It’s a Rich Man’s World
Bergen – 10th June
It may not have been the sunniest morning but considering this is Europe’s wettest city we looked at the positives, it wasn’t raining and we had thermals. All rugged up we caught the tram into the city centre. The above photo is a view of the houses near the tram stop; the tram comes by every ten minutes, and costs NZ$10 for one adult and one grown-up.
Today’s ABBA tribute is ‘Money Money Money’ (1976). Bergen is a tourist city, therefore big dollars are required.
Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man’s world
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It’s a rich man’s world
Our first financial outlay was at the Torget outdoor fish market. Bergen has two fish markets, the other being indoors. The red-tented stalls sell fresh and cooked fish of varying sorts and provide seated dining undercover at the back of the stall. There was so much to chose from but unfortunately I couldn’t justify NZ$50 for a Salmon kebab or Salmon two-ways open sandwich. I also wasn’t ethically drawn to the whale meat, but I was tempted by the non-fish products on offer.
Lunch today was a moose burger NZ$29 and Reindeer Stew NZ$14. The moose burger was lean and tasty, and came with roasted wedges. The reindeer stew was also very nice (much better than the photo reflects) and warming on a cold morning. It came with flatbread and jam.
The second financial outlay nearly happened at the Bryggen UNESCO World Heritage Site of colourful wooden buildings, some from the 1700s. The buildings are constantly being renovated and are of various ages because of fire, wars and general deterioration. The photos are of the front, rear, alleyway and two geocachers being muggled by us. Most of the buildings are used as tourist traps, with the sale of art, souvenirs, craft materials and clothing.
Lured in by the Dale knitwear, teddies and T-Shirts, I managed to escape with my bank account intact. The Dale knitwear, a local label, based on Norwegian patterns, is very expensive, a jersey will set you back NZ$500. The T-Shirts were also good quality and had Norwegian themes for NZ$40-$50.
I was taken by the moose soft toy dressed in Dale knitwear, however the price was so scary all I got was a photo of Roger man-handling it.
Next stop was the Bergenhus Fortress plus Haakon’s Hall. Parts of the fortress date from the 13th century; it is one of Norway’s oldest and best preserved stone fortresses. We did the free tour of the grounds and walls and found a geocache. Unfortunately not all of the fortress could be viewed today because in two days time Bergenfest will take place, a large music concert that will take up most of the fortress grounds. Something to miss as we know nobody singing, except for Stormzy, whose music genre doesn’t rate with us.
The next two stops couldn’t extract money out of us either. St Mary’s 12th century church is made from various types of stone, based on an unknown architect’s design and is the oldest remaining building in Bergen. You can visit for NZ$14 each or you can go down the road and look in the many second-hand shops with a load of eclectic junk in the windows.
Time to part with some money – so we went up the Floibanen Funicular (NZ$54 for two adults return). You could pay for a one-way ticket and walk down in 45 minutes. Bergen also has a cable car on the same mountain side, but it isn’t within walking distance of the city centre. Once at the top of Floyen mountain you get magnificent views over the harbour and city. Although a bit cloudy, the sun was out and it was so surprisingly warm that we had to stop for cold refreshments after geocaching; more money expended. From here you can see the cruise ships in the harbour, only one today; from the wharf area we couldn’t see any ships, which is quite good because it doesn’t spoil your view of the area.
This nut looking tree house is for rent as accommodation on a nightly basis. I’m not sure why anybody would, as its right in the middle of a tourist attraction and even worse, a children’s playground.
Five random photos:
McDonalds in a 1710 building, a homeless guy statue with a crusader beanie (for a geocache), a moose post-burger extraction, a forklift and the view from the tram proof that the sun was shining in Bergen today and the council workers had removed all the spring flowers.
