Bergen, Ships and Beens, please.

Advantages: Beautiful, historic, friendlyand very different.
Disadvantages: Wet in Summer, Cold in Winter.

...cargo and so forth, were not the most respectable of citizens. Docks are usually as far away from the respectable parts of a city as they are close to deep water. However, all rules have to have an exception it seems, and not just in the English language either. Bergen is the exception. This is because Bergen is, to all intents and purposes, one bloody big dock! Bergen?s whole raison d?etre is to be a deep water dock. The fjord on which it was built, back in about?well, there are differences of opinion about exactly when Bergen became a settlement of any importance, but one matter of record is that it was granted municipal status in 1070 by Olav Kyrr, and by 1240, it had been declared Norway? capital. What this means to today?s visitor is that the whole town centres on the harbour, and has spread out from it concentrically...

stevethesleeve 24.02.2002 · Read review
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Review of Bergen & fjords (Norway)

Gales Whales and Fairytales!

Advantages: Spectacular scenery, rich cultural heritage, ideal base for Viking adventures....
Disadvantages: A long way to travel by sea, astronomical beer pricing

...Many moons ago, on a German language summer course in Mannheim, I became good pals with a Norwegian chap. We stayed in touch and a couple of years later back in 1994, I took up his offer to come and visit him in Bergen, where he was studying at University. Affectionately known as the Gateway to the Fjords, for centuries Norway's second largest city of Bergen has been an internationally renowned trading port. Its historic and breathtaking harbour front featuring the World Heritage listed "Bryggen" - in essence a unique collection of colourfully painted and beautifully preserved wooden houses - helps ensure its status as an extremely popular destination for tourism. I'll be honest from the outset. Frankly, as an unattached 24 year old setting out on a week's adventure, fully hoping to help a succession of fresh faced, blond...

paulwilsontastic 09.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Bergen & fjords (Norway)

Norway at it's finest!

Advantages: Unrivalled scenery
Disadvantages: Cold weather-not for all. Can be expensive

...I went to Bergen with the aim of seeing spectacular scenery, and I wasn't disappointed! A picturesque harbour town which boasts a variety of shopping and eateries, I can't imagine it not appealing to anyone's nature. Bad points: Although I hate to say it, Norway doesn't work out well in the exchange rate, therefore I'd take quite a bit of cash even for a short break. The weather can get pretty cold which I know isn't to everybody's taste, however I think this adds to the appeal of Bergen, so it's not a place for sun worshippers! Good points: In a nutshell, the scenery is fantastic. An absolute must for anyone visiting Bergen is a trip up the tallest mountain on the tram. this provides unrivalled scenery both of the city, and of course, the famous fjords. There are also enough shops to keep you happy, however they aren't all that...

sillymilly123 30.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Bergen & fjords (Norway)

Bergen in the rain.

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...Bergen lies in between 7 (or,actually more) mountains. There is a forever ongoing discussion, among the inhabitants of Bergen, as to which seven mountains qualify to be called a "city mountain".Most people in Bergen love a discussion, and when there is nothing else left to discuss, they start arguing about mountains, the name of a monument, and other weird things. Anything to keep the art of arguing alive. The people are very loud and noisy, but also friendly and helpful. They say Bergen has 300 rainy days a year, but I don't think it is that many. The sun does shine, and in one of those rare occasions you can see all the people shine as well. They really know how to enjoy the sun when it shines. So take a trip to Bergen, and get wet....

elisae 27.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Bergen & fjords (Norway)

Bergen Aquarium - no wrapper on these penguins

Advantages: A fun and educational place to visit
Disadvantages: Perhaps not for younger children, can get crowded

...What do you do on a rainy day in a city renowned for bad weather and that is surrounded by water? You go to the aquarium of course! As if you hadn?t seen enough water! Bergen Aquarium has a reputation of being one of the finest in Europe and while I haven?t been to many, I can see why Bergen?s has this good reputation. The aquarium is situated about 1.6 Kilometres from the fish market, which in tourist terms is the heart of the city. It stands at the end of the Nordnes peninsular and you can find it quite easily by walking as far as you can before you end up in the fjord. When you fall in you know you have gone too far. I was going to say ?when you get wet? but as it rains virtually all the time in Bergen, this is not helpful. If you don?t want to walk you can take a bus, alternatively you can take a ferry from the fish market...

fizzytom 15.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Bergen Aquarium, Bergen

Cad gets high in Bergen

Advantages: Allows you to see excellent views over the city
Disadvantages: Can get slightly busy at peak summer times

...Last August whilst in the Norwegian city of Bergen we went on this funicular railway to Mount Floyen, as this is the quickest and easiest way to get scenic views over Bergen. For those with no knowledge of Norway, Bergen is a city located on the West coast of Norway and was once its ancient capital. Getting to Bergen can be done by land, sea or air, however we used the first option as we were staying in a log cabin near a place called Eidfjord. One thing to note is if you do drive by car to Bergen they have a toll system similar to the London congestion charge with cameras to observe vehicles and no payment at the roadside. We paid a small fee of 15 NOK (£1.20), however we had to go to the tourist office to find out where to pay and discovered that only a few garages would take our money for the toll. The Bergen end of the Floibanen...

buzzard_cad 15.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Mount Floyen and the Funicular (Floibanen), Bergen

City set in Seven Hills

Advantages: Plenty to do in small area, beautiful scenery
Disadvantages: Expensive and tends to be wet!

...Bergen was the last stop on our cruise, I had visited before and could remember lots of small islands as we flew into the airport, but then we headed off for Norheimsund on the Hardanger fjord and didn't get to see Bergen itself which I know now was such a pity. We were moored alongside other large cruise ships and disembarked straight onto a coach for a tour of Bergen. Our guide was exceptionally good and told us lots of facts and bits of information with some humour as well, sadly Bergen was wet but that is quite usual. As it is said to rain at least 219 days a year! It did clear after a while and we enjoyed the views. Bergen is built around the harbours and every sort of boat was on show, trips were also available. Bergen is the second largest city in Norway, with a population of around 252,000 as of 1 January 2009. It is located...

jo145 28.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Bergen

Bergen Belsen - Evil disguised

Advantages: Good to rememeber
Disadvantages: Painful place

...REVIEW INDEX Camp Overview Camp Facilities (Today) Camp Timeline My Visit and views CAMP OVERVIEW Bergen Belsen is in lower saxony, near to the town of Celle, and about 60 Km from Hannover (Nearest Airport) During the second world war, Bergen Belsen was a concentration camp for Jew\'s, Political Prisoners, and Religeous people of differing beliefs to the Nazi Party (Jehovahs Witnesses) Overall, Bergen-Belsen claimed the lives of about 50.000 prisoners of the concentration camp, and 20.000 prisoners of war. CAMP FACILITIES (TODAY) The site has basic ablutions and is accesable to those with disabilites. A Main visitor centre stands at the camp gates which houses an exhibition centre, WC\'s, Cinema (For documentary\'s), and a small shop selling books and videos. Inside the camp is situated the hall of prayer...

gt5952 14.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp Memorial

Looks like rain again

Advantages: Scenic, loads to do, lots of fish, clean, friendly, cinnamon buns
Disadvantages: Expensive, rains all the time, need a mask to block out light to sleep in summer

...A Jet 2 flight sale in the late spring of 2007 was the catalyst for an unexpected trip to Bergen on Norway's west coast. We did the minimum of research save for digging out a rather elderly copy of the Rough Guide to Scandinavia which informed us that we had chosen to visit at the time of the International Culture Festival which rather put a dampener on our plans to pick up some accommodation when we arrived. A quick look on the Internet proved that there was barely a bed left and those that were available were in the five star bracket. Fortunately a rather helpful lady at the Tourist Information Office found us some great digs and so we set off with high hopes for a great weekend. As far as I know you can fly to Bergen from London, Newcastle and Aberdeen if there are other UK departures then please mention this in the comments...

fizzytom 13.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Bergen

Abandoned mountains in Norway

Advantages: Outstanding adventure in abandoned nature
Disadvantages: none!

...In summer 2006 i visited Norway with my car. We went to the northest point and therefore i can write a few lines about nice alps - not alps from central europe but alps from Norway. These are close to biggest city above the polar circle called Tromso. As I said it is behind polar circle and therefore in summer the sun there never goes down - there is no sunset for months. This makes climbing mountains verz interesting there because you dont need to hurry to be down before sunset:) We have driven to the village that is on the seaside in front of alps and there i bought a map. It was weird map because there were mountains on it without any path longer than 3km so i decided that we have to go without any road. The highest mountain is 1833 meters high and i have chosen Daltingen - mountain that was close to seaside and has more than...

hauran 24.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Lyngen Alps, Norway