fresh seafood

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Left Oslo in the morning and took another train to Bergen, the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway. It is also known as the gateway to Norwegian fjords.

The train station is not too far from the center city and within walking distance. It was already in the early afternoon and easily found the hostel and took elevator to the 4th floor to check in. Dropped my backpack and on my way out to take a walk around town.

Located an ATM machine and tried to get some Norwegian kroners but failed after 2 attempts. The third try was the charm and I went to the tourist office to sort out plans for the next few days. The local tourist office can exchanged money too but the rate was not favorable, yet, people were waiting in line to cash in (out). I was told the "standard" fee for money exchange in Norwegian banks for each transaction was about 5 US dollars so it was not profitable if you just need a small amount of Norwegian kroners.

The good thing about travelling in Scandinavian countries is that local people mostly able to speak English. It is expensive to live or travel here and I finally made it.

I had dinner at a Thai restaurant and it took ages to prepare the food. But I was able to enjoy comfort food like back home in the States (minus the expensive menu).

Went to the fish market where locals and tourists alike can sample or purchase freshly harvest seafood from the previous nights. My take was that once you were in Bergen, you've got to try for the sake of it. It is worth it. The shrimps were harvested during the night and were boiled with salted seawater right after and ice was used to keep it fresh.

Took the furnicular train up to Mount Floyen where you are treated with a beautiful view of Bergen harbor and surroundings. It takes 6 minutes to reach 320 meter height station where you can even dine in the restaurant located here.

Bryggen meant "the wharf" in Norwegian is a series of historic buildings, trading warehouses in the old days when Bergen was once a very important trading post in the world. Today Bryggen is a World Heritage site and it is a delight experience to wander around these historic buildings dated back hundreds years ago. Truly Norwegian building skills were mastered and seen in these historic warehouses.

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