Bergen - Norway - page 277

Fisketorget (Fish Market) For our first lunch in Bergen, we always head
to this bustling market for freshly opened oysters, a real treat from the sea.
Another popular option is freshly boiled shrimp to eat as you take in views of
the waterfront. Some vendors also offer a baguette for your lunch—none better
than smoked salmon with some mayonnaise and fresh cucumber. The market is
a photographer's delight with fishermen in their mackintoshes and Wellington
boots and weather-beaten fishmongers (often women) in dirty, long white
aprons having their pictures taken as the catch of the day is hauled in.
Bergen Harbor. Free admission. June-Aug Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat 7am-4pm; Sept-May Mon-Sat 7am-4pm.
Bus: 1, 5, or 9.
Fløibanen A short walk from the Fish Market is the station where the funicu-
lar heads up to Fløien, the most famous of Bergen's seven hills. The view of the
city, the neighboring hills, and the harbor from 320m (1,050 ft.) is worth every
øre. Once here, you can take one of several paths that provide easy walks through
a lovely wooded terrain with views of lakes and mountains in the distance. In
summer you can order lunch at the restaurant here, which is open daily and also
serves as a souvenir shop.
Vetrlidsalm 23A. & 55-33-68-00. Round-trip 60NOK ($8.50) adults, 30NOK ($4.25) children. Mon-Fri
7:30am-midnight; Sat 8am-midnight; Sun 9am-midnight. Bus: 6.
Gamle Bergen This collection of more than 40 wooden houses from the
18th and 19th centuries is set in a park. The Old Town is complete with streets,
an open square, and narrow alleyways. Some of the interiors are exceptional,
including a merchant's living room in the typical style of the 1870s, with padded
sofas, heavy curtains, and potted plants. Its old-fashioned, clapboard-sided
architecture and evocations of 19th-century domestic life might call to mind
some of the scenes from Ibsen's A Doll's House.
Elsesro and Sandviken. & 55-39-43-00. Admission 60NOK ($8.50) adults, 30NOK ($4.25) children and stu-
dents. Houses mid-May to Aug only, guided tours daily on the hour 10am-5pm. Park and restaurant daily
noon-5pm. Bus: 20, 24, 80, or 90 from the city center (every 10 min.).
Gamlehaugen The king's official Bergen residence was originally occupied in
the 19th century by Christian Michelsen, one of the first prime ministers of Nor-
way after it separated from Denmark in 1814. It's open for just a short time each
summer. The rambling wood-sided villa lies about 10km (6 1 ⁄ 4 miles) south of the
city, overlooking the Nordåsvannet estuary. Its gardens are open to the public all
year. Don't expect the hoopla you might see at Buckingham Palace—the venue is
understated, discreet, and (probably for security reasons) aggressively mysterious.
Fjøsanger. & 55-92-51-20. Admission 10NOK ($1.40) adults, 5NOK (70¢) children. June-Sept 1 Mon-Fri
10am-1pm. Closed Sept 2-May. Bus: Fjøsanger-bound bus from the Central Bus Station.
Håkonshallen (Håkon's Hall) If you walk along the water from Bryggen, you
come upon the Håkonshallen, built between 1247 and 1261. It was damaged in
a 1944 fire caused by the explosion of an overloaded Nazi munitions ship, and
later restored. (The explosion damaged nearly every building in Bergen and sent
the ship's anchor flying almost to the top of a nearby mountain.) Håkonshallen
is the largest and most imposing building remaining of a former royal residence
when Bergen was the political center of the 13th-century kingdom of Norway.
Guided tours are conducted hourly; call in advance to confirm.
Bergenhus, Bradbenken. & 55-31-60-67. Admission 25NOK ($3.55) adults, 12NOK ($1.70) children. Mid-
May to Aug daily 10am-4pm; Sept to mid-May daily noon-3pm (Thurs until 6pm). Closed various days in
May. Bus: 5.