Train from Myrdal to Bergen
I don’t think I can ever get sick of taking a train in Norway. The sceneries are to die for.
Bergen train station
Today, I will be staying at an Airbnb home and my host has kindly offered to pick me up from the train station since she is not working today and doing some chores at city centre.
After four hours of train ride, I arrive at Bergen train station around 2 p.m. and I start looking around for my host, Yi. Okay, I see a female Asian who looks like the profile picture on the website. “Is she my host?” I thought. I walk towards her and she smiles. Yup, my guess is right. We shake hands and introduce ourselves.
I find out that she is from China and has been working in Norway for a few years so I start speaking to her in mandarin. She seems amazed which is NOT surprising to me because a lot of foreigners do not know many Malaysians can speak mandarin. Haha.
I share my itinerary in Bergen with her in order to seek some local advice and also to confirm the validity of the research I did. For example, one of the things recommended online is to try fresh seafood at Bergen fish market. When Yi hears this, she explains that the seafood sold at fish market is rather overpriced due to the tourists, and we can easily get cheaper alternatives at any supermarket.
Bunnpris
Following her advice, we decide to stop at a local supermarket on the way back to her place.
While she is showing me which salmon to buy, she suggests, “Why don’t you join me for dinner? I can cook the salmon.”
Her invite takes me by surprise so I ask, “Are you sure? Is it not too much of a trouble for you?”
She answers coolly, “Nah, I need to cook for myself anyway and all I need to do is to pop it into the oven.”
I smile at her, “Wow, that is so nice of you. Thank you so much. We can split the cost.”
She shakes her head and smiles, “Don’t worry about it.”
Then, I continue to shop for my breakfast and lunch tomorrow as I will be taking a 9-hour long bus ride from Bergen to Ålesund. Based on Yi’s recommendation, I intend to make fish burger with these ready-to-microwave fish burger patties and a loaf of bread.
Trekroneren, best hot dog in Bergen!
Time for lunch! Yi is showing me the way to this supposedly best hot dog place at Bergen – Trekroneren that I found online which she agrees too. By the way, she is utterly impressed with the amount of research I did. Hehe. In fact, she ‘crowns’ me as the most detailed travel planner among her Airbnb guests because the rest never plan. LOL.
Seriously, Yi deserves the title of “BEST AIRBNB HOST EVER”! I am having a hard time dragging my luggage along the cobblestone streets so she helps to carry our groceries bag and my plastic bag (refer to photo above) I am touched. =)
Yi suggests to try something more exotic so I choose the reindeer meat sausage.
For the toppings, you can choose either fried onions or raw onions. The hot dog also comes with a free cup of juice at the price of NOK 58. Cheap, right? Well, it is considered cheap in Norway. Haha.
I take a bite and OMG, it is good!! No wonder they call it the best hot dog place and has many good reviews on tripadvisor.
While Yi is chatting with a friend she met at Trekroneren, I slowly savor this delicious hot dog. *Munch* Munch*
Airbnb home
The area that Yi stays at is quite picturesque but it is difficult to drag your luggage up those cobblestone streets and it takes around 30 minutes walk from the train station. Thank goodness that my luggage bag is durable enough. Nevertheless, the effort is still worth it because how else can you experience the life of a local?
For privacy purposes, I am not disclosing the photos of her home but I can tell you that her place is really cosy and nice.
Fløibanen
In order to get the best view of Bergen City Centre, I am taking the Fløibanen funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen. You can also choose to hike the mountain which will take a few hours time.
I heard the queue at Fløibanen can be ridiculously long which extend to outside the building so I bought the tickets in advance, thereby saving some time. However, fortunately, the line for the funicular today is short. Hooray!
The funicular arrives 15 minutes later and we all get in an orderly manner.
This is the view from inside the funicular. We are going up! It takes around 15 minutes to reach the top. Oh man, I can’t wait to see what’s at the top when the view is already pretty from here.
Top of Mount Fløyen
Yoo-hoo~~ Bergen, Shirlene is here~~~~ Why are you so gorgeous??
I have been lucky with the weather so far. Despite it being gloomy, it is not entirely foggy yet. Jae Rim (i.e. the friend I made at Flam, Norway) told me that she was here two days ago and she couldn’t see anything due to the fog.
A view like this definitely calls for a selfie moment.
CUTE ALERT! CUTE ALERT! “Hey, little goats, what are you doing up here?”
“Meh~ meh~ meh” translate to human language : we are just chilling.
OK, lame… I know. LOL.
But, you have to admit that even the goats know how to appreciate a beautiful view. Meh~~~
After I have spent a good amount of time admiring the view, it starts to rain and people quickly take cover in the souvenir shop. There is also a restaurant beside the shop but you will expect the food to be pricey since it has a stunning view from Mount Fløyen.
Bryggen, UNESCO site!
Bryggen is a historic harbour district in Bergen, one of North Europe’s oldest port cities on the west coast of Norway which was established as a trade centre by the 12th century. It signified the Hanseatic League’s trading empire from the 14th to the mid-16th century and being the sole overseas Hanseatic Office where the original structure still preserved to-date.
Many fires, the last in 1955, have ravaged the characteristic wooden houses of Bryggen. Its rebuilding has traditionally followed old patterns and methods, thus leaving its main structure preserved, which is a relic of an ancient wooden urban structure once common in Northern Europe. Today, some 62 buildings remain of this former townscape.
As Bryggen is built of wood, which is subject to rot, insect attack and ageing, “The Bryggen Project” was established formally in 2000 which is an extensive and long-term project for monitoring, safeguarding and restoring Bryggen, including both archaeological deposits and standing buildings.
As the activity at Bryggen decreased after 1900, the buildings became derelict. However, from the 1960s the former trading in stockfish and commodities was gradually replaced by small arts and crafts businesses. In addition, an increase in the number of visitors has led to the establishment of restaurants and tourist businesses.
Therefore, if you wish to buy souvenirs, you will be spoilt with choices here as almost every building here sells them.
View of the wharf
After I bought some souvenirs, I make my way back to my Airbnb place by walking around Bryggen.
However, when I am passing by the back of Bryggen, I notice a passageway and there is this dude snapping away with his camera so I walk closer to check it out.
Gosh, I can’t believe this, I didn’t know there is an alley between the buildings! I must have missed it earlier. Wait, there’s more!
There is a backyard here occupied with some pubs and restaurants.
Ooo~~ check it out, there is even a cocktail bar here. Nice.
Walking through these old yet beautiful wooden alleys give me the FEELSsss~
Oh yay!! I discover a staircase so I walk up.
At first floor.
View from first floor.
It is just so fun and exciting here because I feel as if almost every corner hides a surprise. Haha.
Wait, is it just me or there is also some Harry Potter feels to these buildings? *fan girl alert!* I am going to walk a few more rounds here before I call it a day. =)
Dinner
Have I mentioned that my Airbnb host is the best ever?! I don’t care, I still want to say it even if it is for the 100th time. LOL. Not only has she prepared a delicious baked salmon with pasta and broccoli but also made red berry flavoured drink for our dinner.
As for dessert, we have plums.
Honestly, I can’t thank her enough for her hospitality and, no doubt, she really is the best Airbnb host. Oops, I did it again! Haha.
After dinner, I offer to help her out with washing the dishes but she has a dishwasher so we spend some time chatting instead, and even watch some videos on Youtube. Then, we both call it a day and return to our respective rooms.
It has been a great day in Bergen with its beautiful sceneries and a great host despite the gloomy weather. Tomorrow will be a long day due to the 9 hour bus ride from Bergen to Ålesund so I need to get sufficient rest now. That’s all for today, peeps! Good night and sweet dreams.
Travel tips in Bergen:
- Normally, if you purchase NSB train tickets at least one month in advance depending on availability of the tickets, you can save almost half the price but I notice the price for the train ticket from Flåm to Bergen is only within the range between NOK 589 and NOK 640.
- Kindly note that the price they charge at fish market is rather high. According to my Airbnb host, you can get equally fresh seafood from supermarkets but I believe the choices there would be lesser. So, give and take.
- The queue for Floibanen funicular can be really long so you can buy tickets online in advance first to save some time.
- There are plenty of souvenirs being sold at Bryggen so do check them out if you wish to buy.
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