It does look to be a moody day on our early morning arrival in Bergen, Norway! But, this is exactly what I pictured in my mind for most of the previous month on board the ship and luckily this is the only day we have arrived in a port in the rain! No worries here, we are prepared with rain coats and umbrella and a good attitude (as I’m sure the folks of Bergen have, since it rains 260 days of the year here) I love getting up early to see the first glimpse of each new port! Let’s get on with it, because we have a full, planned day ahead……

When King Olav Kyrre founded the city in 1070, there was already a thriving trade site here. Seafaring people from all over the world, passing through Bergen, left traces of their time here as evidenced in the buildings, names and traditions of the city. As we sail up the Byfjorden, we are entering a new port, but one also with a long seafaring tradition, framed with seven majestic mountains and highlighted by the beautiful fjord! The old wooden warehouses are from the Hanseatic period………..

The colors of the warehouses along the shore are just vibrant, even in the rain!

It looks like most of the action is right along the coast…………..

There is a modern area too…………

and a very curvy street! Just like San Francisco!

Our buses are waiting to take us on various tours. We have two scheduled for today………..but first let’s get into port.

This is going to be a fun day, I can tell……our first tour will be a ways out of the city….on to the suburbs and Troldhaugen, the home of composer Edvard Grieg, can’t wait to see that………Then we will come back to Bergen and get a closer look of the old fish market and the ancient buildings now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. See you tomorrow! Lots more to see !