Voss - Bergen, Norway

Saturday 11th September 1999

We began this morning with what I thought would be a short drive in to Bergen, the second largest city in Norway and only 100km distant. We took a scenic route in to the city to try to find a campground for the night but they were all closed. We eventually reached the city and decided to try for lunch instead but, after much fruitless driving around, we discovered that almost all the waterfront space is still occupied by various warehouses and industry.

Our last resort was to head for a parking place near the international ferry terminal that we knew had been modified to take overnight campers. We reached the spot but found it was closed for the season. At least we could still park there and have our lunch.

It was getting on to late afternoon by this stage but we decided to have a quick look around the old town of Bergen before evening. Our impression of the place was pretty low at this stage so we hoped to lift it a little.

We made our way to the hills behind the main harbour and found them filled with winding cobbled streets and charming houses. Things were looking up. A little more exploring brought us to the Bryggen area by the wharfs, home to the Hanseatic offices for over 400 years. A devastating fire had destroyed the area in 1704 but it was rebuilt straight away in its original style so there are still many medieval warehouses and offices lining the waterfront.

We wandered around for a little more then headed back via the hillside streets to the van. We debated whether to move on to find a better place to stay but decided that the view we enjoyed was worth the sacrifice in creature comforts. We were rewarded later that night as we ate dinner outside by the sight of a magnificent three-masted tall ship sailing around the harbour. Bergen was looking much better.