Back to the room and packed for our bus trip to Bergen this morning after the train cancellations. It was once again foggy with not much visibility and due to the rail cancellations there were a number of people waiting at the designated stop. A number of train, uniformed persons were standing around but not really doing anything. A couple of buses arrived, and went but supposedly not ours, this was not the Norwegian efficiency I had grown accustomed to. Finally a bus turned up about 15 minutes after our departure time and this was the on for Bergen.
Of course lining up didn't seem to matter and when we finally got on the bus there were only single seats left because all the youth had rushed on a and taken all the window seats. We sat behind each other a couple of rows from the back and had to listen to the drone of a young woman from the back seat for the 90 minutes the trip took ,who dominated the conversation by talking incessantly and louder than everyone else. Got to Bergen bus stop and with the aid of google maps walked to our hotel, about 15 minutes away.
It was only 1pm but our room as ready so we dumped our gear and headed off to look around the waterfront. It is still very much an active port but retaining the old parts from the 1700's which are very touristy. I even found the house that Armauer Hansen was born in (the man who discovered the cause of leprosy in 1873 ). There was a good market on and we just wandered for a few hours before finally stopping for a small bite and drink.
There was a funicular here as well, ( I wonder why Hobart haven't thought of something like that for My Wellington, as every city here has one and seem extremely popular) so we went to the top and had a glorious view of the city and harbour just as the mist and rain were starting to settle in. We headed down and back to the hotel for a short relax and nap.
The Bergen Bors Hotel was the old stock exchange and was a step up from where had been staying and appeared to have been renovated only a couple of years ago, didn't have a harbour view but very happy with the room.
The evening was still damp so we ended up at a very nice Tapas bar where we had a bench table in front of the window, so got to eat and people watch at the same time. Food was brilliant with a couple of wines before we headed back to the hotel and settled with a final wine in the restaurant lounge area before heading to bed a little after 10pm. Not too late as off the our last stop tomorrow, Amsterdam.
Bergen was a beautiful place as well as clean, tidy and so easy to get around. We would both definitely return here for a little more time and to use as a base to venture into the countryside and do one of the cruises that originate out of Bergen.
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