Norway is one of the least populated European countries (only 5 millions inhabitants): A density of 16 inhabitants/km² in comparison to 103 inhabitants/km² in France. Since the end of World War Two, it is also one of the world’s richest countries (6th exporter of oil and 3rd exporter of natural gas). Norway is also to be found in the first position of the Human Development Index ranking, based on three criteria: GDP per capita, life expectancy at birth and level of education (by comparison, France is placed 20th). It may also be noted that the Norwegians refused to join the Eurozone in order to preserve their way of living and their natural resources (i.e. no overexploitation).

Above all, it is a country with a particular geography extending over 385 199 km² (approximately 60% of the French territory), Norway’s maximum length is 2’200 km and its width goes down to only 6 km close to the city of Narvik. I would highly recommend it to nature and open space lovers: Norway overflows with majestic landscapes.

Day 1 : Velkommen til Norge

We left from Bordeaux airport with the low-cost company Norwergian Airlines. Something quite surprising was the fact that only one fifth of the seats were occupied. There was Wifi on board. The flight duration is quite short: Between two and three hours.

Our journey brought us from Bergen to Oslo, via the Fjords.

Arrived in Oslo at the end of the day, we booked a night at the Anker Hostel. Please note that there are two establishments with the same name in the same street and located only a few metres away from one another. It is a kind of youth hostel with bedroom and private bathroom: €75 per night.

Number 55 on Storgata street, the hostel is located fifteen minutes away (on foot) from the train station (very practical then!).

We chose to take the option with breakfast included. The buffet is gargantuan: All kinds of cold meats, raw vegetables, different kinds of bread, cereals, juice, hot beverages and even some fruits.

In short: An affordable good place.

Day 2 : Oslo - Bergen route

It takes seven hours and a half of train to reach Bergen. Why choosing to go there by railway rather than plane then?... For the landscapes!

Norway counts more than 3’000 km of railway tracks with a total of 775 tunnels and 3’000 bridges.

Moreover, the Bergensbanen (connecting Oslo to Bergen) is considered by Lonely Planet as one of the most beautiful train trip. The 492-km journey goes through the highest European mountain plateau (Hardangervidda) with an average altitude of 1’200 metres. Reflecting the topographic particularity of this journey, there are no less than 200 tunnels, 300 bridges and viaducts and 28 kilometres of snow sheds.

On our way to Bergen, we were able to admire altogether stunning views of lakes, waterfalls and cascades, barren plains and snow-capped plateaus: A delight to the eyes!

Bergen is Norway’s second largest city with 250’000 inhabitants, as well as the country’s second largest port. It is then impossible NOT to go to the fish market, open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.. It is located on the port and offers the daily catch, dried fish and also a few fruits. Most stalls are meant for tourists, selling elk sausages and caviar. One must know that Norwegians do not eat that much fish after all, and even less than the French. Fish sold on the touristic stalls can sometimes prove defrosted. Buy them cautiously then and prefer the “fresh” products.

Day 3: Bergen (The Hanseatic Museum)

Awakening under the rain and the calls of seagulls. You must know that Bergen is nicknamed the City of Rain. The annual rainfall goes up to 2’250mm. Between October 2006 and January 2007, Bergen counted 85 consecutive days of rain.

Anyways! You got it right, don’t come to Bergen wearing flip-flops! Moreover, the locals often wear rubber boots and oilskins, or even one-piece rain suits for the children.

There is a Bergen Card enabling you to use unlimitedly the public transports (buses and tramways), get free access in most museums (with the exception of the Hanseatic museum) and also get discounts in some restaurants and other places. You can purchase this card at the tourist office and it remains valid for 24 or 48 hours according to the option chosen.

We decided not to buy it. Since the city is quite small, the distances are not a problem.

For more information: http://en.visitbergen.com/bergen-card

The Hanseatic Museum (Hanseatiske Museum)

Address: 1a Finnegården

Opening Hours: Every day from mid-May to September, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and for the rest of the year, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (4 p.m. on Sunday).

Admission: NOK 100, or NOK 160 for the twin ticket with the Norwegian Fisheries Museum (shuttle bus included). The ticket is valid for two days.

The museum is located in the historical district of Bryggen, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For the anecdote, the Hanse was a confederation of German merchant guilds who traded around the Baltic and North Sea between 1150 and 1650. Bergen was graced with a German trading post in the district of Bryggen.

The museum is to be found in an old trading house built in 1704. It is one of Bryggen’s best preserved wooden building. Inside, tools to prepare dried cod are exhibited. Signs (translated into English) describe the history of the Hanseatic trade in Bergen.

In the upper storeys of this old house, it is possible to admire the merchants’ well-preserved beds and desks.

http://xn--schtstuene-2cb.no/english/

The Hanseatic Assembly Hall (Schøtstuene)

Opening Hours: From May 1st to September 18, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from September 19 to December 18, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m..

These halls were the meeting places of the German merchants trading in the district of Bryggen. Food was prepared there, these halls were also used for festivities, religious ceremonies or as a tribunal and a school.

Interesting!

The Norwegian Fisheries Museum (Norges Fiskerimuseum)

Address: 23 Sandviksboder

Opening Hours: Every day from mid-May to mid-September, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m..

Admission: NOK 90

As its name suggests, this museum traces the history of fishery then and now with playful multimedia interactive boards, available in English.

http://fiskerimuseum.museumvest.no/en/

Day 4: Bergen (Kode - Art Museum)

Kode Bergen (Art museums)

Address: 9 Rasmus Meyers

Opening Hours: Every day from May 15 to August 31, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Tuesday to Friday, from September 1st to May 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (5 p.m. on weekends).

Admission: NOK 100

Consisting of four separated building aligned alongside the lake, the four museums have their own particularity. The ticket includes the 4 museums and is valid for two days.

Kode 1

It is devoted to temporary exhibitions.

Kode 2

It is doubtlessly my favourite one. It houses amazing temporary exhibitions devoted to contemporary art.

Kode 3

Originally, the collection exhibited in this museum is that of Rasmus Meyer, handed by his children after his suicide. There are many paintings of Romantic art and also a few ones from Edvard Munch (that, alone, is worth being seen).

Kode 4

For the amateurs, it is possible to admire 19th-century Norwegian painting. But the most part is devoted to painting between 1900 and 1950 where we can see artworks from Picasso, Munch, Klee and Miro (amongst others).

http://kodebergen.no/en/opening-hours-admission

It may be noted that there is close by the famous bakery Godt Brot, where you will find delicious organic breads as well as amazing cinnamon pastries (skillings bolle). There are several addresses in Bergen: 2 VestreTorvgate and 12 Nedre Korskirkeallmenning.

If you have time, do not hesitate to wander in the quiet districts in the western part of the city where beautiful wooden houses succeed one another.