We arrived into a rainy Bergen at 0651 on the dot. I was in need of a cup of coffee (no surprises). The station was busy with tourists and locals coming, going, waiting. Or, as in my case, sheltering from the heavens whilst I get my wits about me. My map is already soggy and I'm glad I brought my trusty Selfridges brolly, but I wish I had a rain coat! Cup of latte in-hand I worked out where my hotel was in order to drop my bag off. I'm glad I switched last minute and changed to the Grand Terminus adjacent to the station. This was more to help tomorrow morning when I have to get an early ride back to Oslo.

The streets were fairly empty (it being 0715), so no one to ask the way. I walked past a park and found a shopping mall called Xhibition through which I took a shortcut (to avoid the rain). The only thing to do was find a coffee shop and plan my day. There were a couple of backpackers doing the same thing. The tourist office opened at 0830 so I collected my queuing ticket and asked my questions.

Still pouring I took a ride up the Funicular. I do not have a head for heights but once you are on this thing there's no backing out. It was fun none the less. Of course on a clear day I bet the view is fabulous, but today you can't see a thing as the mountain is in the clouds! It was busy up there. Too crowded for me, especially given the lack of view today. I head back down the mountain. I sat in the front car which is entirely glass fronted. As they say, you have to overcome your fears!

Keeping my train theme up, I decided to take the mini train tour as I've done in other towns. At least it had a roof while the rain tipped down. Once I've managed to load my photos you'll see it wasn't the best photography day I've had http://goo.gl/GviVdD. Even so the town is stunning and on the hilltop near the Funicular mid-way point the cloud cleared just enough to see the stunning view over the harbour. The Funicular also passed by which drew great interest from the kids (little & big). Back in town the cruise liners had arrived. To say it's touristy is an under statement. People from all quarters of the globe. I wonder how the locals feel.

The weather was so poor that the boat trip to the fjords I wanted to take was postponed. I wandered around the lanes instead, looking for gems. After a baked potato Norwegian style, as per usual I visited a supermarket. This time one called Kiwi. I bought a bar of chocolate with rather a dubious name - Firklover. Still it tastes good. I decided to call it a day and walked back to the Grand Terminus. I'm so glad I booked this railway hotel. The bar area is atmospheric and the decor throughout the public areas is traditional and charming (as are the rooms with their quirky fresh modern design). After much walking, it was an evening to use my travel kettle and 'cook-up' some cuppa soup. Exciting stuff!