From Financial Times, “How to spend it”
The fjords of Norway’s west coast shelter this treasure of a city. Gordon Sander takes flight with the seagulls as he discovers a wealth of art amid its royal past and vibrant present.
The Danish writer Herman Bang captured the essence of Norway's historic port city in 1885. "We had been to a party in the country outside Bergen, and we were rowing home," he wrote. "The boat was full of men, women, and children and they were singing. The great mountains rose silently around us, in all the colours of the summer night that no painter can capture.
The heavy boat crept towards its anchorage - the old wharves, the white summer cottages between the green of the birches; out on the water lay the great quiet hulls of the steamships and the sailing ships with their upright masts.
"And suddenly one of the youths jumped up onto the thwart, and waving his hat above his head, cried out, 'Oh! what a wonderful town!'"
A century and a quarter - and several maritime eras later - Bang's beguiling word portrait of Bergen can still be experienced.
Indeed, it is difficult to think of another great European city that has changed so little in atmosphere or aspect.
The colourful old wharf, known as Bryggen, which faces the main harbour of Vagen, dates from the days when Bergen was a major outpost of the Hanseatic League, the trading alliance that dominated the Baltic from the 13th century onwards.
Though somewhat reduced in number by the great fires of 1916 and 1955, the wooden frontage remains striking.
The gleaming white shingle-clad cottages still climb the surrounding seven mountains. Only the steamers and sailing ships of Bang's day have given way to vessels of more modern draft, including the large cruise ships that make Norway's second city one of their most popular ports of call. Yet as you idle along Bryggen on a late spring or early summer's eve taking in the sounds and smells of this beautiful city, nothing has really changed at all. And in this day and age, that is something indeed. With a population of nearly a quarter of a million, Bergen may be less populous than Oslo, Norway's capital, but Bergensers will hasten to tell you, in all other respects - including royal pedigree - their city is superior to its eastern sister city. Bergen, it will be pointed out to you, was a royal capital until 1299. And Bergensers can certainly be proud of the accommodation on offer to long luxurious weekend visitors. The Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, where the Rolling Stones stayed during their one Norwegian stop on their most recent world tour (take that, Oslo), is a modern take on the venerable gable-topped wharves that surround it. The Radisson also comes with an excellent restaurant, the Almenningen, which serves both Scandinavian and international dishes, along with its Engelen nightclub, which is popular among locals and visiting granddad rockers.
Directly across from the Radisson and adjacent to Bryggen is the classy and capacious Clarion Collection Hotel Havnekontoret. Formerly the site of the Bergen Harbour Office, Bergen's newest four-star hotel opened last May after a £15m renovation. Among its features are a number of striking avant-garde sculptures by Tove Veidung, a sculptor who happens to be the owner's sister, and the champagne laughter of Hilde Berentsen, the vivacious general manager. The view from the roof of the former harbour office on a clear night is magical. If you prefer smaller and cozier accommodation, you might like the equally new Hanseatiske Hotel just down the quay.
This snug hostelry has 16 individually designed rooms crowned by a wood-paneled honeymoon suite over two floors.
The best way to begin a visit to Bergen is by taking the popular Floibanen (funicular) up Mount Floyen, one of the seven peaks surrounding the city. At the summit look out across the city with its central peninsula jutting out into Bergen ford and the mountains beyond. Walk back down, revel-ling in the panoramic view, as new vistas and details appear with each change of perspective. Don't forget your umbrella, though. It rains in Bergen - a lot.
But the rain shouldn't dampen your enthusiasm. If you need to take shelter, restore yourself with a frothing cappuccino at the aptly named Little Coffee Company, which may well be the smallest café in Europe, as well as the friendliest.
As one might expect in a port city, Bergensers love their seafood. One of the best places to try local lunchtime dishes is at Aroma, not far from Floibanen terminal. The creamy fish soup is delicious.
If you want to know where the ingredients originate, saunter down to the Fisketorget, Bergen's historic fish market, and watch the fishmongers in their bright orange overalls as they hover over the catches of the day with proprietary glee. Early afternoon, after the locals have filled their hampers, is a good time to visit. The market also houses fruit, vegetable, and flower stalls and, if you are without an umbrella, make for the market's most unusual attraction: the world's oldest umbrella vending machine.
Just up the quay, on Bryggen, Ting - one of Scandinavia's hippest design stores - is chock-a-block with ultramodern plates, cool candleholders, and the like. Duck into one of the charming walkways that separate the reconstructed 14th-century wooden buildings that comprise Bryggen and take a walk back in time. Carry on to the 900-year-old Mariakirken, flanked by its twin square towers. Among the rich baroque decorations donated by well-heeled Hanseatic merchants is a high altar crowned with a gilded triptych.
As you continue walking you'll likely pick up a covey of curious seagulls circling overhead. Soon you will come to the most visible legacy from Bergen's medieval heyday. The Haakonshallen is the royal ceremonial hall that dates back to the mid-13th century and which could seat 2,000 loyal subjects. Next to it stands the Rosenkrantztarnet, a fine fortified tower. Both structures have been meticulously restored after the fortress area in which they are located was badly damaged in the second world war.
After a day exploring Bergen by foot, reward yourself with dinner at the intimate, belle-époque-like Kafé Krystall, where one can wax expansively with the local movers and shakers. The duck breast with Gorgonzola polenta and foie gras is something to be experienced.
A visual feast awaits along Bergen's "art street', Rasmus Meyers Alle, which runs along the shores of a small elegant lake, Lille Lungegaardsvann. Begin your Bergen art walk at The Rasmus Meyer Collection, a mansion that houses a stellar array of mostly late-19th-century and early-20th-century works bequeathed to the city by this far-sighted businessman and connoisseur.
This is the best place outside Oslo to see the haunting works of Edvard Munch, whom Meyer personally championed. There is nothing quite like being alone in a room full of Munchs but don't overlook other gems by such forgotten Norwegian masters as Elif Petersen and IC Dahl.
Amble is next door to the Lysverket, an imposing, neoclassical building that used to house the local power company and which the culture-conscious city council purchased and transformed into a museum in 2003. It contains a dazzling array of medieval, Dutch renaissance, and contemporary art, including the unforgettable Ladies on the Bridge (1902).
If, by now, you are in need of a break, head downstairs, beneath the gallery, to the divine Bolgen & Moi restaurant. Tuck into the justifiably famous Bolgens Elleville Burger, a modern masterpiece of cheese, bacon, and crispy potatoes on a homemade bun.
After lunch, the adjoining Stenesen, the last museum on Bergen's street of art, beckons. Acquaint yourself with its formidable collection of works by Picasso and Klee and assorted modern masters. Conclude your exhilarating art fest at the Museum of Cultural History.
This sprawling gallery houses an enticing collection of archaeological artifacts and folk art, including an early-12th-century crucifixion group that is the equal of any in Europe, and a spellbinding marble head of that sturdy Bergenser, King Oystein, dating from the first half of the 12th century.
Upon emerging from your museum hopping, collect your impressions by taking a bench by the pristine lake fronting the street and gazing at the fountain in the center. Try supper at Enjoringen, one of Norway's most famous seafood eateries. Its cozy, antique feeling is enhanced by daguerreotypes of old Bergen on the walls, whereas the signature dish of herb-fried angler fish with morel mushroom sauce is much more of the moment.
If you still have some energy left for lively nightlife, you can dance shoulder-to-shoulder with Bergen's well-coiffed trendies at Feliz. This Nordic Copacabana-style club is lined with white leather couches and fluorescent-lit coffee tables and is served by the hippest DJs in town.
With its friendly service and lack of crowds, Bergen is a great place to do some unhurried shopping. Stock up on Norwegian wool sweaters and knitwear at Oleana, on Strandkaien, while The Black and White Studio, just down the road on Kongs Oscars street has a sublime selection of Scandinavian and international furniture and lamps. The ethereal glassware of artist Stine Hoff is on offer at her miniature museum-like shop at Nedre Korskirkealmenning.
If art photography is your thing, check out the hole-in-the-wall Galleri F, one of Norway's top specialist galleries. Book lovers, meanwhile, will find literary treasures in various languages at the snug Bergensantikvariatet on Lille Ovregate.
Wrap up your weekend with lunch on the balcony of Bocca, a fashionable eatery on the beautiful Ovre Ole Bulls Plass. From your vantage point, you can gaze down on the happy crowds strolling by. By the time you're ready to take your reluctant leave, chances are you too will be singing the praises of Norway's "wonderful town".