Giorgio Sighting
Well, more like a hearing than a sighting. The Captain made an announcement today! He reminded us that today is the 5th Annual International Seafarer's Day! He told us about the valuable role played by seafarers and thanked all the seafarers on the ship. And that was all he said.
Quiz Time
1. Who is this?
a. Edvard Grieg
b. Edvard Munch
c. Henrik Ibsen
2. Which three things should you bring with you for your day in Bergen?
a. Camera, Norwegian kroner, snack
b. Umbrella, camera, map
c. Rick Steves book, umbrella, snack
d. Norwegian phrase book, camera, water bottle
3. The most photographed sight in Bergen is:
a. An oil rig
b. The Little Mermaid statue
c. Warehouses along the waterfront
d. The Bergenfjord
4. Which of the following will you not see in Bergen?
a. The Leprosy Museum
b. The Seafarer's Monument
c. The Hanseatic Museum
d. The Aquavit Museum
Bergen
In Bergen we docked at Jekteviken, an industrial dock. It was impractical and unsafe to walk in the dock area but the port authorities provided efficient, frequent and free shuttle buses to the center of town. Our schedule in Bergen was a little bit awkward - 7 am to 2 pm - so we were not able to take advantage of an independent tour on shore. Nothing much was open before 10 or 11, so we decided to wait until 8:30 to get off the ship and walk around on our own.
The shuttle brought us to a pleasant park in front of the art museum. It was raining (normal for Bergen), but it cleared up after a while. Bergen is very walkable, and the shuttle driver had given us excellent maps, so we began our ramble.
We walked up Ole Bulls Plass toward the Art Nouveau style National Theater. Ole Bull was a violinist in the 1800's and a pop idol in his day.
Does this remind you of a whale carcass?
We wandered through a shopping district with pedestrianized areas towards the waterfront. Bergen's population is about 250,000. Although smaller than Anchorage, Bergen seems to have more amenities, much better public transportation, nicer shopping and fewer souvenir shops, and many more activities for tourists.
When we reached the waterfront we had a good view of Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen) with its iconic waterfront warehouses. We wandered through an indoor fish market and then an outdoor fishmarket. In additon to the usual fish, you could buy whale meat in most of the stalls. It was black and unappetizing, for aesthetic reasons as well as political reasons.
Is something that ugly edible?
Kugel à la fisketorget
Whale meat
Would you prefer whale sausage, moose sausage, reindeer sausage, or the combo pack?
After deciding not to buy any sausage, we wandered around a bit more to see what we could see - and what we couldn't see. We couldn't see Sting. :( We were one day too early!
We found ourselves near the Fløibanen, the funicular, and decided to take a ride up. We managed to get there between tour groups so we were able to walk on. At the top we enjoyed the view.
Answers
1. c
2. b
3. c
4. d
To Be Completed Soon
I was right about Ibsen (a somewhat educated guess) and wrong on the others. A Leprosy Museum????!!!!
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