Bergen will forever remain one of my favorite Norwegian cities, no matter how many times we visit. It has the perfect combination of big-city-grandeur and small-village-charm with its eclectic architecture and fascinating history. So when the Hills wanted to see Norway we knew Bergen was top on the list of places to take them.
Emma gave herself a photo challenge for the duration of her trip to photograph as many flowers as she could. Here she is living up to her challenge and photographing some Bergenese flowers.
Mom loves to sew and is a part of a local stitching club. One of the stitches often talked about in her club is the Hardanger Stitch, so we knew we had to focus on the amazing artistry of embroidery on the Hardanger region bunads. We found an awesome shop that makes custom bunads and I think she was in her own personal heaven!
The rest of the family wasn’t so thrilled that so much time was spent in a sewing shop ;)
Exploring the outdoor fish market. Emma and I got to try samples of roasted whale!
These crabs were as big as small dogs!
The past two times Chris and I have been in Bergen we have passed this antique/flea market shop and each time it has been closed. This time it was finally open and we got to explore the treasures within! It was worth the wait! So many cool things crammed into every nook and cranny. Some of my favorites were antique newspaper letterpress type blocks and old nautical charts from WWII. Chris found a bunch of cool swords and Mom and Dad loved the antique coins. It’s probably a good thing they don’t have something like this in Stavanger because I would waste so much time just combing through everything in the store and trying to imagine its history. And of course, despite having a flea market feel, the prices were still Norway prices. Which, again, is probably a good thing because we would have left with half the store if they were cheaper :) If you are ever in Bergen and need a good souvenir, I would definitely try this place over any of the “tourist” shops any day!
The view from the top of Mt. Fløyen
Brother and sister.
Brygge
Chris and his almost dream boat (This was the Hallberg-Rassy 62 and his dream boat is the Hallberg-Rassy 64). Someday when we have a million $$ or two just lying around burning a hole in our pocket she will be ours :)
In typical fashion, we used Bergen as our launching point for a grander Norwegian adventure into the mountains and fjords. More on that soon!
Calling a boat “she”?? By golly you ARE a true Navy woman! All that First-Mate training sunk in. :)