
The fall colours are in their full glory as we enjoy the grounds. The sun is starting to set which means it is time to load up on seafood at the fish market and feast.
We stop by the grocery store for some aoli and essentials then hike back up to our flat to enjoy the bounty. The shrimp, langostino and salmon are delicious. I am feeling a bit like Fred Mertz when I notice a photo on my Instagram account showing the harbour at night. I mention to Sharon how amazing it looks down there right now so we put our running shoes on and run down!
What a beautiful place Bergen is, but it is time to leave in the morning, our train departs early and we make plans for when we get back to Oslo. I was hoping to get back to the City Hall and see where the Nobel Peace prize will be handed out in December and if time allows we can head over to the Norwegian Folk museum and the Viking ship museum. It is going to be a full day time for some sleep.
