Bergen and Hardangerfjord

Bergen is a sleepy town on the west coast of Norway, once an important link in the Hanseatic League. These days tourists - many arriving on cruise ships - wander its quaint streets and use it as a base for fjord tours. The Bryggen district along the waterfront (pictured above) is charming, the food at the Fish Market is t-a-s-t-y, and the views from the hill above the city are beautiful, which all made for a pleasant two days' stay.


I hope this next bit doesn't make me sound jaded, but I was actually a bit disappointed with my Bergen-based tour of Hardangerfjord. I really had no idea how beautiful Jotunheimen would be, so the scenery there floored me; my coastal experience was the opposite. Since Norway is so well known for its fjords, I had high expectations. I thought I'd see something akin to New Zealand's Milford Sound, a fjord that I recall being much more spectacular than those I saw in Norway. Still, if not as stunning or dramatic as I'd imagined, Hardangerfjord really is a pretty place - as you can see from the photo above and from more pictures in this album:

Bergen and the fjords