Beautiful Bergen What a pretty and quaint city! Once the largest city and capital of Norway, Bergen is set on the side of a mountain and makes its way in an orderly fashion down to the sea. It has an interesting past and in the oldest part, many of the ancient wooden buildings were built out over the water, confirming its history as a base for the herring industry. We caught the shuttle into the city and were dropped off near the large park in the centre. A hop on, hop off bus ran from there and we hopped on, intending to do the whole route and then jump off where we found something interesting. The skies were threatening and the wind that had accompanied us from England was still with us so it wasn't a warm day. Still, we sat in the open sided part of the bus as that always affords a better view. The buildings seemed to be mostly constructed of wood and were painted in cheery bright colours, maybe to counteract the dreary weather. In the past fire was an ever-present danger and many homes and public buildings had been destroyed in that way. As a defence, an ordinance was introduced that all new buildings had to be of stone or brick. The Bergen folk cleverly got around this by continuing to build in timber which was readily available and cheap, and then painting it to look like stone. Duh! We were still enjoying the drive and the informative commentary when the heavens opened and down came the rain. Alan and I had stupidly decided not to bring umbrellas or rain jackets. Big mistake. We were soaked within minutes. Belatedly I leaned forward and asked the driver if he had any rain ponchos and of course he had. Why they weren't offered when the rain started I don't know. It's not easy struggling into one of those things in the wind and rain while wearing headphones that are plugged into the wall next to you, believe me! Having done the whole trip, we jumped off at the Fish Market. There was huge marquee which served as a dining hall for various stalls that were selling all manner of seafood - lobster, salmon, sushimi, cod, prawns, herring and even whale meat. We dined well there, along with hundreds of others and then went off to the markets across the road. Patricia and I each bought a bronze pendant in the shape of a Viking ship but most things were too expensive. There were beautifully made woollen jumpers and cardigans but they were even more expensive than the ones in Honfleur. Besides, they mostly were decorated with that alpine snowflake-style pattern that you'd never wear at home. At another stall, I bought a crystal and gold (?) pendant and that was all. I wanted to visit the Hanseatic Museum so the other two went off on their own and Alan and I went for some cultcher. The building that housed the museum was actually part of the museum itself. It was a dark wooden house that dated from the 1600s and was like a rabbit warren with all its different higgledy piggledy rooms and uneven floors. It was dark inside as it only had a few tiny windows of thick glass. It was furnished with basic wooden furniture from the period, such as sea chests and the odd table and desk. Some of the interior walls had traces of the original painted pattern that was commonly used in those days. It consisted of large swirls like eddies in water painted in rather sombre colours of grey, white and black. In the downstairs work room the pungent centuries-old smell of dried fish assailed the nostrils as you entered. The timbers of the house must have been saturated in the smell. Dried fish, which looked like fish-shaped cardboard cut-outs, were hanging from the ceiling in bunches. Freshly-caught fish were simply gutted and then hung in pairs on lines in the air to dry. They would keep for 3 years or so and when needed, were soaked in water for up to a month before being eaten. It was enjoyed so much that folk actually looked forward to Lent each year when they were required to abstain from eating meat. They must have been mad. In the gloom you could see the barrels in which other fish preserved. They were layered with salt and then pressed. The trade in fish was what had brought wealth to Bergen as dried fish was valued throughout countries in the region. It was plentiful and easy to store. It was also what led to Norway becoming part of the Hanseatic League which was a league of trading partners. I'm not sure how many countries and cities were involved but perhaps there was about a dozen. Or more! The league was a great success but its importance eventually faded and it was dissolved some time in about the 1670s. After the museum Alan and I hopped on the bus for another trip around to catch the information that the rain had interrupted before making our way back to the shuttle and then home. Sailing away from Bergen was spectacular. We were accompanied by flocks of seagulls which swooped excitedly down on either side of the ship and flew criss cross over the wake. They seemed to be feeding on something in the air. I didn't realise until later that people up on the open deck were throwing food to them which they were catching in mid-air. The scenery was just beautiful. We sailed past islan after island which were lit on one side by the slowly setting sun and then which darkened and became startling shapes silhouetted against the still light sky. It was cold on deck and we needed our down jackets as we leant against the aft rail, literally for hours watching the pasing scenery. The sun finally set at about 11.30 that night when we reluctantly went indoors and off to bed. Off now to Scotland.