Vivian Goes to Bergen

Bergen is a beautiful city on the western coast of Norway and is the second most popular tourist destination. It is "the gateway to the fjords" and has been named as a European Capital of Culture. Bryggen, which is Norwegian for wharf, has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has some of the oldest buildings in Bergen, some of which survived the many fires that have burned down the entire city. I think the oldest ones date back to 1702.

Bryggen is the set of buildings to the left, the red, yellow, and white ones

View from the port

Inside the Tourist Information Center

Outside the Tourist Info Center

On the streets of Bergen

Yummy, but EXPENSIVE

Fish Market

View of Bryggen from across the harbor

Streets of Bergen

Bryggen

Bergen has very interesting alleyways

Old building with a UNESCO World Heritage Plaque on it

UNESCO World Heritage Sign

Bergen Pastry

Vivian Cruises Sognefjord

Majestic. Tranquil. Magical. Mind-blowing. Magnificent. Extraordinary. These words cannot even begin to describe how amazing Sognefjord is and the pictures do not do it any justice. I began to appreciate nature and its beauty so much more. I took an express boat from Flam to Bergen going through Sognefjord. It was a five hour trip and it was worth every second. There was light rain and it was super windy so I was getting pelted in the face with the water. It actually really hurt like someone threw a snowball in face from 5 feet away. But I was a champ and stayed on the deck until I couldn't feel my hands anymore.  Every time I wanted to go back inside, I couldn't because it was just so beautiful that I did not want to miss anything. Seriously, this was one of the best, if not the best, experiences I have ever had.

Vivian Rides the Flåmsbana

The Flåmsbana has been named as one of the best scenic routes in the world as well. The trip starts in Myrdal, 866 m (2841 ft) above sea level and ends in Flåm, which is at sea level. It is 20.2 km (12.6 mi) long and takes about an hour. Flåmsbana is very famous because of all of the steep slopes. I think this might actually be the 2nd steepest ascent/descent for a railway in the world. The railway was so well engineered that you don't feel the steep descents. Reading about the railway, I thought we would all be strapped down with seat belts but we didn't even have any. It was a smooth ride. The railway interweaves between several mountains and fjords, allowing us to see as much as possible.

At the train station in Myrdal

Kjosfossen Waterfall (93 m, 305 ft)

If you look closely, you can see a lady standing on the rocks dancing and singing. Weird.

Flåm

Vivian Goes on the Bergen Railway

Itinerary:
Oslo to Myrdal on the Bergen Railway - 5 hours
Myrdal to Flam on the Flamsbana - 1 hour
Flam to Bergen via Sognefjord on an express boat - 5 hours
FYI, I will be making separate posts for each individual leg of my trip.

Both the Bergen Railway has been named one of the best scenic railways in the world and now you can see why.

Map of the trip