May 31: The glorious laneways of Bryggen
We head down Fløyen, the mountain we had
ascended, until we reached the city again, and made a beeline for Bryggen, the
UNESCO listed strip of buildings on the water in Bergen. Most of the buildings there date back to
1702, when a fire came through the town and destroyed most of it. Now the slanted, haphazard-looking streets of
Bryggen are famous and continue to be maintained. Most of them have turned into tourist shops –
with varying degrees of tacky souvenirs – but the wobbly architecture is
inspiring and there are some hidden gems tucked into the laneways.
Bryggen
Looking through the laneways at Bryggen
Taking the advice of a chatty shopkeeper,
we ventured down toward the tip of Bergen, stopping to look at an array of
cobbled streets and more beautiful houses on the way. We happened upon The Shortest Street in
Bergen and saw plenty of boats and one futuristic-looking submarine. When we stopped for lunch at the park on
Bergen’s tip, a hooded raven joined us.
As it was a Sunday, most things were
closed, so we spent a good portion of the day just ambling around the
streets. We made our way back to
Bryggen, which was at the base of the mountain we were camped on, and decided
it was only fair for us to pop into a cosy café for a drink, even if it was
pricey (and it was very pricey indeed).
It was probably one of the best cakes we’ve ever had though, so at least
it wasn’t a disappointment.
The shortest street in Bergen
Wobbly buildings in Bergen
The sun was starting to make an appearance,
so we took advantage of the bright light and began to make our way back up the
mountain to our little tent. We ran into
some cats, passed some very eclectic-looking antique shops that we’re going to
head back to tomorrow, and reached the top hot and bothered.
After dipping our feet into the running
stream beside the tent to cool off, we fell into the tent, exhausted. It felt nice to retire from the busy town full
of tourists to the quiet wood.
The view on our walk up to our campsite
We also saw a submarine heading out for the evening!
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