Bergen - Street art, Snow and Seafood

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Bergen - so much to see and so little time. Today we were on a tight timeframe as we were getting picked up from the hotel at 5pm, and transported to the port to begin our Hurtigruten cruise. In the meantime, we wanted to explore and set off straight after breakfast, walking into town. Last night when we went out to get dinner it was dark so didn't get to see much at all, but in daylight, we are both really impressed. Cobblestone streets, small wooden houses built into the mountainside, and very cute shops.

Oslo let me down with its street art (I'm sure they have a lot but we just couldn't find it), but Bergen more than made up for it. Huge colourful murals on building walls were everywhere as well as smaller pieces and I was in heaven. Trav said I was having a 'girly erection'; whatever Trav, I was just excited that's all.

We made our way into town and found the Floibanen - which is the funicular railway that connects the city with Mount Floyen. It is one of the most popular attractions in Bergen and only takes 5-8minutes to reach the summit. We've been on one in Hong Kong to The Peak, so had no hesitation in buying tickets for this one. At the summit, there's a viewing platform which offers views of the city below and the surrounding fjord and mountains. We were lucky enough to get a few photo's before it started raining and then snowing, when we lost all visibility. This was even better than when it snowed at Holmenkollen Ski Jump in Oslo.

Next, we walked to Bryggen (the Wharf), which is most known for its colourful buildings. In 1702, the entire city was reduced to ashes from the great fire but it has been rebuilt on the original foundations and is now heritage listed. There are over 20 attractions in the Bryggen area from the Fish Market to the Bergenhus Fortress. After all our walking this morning, Trav had worked up a thirst so we stopped for a drink at Scruffy Murphys - a traditional Irish pub in the heart of Bergen. Also spotted a McDonald's restaurant but there were no golden arches to be seen, instead a quaint white wooden building.

We'd also noticed a Farmers Market during our walk, set up along the wharf, and there was plenty of local products and fresh produce. What caught our eye was a stall called Kvittering selling both fresh and cooked seafood, and as we couldn't choose between the king crab or the scampi (Norwegian lobster) we got both. I have to say, this was one of the best meals I've ever had - nothing beats freshly caught seafood, grilled and served with salad and fresh bread, and a local beer/cider.

Before we knew it, the time had come to leave Bergen and board our ship - MS Kong Harald. Transported to the Hurtigruten terminal, we were greeted by crew members and given a welcome pack with details of our cabin number/deck. It was then off to explore the ship and what be our home on the sea for the next 11 nights. Before booking this trip, I did a considerable amount of research and learnt that all of the Hurtigruten ships that travel along the Norwegian coast are passenger, mail, cargo and car carriers serving the local population - they are NOT cruise ships. They do not offer entertainment, and there's no formal nights so you don't have to dress up. In saying this, our ship does have three restaurants, a bakery, ice cream bar, two hot tubs, sauna and fitness centre. We've come on this cruise with an open mind and want to experience the scenery/landscape, and will not let other passengers who have already started whinging ruin our adventure.

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