Tiff & Jared's adventures

Day 1

After leaving Denver at 4PM, and having a 4-hour layover in Iceland, we landed in Bergen around 2PM. Here are some fun facts about the city:

• Bjørgvin was the original Norse name for the city.
• Bergen is known as the city of the seven mountains
• Bergen is Norway’s second biggest city, behind Oslo.
• Bergen is one of Europe’s rainiest places (average of 231 days per year).
• Bryggen (Hanseatic wharf area) was Norway’s first UNESCO World Heritage site.

Running on very little sleep (classic), we hopped on the Light Rail from the airport and made it to city center around 3PM. We quickly checked into our hotel, Hotel Oleana – very centrally located – and hit the town. (Would definitely stay at the hotel again – very chic, complimentary candies at the counter, and free to-go breakfast in the AM for when we had to leave early).

Our first stop was Trekroneren for their famous reindeer hotdog! Later found out this was called Trekroneren because when it first opened, the cost of a sausage was 3 krone (their unit of currency), versus the 90 krone for a reindeer one today.. The hotdog was delicious and huge so we split one – the lingonberry sauce, mustard and crispy onions spoke in perfect harmony. 10/10 start on our culinary experience in Norway!

Next, we walked a short distance to the Floibanen funicular trail station (circling back to the seven mountains above, Mount Fløyen is one of the seven). I’d bought tickets in advance so after a quick QR scan, we stood in the queue waiting to board the short ride to the top of the mountain.

After a short 6-minute ride, we were at the top and met with a beautiful view of the city below. We bought a one-way ticket so that we could meander the 3k down the mountain back into town after we were done soaking up the views. Luckily, the weather held out and we only got a few raindrops on the way down. Running on fumes, the steep trek down was fairly challenging! We decided next thing we should do is find a good dinner spot – after some quick Google/Yelp searching, we settled on Pingvinen. We were looking for an authentic Norwegian meal and this did not disappoint. To share, we got the local fish soup and the Plukkfish. The soup was hearty and had nice chunks of white fish, topped with what tasted like basil oil and some finely shaved veggies. It was so warming and delicious. The plukkfish was very interesting – it was cod mixed with mashed potatoes and some pickled veggies. The portion was huge and also very hearty! Afterwards, we stopped at Apollon for a quick night cap, which had a huge variety of amazing craft beer and a bunch of vinyl records for purchase.

Alas, our night in Bergen came to an end and we made it back to the hotel, where we had a 5AM wakeup call to the airport so we could fly to Lofoten ( see separate blog 😉 ).

Day 8

(Today picks up after Days 2 – 7 of trip; see other blogs). From Lom, we started the day by waking up around 7AM and hitting the road shortly afterwards, as we had a 10AM boat tour in Geiranger to explore the fjord on water. We were really excited for today, because the Geirangerfjord area is listed as a World Heritage UNESCO site, one of two Norwegian sites based solely on natural criteria, “representing prime examples of the unique fjord landscape and exceptional natural beauty” attributed by all of the cascading waterfalls, dramatic mountains and old farmhouses covering the cliffs. (The other fjord to receive this recognition is Nærøyfjord; both were listed by UNESCO in 2005).

The drive into town was spectacular from Lom – we got to see the autumn colors of trees dotting the hillside, and there was this super cool fog over the fjord as we descended into the valley (unfortunately for us, the whole time we were in Geiranger, it was foggy).

We boarded our boat for 10AM departure, using VISIT GEIRANGER for the excursion. For the ride, we ended up booking 1-way passage with drop off at Skagehola. From there, we ascended the steep cliffside until we got to Skageflå, one of the famous fjord farms of the area. It was kind of nuts – we were on a boat ride with at least 100 people, and we were the only two people that got off when the boat docked! Through our heads, we were wondering why the heck no one else was doing the hike and if we were crazy. I’d say after hiking the steep ascent to the farm, we might have been. For some of the way up, we got spectacular views of the fjord below, watching the boats leave their mark on the water as they glided through the narrow space of water. But alas, once we reached a certain elevation near Skageflå, we were encapsulated in fog. Unfortunately once we made it to the farm, we could no longer see the fjord below (and it would be like this the entire hike back to Geiranger save the last 1 kilometer or so). Nonetheless, we sat down for a bit making PB&J sandwiches and admiring the sights of the abandoned farm, before heading back down to Homlung, and ultimately back to the town center.

Hungry from our hike, we did an impromptu food tour back in town. First stop – Cafe Ole for some coffee (and a subpar chai). Next stop – across the street was Geiranger Sjokolade Fjordnær, where we got some tasty chocolate truffles (lingonberry and gin, cloudberry, and brown cheese – a Norwegian specialty). There might have also been a tasty soft serve ice cream in there… and finally, the primary stop we wanted to go to, Fiskekaka Geiranger, a delicious fish cake stand. Satisfied with all of our tasty treats, we drove up to our hotel to check in.

We splurged a bit when we booked our one night at Hotel Union – it was perched at the top of the town, overlooking the fjord, and included fun amenities like a hot tub, sauna and one of the best hotel breakfast spreads we’d ever had! However, we weren’t ready to relax too much yet. After drinking some of our cider from Hardanger and eating our chocolate truffles, we started our hike (literally) to dinner. One of the recommended things I found to do in Geiranger (specifically from our hotel) was to hike approximately 20-30 minutes up to the Vesterås farm, where there was a cozy restaurant in the old barn serving lunch and dinner. On a clear day, the view from the terrace would have been perfect, but unfortunately it was still foggy when we went. However, the hike up was fun! We walked through lush forest and over cascading streams, only to find ourselves having to walk through a sheep-filled pasture before making it up to the restaurant. Once we made it up to the cabin, we were promptly sat and ordered a delicious meal of sea trout and smoked salmon salad. After the meal, we meandered down the hill back to Hotel Union, where we took advantage of the sauna and hot tub for the rest of the night.

Day 9

Alas, all good things must come to an end. We’ve reached our last full day in Norway! Heads up – the day started in Geiranger and ended 6.5 hours away in Bergen.

We didn’t end up doing too much in Geiranger before we left because unfortunately it was still pretty foggy, so we didn’t end up going to any of the fjord overlooks we had planned. We slept in a little bit and then had a lovely breakfast at the hotel – honestly, one of the best breakfast spreads I’d ever seen! The dining room had multiple tables of pastries, cheeses, yogurts, fruits, and more Norwegian-forward options like smoked salmon and tomato mackerel salad.

After that, we basically hit the road with some minor stops on the way to Bergen (the highlight was listening to our audiobook and riding a ferry). We made it back to the city around 6PM, a full 2 hours before our dinner reservation at Michelin-recommended Moon. Our hotel was a 5-minute walk from the Bryggen harbor, and we ended up stopping at an outdoor bar for a quick pint and admiring the view of all the waterfront buildings. Then, we went to this cocktail bar called No Stress (thanks Josh and Chloe!) for some fun, pre-dinner drinks.

Moon was a short walk away in a quiet part of the city. The restaurant had a prix fixe menu, and we could choose between 3,4,5 or 6 courses and we both chose the 4-course option. The “full fall flavours” dish was one of the tastiest things I’ve ever eaten! I love parmesan and the whole dish was an ode to cheese, showcasing it in different textures – yum! The rest of the meal was tasty too (the Discovery of Gravity apple dessert was outta this world). However, we were TIRED and happy when it was time to walk back to the hotel. Sad – our last night in Norway!

Day 10

The main agenda item today was a walking tour 10AM-12PM, before heading to the airport for our 3PM flight. I don’t want to toot my horn, but the hotel I booked (Thon Hotel Orion) ended up being a block away from where the tour started. After a nice breakfast buffet at the hotel, we walked to the meeting point for the tour to start (of course we were the youngest people on the tour but hey – we met someone who was from Englewood, Colorado!) Small world.

The tour started at the Bergen Fortress, which happened to be hosting a Renaissance festival as we walked through the grounds. There’s a strong military history associated with the fortress, and we learned about the part Norway played during WWII. (I didn’t realize Norway was involved in the war. During the Second World War, the fortress was used by German occupying forces as its western headquarters.) Then, we heard a frightful story about an explosion that happened in the harbor in 1944.

“On the 14th of April 1944, a German freight ship docked outside the fortress exploded. The ship, Voorbode, was travelling from Oslo to Kirkenes but stopped in Bergen for repairs. Normally, a ship like this would not be allowed to stop in a major port. It was carrying 124 tonnes of explosives. Due to a lack of proper controls, the ship docked in Bergen. The explosion occurred early in the morning. A water column several-hundred metres high rose. Following it was sand, mud, stones, iron plates, timber and steel from the ship. The pressure wave swept the harbour, crushing everything in its path. Houses fell apart, brick buildings suffered damage, and windows 2km away smashed. Bergen was declared a disaster area. 4,536 buildings were either damaged or destroyed. 160 people died, 5,000 were injured, and 5,000 became homeless.” – https://thehiddennorth.com/bergen-world-war-ii-sites/

After then walking through historic Bryggen and spending more time talking about the past, we then headed to some of the newer parts of the city to talk about current events/city culture. We walked along Skostredet “Shoemaker Street” and saw a bunch of hip restaurants. We walked past Trekronen (remember the reindeer hot dog?!) and learned that the stand’s license to sell food had expired in the 1940s, and wasn’t renewed until recently, so they’d technically been selling food illegally for about 80 years. We also talked about things we’d already seen or done (Floibanen cable car, Fish Market).

Wrapping up the tour, we had one last moment of bliss before heading to the airport – getting two more reindeer sausages at Trekronen. Yes, we gambled the fate of making it to the airport on time for one last meal and it was worth it. Until next time Norway, until next time.