Hiking in Bergen, Norway

After an overnight train from Oslo, we arrived to a rainy Bergen. We walked the few blocks from the train station to our hotel, Clarion Hotel Admiral, where my parents spent the night. We figured they were probably jet lagged and still sleeping at 7:30 but I didn’t feel too bad waking them up as we knocked on their hotel room door. As expected, we were greeted with two sets of tired hugs, but it felt great to see them again after seven months. We chatted and caught up in the hotel room until it was time for breakfast. The hotel included breakfast and it was easy to join them even though we had not yet checked in. The restaurant was packed with hotel guests and I could see why – the spread was astounding. There was several kinds of fish, freshly baked loaves of bread, a muesli bar, cold cuts, and even the classics like eggs and sausage. After eating as much as possible, I made sandwiches for later and then we tried to check into our room. I can see why Clarion has such good reviews because it kept getting better – we were even able to check in before 10am.

Exploring Bergen Old Town and Castle

We had a day and a half before our cruise so the four of us explored the town of Bergen. We walked through the old town of Bryggen, a UNSECO world heritage site, dating back to the 12th century, got lost inside of a medieval castle (Bergenshus Fortress), and even took the Fløibanen funicular to the top of a nearby mountain for excellent views over the city. While at the top of the mountain, the four of us ventured a little further off the beaten path looking for another view over the city. We found a viewpoint but we also found beautiful green forest that must have been littered with troll homes. I can see why troll legends spawned here in Norway – it felt like there was always a presence watching from the trees.

View from Fløyen

That evening, we found a cool local gastropub. At first glance, Naboen looks like a fancy restaurant but if you walk down the stairs, a totally different experience awaits. They had excellent pub type food and a focus on local beers. Sara and I were excited to try several different Norwegian ales. My favorite was Don’t Mention The Hops by Kinn brewery and Sara enjoyed the Voss Pale Ale. The bartender said our cruise might go to the town were Voss brewery is located so we got excited for the possibility of sneaking a visit!

Hiking in Bergen

We woke the next morning to a beautiful day – the rain had dissipated and was replaced by bright blue sky. We had most of the day free in Bergen before boarding the cruise at 5pm. After another filling breakfast, Dad and I went to explore some hiking trails while Sara and Mom finished up their shopping. Our rough plan was to climb up Sandviksfjellet mountain and then make our way over to Mount Fløyen then back down to Bergen Old Town.

View at Sandvikspilen during hike

While making our way up the steep mountain, I stopped for a video only to realize my GoPro battery was completely dead. I must have left it turned on by accident, now I had no way to capture this breathtaking scenery! My other mistake was not bringing Sara’s camera since she was just shopping. Luckily, my dad had his phone and was able to take some excellent pictures. While we we at a Sandvikspilen viewpoint near Sandviksfjellet mountain we could see our boat majestically making its way into port. After a short break we continued on the path past a serene lake before venturing up a trail that looked like it headed towards the actual Rundemanen mountain peak. The trail meandered through green meadows and around picturesque lakes. Even though we were only about 1500 feet in altitude, it seemed like we were already above the tree line because there were only small trees in protected valleys. The trail eventually made its way to the small summit but the views weren’t as good as the previous viewpoint.

During the hike, I was worried anout how long it would take to walk back. I had no distance measurements of trails on my phones map, so I was mostly guessing. At one point, we started jogging down the easy trail to make up time. We knew we getting close to Mount Fløyen and the Funicular when we kept seeing tourists rather then hikers. My worry was unnecessary because we arrived at the hotel with plenty of time to spare. We tracked down Sara and Mom in town and they took us to a square filled with people playing all sorts of games. There was everything from connect four to giant chess! Sara showed me a picture of two street performers impossibly balanced, I still don’t know how that is possible?

Soon enough, it was time to grab our bags and head to the dock for the start of our six day Hurtigruten Cruise up to Kirkenes.