Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
oil rigs. (Much of Norway's current affluence is funded by the oil it drills just
offshore.) Bergen is also one of the most popular cruise-ship ports in northern
Europe, hosting hundreds of ships a year and up to seven ships a day in peak
season. Each morning is rush hour, as cruisers hike past the fortress and into
town.
Bergen gets an average of 80 inches of rain annually (compared to 30
inches in Oslo). A good year has 60 days of sunshine. The natives aren't apo-
logetic about their famously lousy weather. In fact, they seem to wear it as
a badge of pride. “Well, that's Bergen,” they'll say matter-of-factly as they
wring out their raincoats. When I complained about an all-day downpour, one
resident cheerfully informed me, “There's no such thing as bad weather—just
inappropriate clothing”...a local mantra that rhymes in Norwegian.
With 250,000 people, Bergen has big-city parking problems and high
prices, but visitors sticking to the old center find it charming. Enjoy Bergen's
salty market, then stroll the easy-on-foot old quarter, with cute lanes of del-
icate old wooden houses. From downtown Bergen, a funicular zips you up a
little mountain for a bird's-eye view of this sailors' town. A short foray into
the countryside takes you to a variety of nearby experiences: a dramatic cable-
car ride to a mountaintop perch (Ulriken643); a scenic stave church (Fantoft);
and the home of Norway's most beloved composer, Edvard Grieg, at Trold-
haugen.
