We woke up feeling very refreshed after a wonderful night’s sleep. Breakfast was included in our hotel stay so 8:30am saw us downstairs in the hotel dining room fuelling up for the day. There was a big range of very yummy food on offer so we made the most of it with the plan that we wouldn’t need to eat much while we were out and about today.
Then it was time to rug up in thermals and jackets and head out into the clear but very crisp day – forecast top was -1 degrees!! First stop after breakfast was Pepperkakeby – a miniature replica of Bergen made from gingerbread. It was really well done and the longer we stood looking at all the buildings the more we spotted. From here we had a walk around the waterfront admiring the colourful wooden houses that Bergen is famous for. Then it was time to venture to the heights of Mt Floyen via the Floibanen funicular. Mt Floyen is one of the 7 mountains that surround Bergen and, on such a clear day, the view of the city from up here was spectacular. The sun was up – admittedly not very high in the sky even at mid-day but it was up and shining which made strolling around the top of the mountain very enjoyable. There was snow crunching underfoot – thick enough in some areas to scoop up and try to make into snow balls.
Lake Skomakerdiket was frozen which provided us Aussies with lots of entertainment, skimming stones across its hard surface and breaking the thinner areas of ice up with a stick! Luckily no one fell in or it would have been a very cold return to town. We sat right up the front of the funicular on our return journey which was fun and provided us with wonderful photo opportunities.
We decided to have a closer look at the famous wooden houses of Bryggen before heading back to the hotel. Re-built after the great fire in 1702 on the original 12th century foundations, these buildings are now on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It was fascinating to stroll along the cobbled streets and wander down little alleys and I had to keep stopping for a moment to take it all in –yes we are actually here in Norway! After a drink and snack in a café with beautiful stained glass overlooking the harbour it was time to head back to the hotel to collect our bags and catch the 4:15 train to Voss. Once again it felt like evening as we walked through the twilight back to the hotel.
Once on the train it was time to sit and relax after our busy but wonderful day. It was a pity we were travelling in darkness as our popping ears were the only clue we had to the mountainous countryside we were travelling through. We look forward to seeing it in daylight on our return to Bergen on Saturday. Silje and Abigail were waiting to meet us at Voss station and it was so wonderful to see them again. The years fell away as we caught up on each other’s news. We had a lovely evening meal at their home with them – joined by Edward and Maddie – and managed to stay awake until 9pm. The early darkness makes it feel so much later than it is and our bodies are still telling us we need to be asleep much earlier than we want to be!