Norway day 5; Bergen

Bergen is one of the wettest cities in Europe.  It has, on average, 266 days of rain each year.  So today the residents of this historic Hanseatic city feel they have nothing to complain about.  But they do.  If it rained today it would probably boil off in the searing heat before a single droplet hit the cobbled pavements.

The heat is oppressive; stepping out of the train yesterday was like walking into an oven.  It’s also unexpected.  We see one young office worker climbing on board a tram with two large fans - as if she’d just been sent out of the office to buy them.

When I booked this trip, late last year, I checked things like the weather; in May the average temperate for Bergen is about 18 degrees C.  Even two weeks ago, Bergen was on track to be close to its average and certainly cooler than Oslo.  Now, the jumpers I packed for this half of our trip remain in my case, unused and in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Many miles away, my shorts and our sun cream share the same fate. 

We have a lovely hotel.  The staff are kind and helpful.  The receptionist who books us in, mops her brow and, apologising for the fact that the air-conditioning is unable to cope, has an electric fan sent to our room.

So today we head for the hills to try and find some cooler air by taking the funicular railway to a plateau high above the city, where we can walk in the forest and escape the crowds.  We were advised to buy the tickets in advance in order to beat the crowds; “once the cruise ships and coaches arrive you could be queuing for hours…”   It seems that the cruise ships and coaches have the same idea, because the queue for those with advance tickets is far longer than for those simply buying them.   

We wait nearly an hour in the heat.  Tempers fray and tour organisers try to push their charges to the head of the queue only to be rebuffed by the security staff.  Some get through and tours are split up as some members are left behind.  

Eventually we reach the top.  Most of the tour parties stay less than 20 minutes and before long  Anniemay and I are alone with nature and a few Norwegians who come up here to hike and bike and canoe and generally play at being outdoorsy sorts of people.  See extras.

Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to drop to 27C; this is meant to be of some comfort.


As usual Anniemay has some wonderful memories the day.