Day 14 - Bergen

We’ve made it to Bergen. We have one more night on the ship before the cruise is officially finished, but Bergen is the last stop. Of the many things I’ve learned this trip, I’d say a big one is - don’t sail the North Sea in January. If you want to take this trip, do it in the spring. Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative. From Stavanger to Bergen we had to enter the North Sea for a third time. I could feel the wind pick up, the seas get bigger, and the boat start rocking. I’m so over this part, lol.

Bergen, Norway - Wiki: Bergen is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. As of 2022, its population was roughly 289,330. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the national capital Oslo. The municipality covers 465 square kilometres (180 sq mi) and is on the peninsula of Bergenshalvøyen. The city centre and northern neighbourhoods are on Byfjorden, 'the city fjord'. The city is surrounded by mountains, causing Bergen to be called the "city of seven mountains". Many of the extra-municipal suburbs are on islands. The city consists of eight boroughs: Arna, Bergenhus, Fana, Fyllingsdalen, Laksevåg, Ytrebygda, Årstad, and Åsane.

I was awake when we docked this morning.

And it was colder in McKinney than here.

We did a two hour tour around Bergen on a wet, cold day. It rains 240 days of the year here. Wow.

We finally went inside a church! The New Church, built in the 1700s and so named because it was the newest church at the time. It is a Protestant-Lutheran church, that also does not have regular Sunday services. The church was founded in 1621 and consecrated on November 23, 1763.

First we saw the crypts, although no one is buried there anymore.

The church itself is small, with the alter in the middle.

We also saw a repurposed phone booth, Norway’s version of the Little Free Library.

We went on a little walk about and saw the Opera House, the first place in Bergen where performances were in Norwegian.

Then we passed some statues (all Wiki info) 1) Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) was a Norwegian playwright, known as the father of realism. He is often considered to be one of the most significant Western playwrights, alongside the likes of William Shakespeare. He is known for plays like Peer Gynt (1867), A Doll's House (1879), and Ghosts (1881). 2) The statue of Ole Bull is a bronze sculpture in Bergen, Norway that honors the famous Norwegian violinist and composer. The statue is located in front of the Bergen National Theatre and was unveiled in 1901. Ole Bull was born in Bergen in 1810, Bull was a virtuoso violinist and composer. 3) Christian Michelson, was a Norwegian shipping magnate and statesman. He was the first prime minister of independent Norway and Norway's 9th prime minister from 1905 to 1907. Michelsen is most known for his central role in the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905 and was one of Norway's most influential politicians of his time.

Interestingly, apparently Norway was awarded to Sweden after Denmark lost the Napoleanic Wars in 1814. Norway was put under the rule of Sweden’s King. In 1905, Norway voted (Storting - established their own parliament) and became an independent country. Someone can definitely fact check

We found an Irish bar, Scruffy Murphys, so of course we stopped in.

We also saw a 7-Eleven. Why import that? Doesn’t Norway have its own convenience stores?

And we may have shopped a little on the walk back to the ship. We didn’t buy the socks but they were soooo cute.

Martha’s corner: I am now the official librarian of the Explorer’s Lounge. Yes, I have logged many hours there, some of which were spent staring at the many books on the shelves (just staring, not reading, sigh). Last night, not one but two people needed help finding a book they thought they had seen. I pointed one man to the Space section when he wanted a book on the universe. The second guy wanted the Atlas Obscura book. Not only did I point it out, I told him about atlasobscura.com which is way more current than that 2019 book (I may have looked at that one🧐).  My high school librarian Mrs Broyles would be so proud. If I had another week, I would have this place on the Dewey decimal system. MT - if we had another week, I’d be stir crazier than I am.