Norway 2024 - Day 7
Today we hiked in the Fløyen mountain above Bergen.
Starting with the standard Norwegian breakfast buffet at the hotel, we met up with our guide in the lobby and set out for a day of hiking.
First, we walked through downtown Bergen to the funicular station and rode it up the mountain to the first lookout. We were treated to spectacular views of the city below, the surrounding islands of Bergen, and other mountains in the distance.
After taking in the views, we started the actual hike further up the mountains. Our guide, Torbjörn (basically "thunder bear" - which is AWESOME) was a fascinating person and we had great conversations. He was particularly interested in American politics/government and we had several long discussions about the differences between Norway and the United States.
Before we knew it, we made it to the top of the mountain which was sprinkled with some of the first snows of the season; not unlike our home in Colorado where it also begins to snow in October.
We took a short rest and had the traditional Kvikk Lunsj ("Quick Lunch") of chocolate covered wafers (similar to a "Kit-Kat").
On the hike back down, we saw a number of old Norse deities and trolls carved into tree stumps.
Nearing the funicular station, we came across a group of people recreating historical viking life and battles - much like the medieval European "renaissance fairs" we have in the US.
At the station, we said goodbye to Torbjörn and did a bit of souvenir shopping before heading back down into the city.
After a quick rest at the hotel, we went out to a Mexican restaurant on the docks for some comfort food of enchiladas and tacos.
We picked up a pastry to share on the way back to the hotel, and turned in for the night to prepare for traveling to Tromsø tomorrow.