Viking Homelands: Bergen I (8/25/2018)

Saturday, August 25, 2018 (continued)
After meeting up with Fernando and Josefina and having a buffet lunch, we took to the streets of Bergen. First we wandered through the Bryggen alleys.

Josefina, Fernando, Kent & Tamiko on Bredsgården alley
(many thanks to Josefina!)

A peek into the Theta Museum, the smallest
museum in possibly the world

The Theta Museum recounts the time from December 1941 to June 1942 when a resistance group of mostly technical school students built their own radio transmitter and prepared a well-hidden room in the center of the Bryggen buildings. They were able to send information on German battleship and submarine movement to the British Secret Intelligence Service. One of their sources was not trustworthy, but fortunately the group was forewarned before a raid discovered the hide-out. The room has been reconstructed with donated objects except for an original coffee table.

The Bryggen buildings were built with supports
cut from where the trunk of a tree meets the root,
considered to be the strongest part of the tree

Another example of tree trunk-root supports

Onward to the Torget/main market:

Looking across the harbor, now with the new fish market

View across the harbor (7/15/1982)

Fish market view

Fish market view (7/15/1982)

Another monkfish, along with other seafood
including plump green sea urchins

Sjomannsmonumentet/Seafarers' Monument (1950,
by Dyre Va) with representation from the 10-21C
(the 21C folks are sitting around the edge of the base!)

The locals call the monument a "cube of goat cheese" (??)

The 10C panel depicting a Viking ship, and a totem
representing their pre-Columbian discovery of the Americas

Den blå stein/the Blue Stone (1993, by Asbjørn Andersen),
located in King Olaf V Square, is a 9 m/29.5' slab
of concrete coated with blueish Brazilian sodalite 

Fernando, Josefina and Kent at the Ole Bull Fontene/Fountain,
with a statue group (1901, by Stephan Sinding) of Ole Bull,
the world-renowned Norwegian violinist and composer,
famous for his virtuosity (speed and clarity) on the violin

The statue group includes the fossigrim/troll
with a harp under the waterfall

According to Scandinavian folklore, the fossigrim is a talented fiddler who will teach his skills to anyone who will make a secret food offering on a Thursday, preferable a she-goat thrown over a waterfall flowing northwards. Anything less means less skill will be bestowed. Apparently Ole Bull earned the maximum reward.

Musikkpaviljongen/Music Pavilion (1889)

Panorama of Lille Lungegårdsvannet, a natural lake artificially made into an octagon shape

Statue (1938, by Gustav Vigeland) of Christian
Michelsen, Norwegian shipping magnate
and statesman, who was the first Prime Minister
of independent Norway in 1905-1907

Liggende dikter/Lying Poet (1958, by Hans Jacob Meyer)

Den Nationale Scene/the National Stage or Theater
(1909, by Einar Oscar Schou, in Art Nouveau style)

Statue (1981, by Nils Raa) of Henrik Ibsen, perhaps
Norway's most famous writer, playwright, and poet (KSS)

Ibsen was one of the first writers-in-residence and directors of the predecessor of the National Theater, det Norske Theater/the Norwegian Theater established by Ole Bull in 1850 to develop Norwegian playwrights.

What are these pigeons eating?

We heard a rumbling noise when someone tossed something into
one of these recycling/waste bins; and now have learned that
due to limited space in the medieval city center, Bergen has installed
an underground suction system to deal with the volume handled

While installing the suction system (2008-2016), Bergen took the opportunity to renovate all underground infrastructure for water and sewer, electric and cable, and district heating, as well as to upgrade streets and sidewalks.
District heating? When Bergen incinerates its waste, the heat generated is distributed to a city district or individual buildings to provide heat and hot water.
By the way, Norway pledges to be carbon-neutral by the year 2030, 20 years ahead of their original pledge!

Mural (perhaps 2016) of a blue kingfisher by
French artist "Stew" at Borgesmauet 4

We had arrived in the district of Nordnes with its clusters of charming wooden houses, first in the area of Nøstet, dating from the 18-19C.

Doorway of St Hansstredet 8

Climbing Strangebakken alley

A Strangebakken cat

Strangeplassen

Verftsgaten

Dark clouds moved in and it started to rain.

Kulturhuset USF/Cultural center in the
former United Sardines Factory (c 1900)

As it began to pour rain, we looked for the shortest way across the Nordnes peninsula towards the Viking Star ship.

The top of Strangebakken alley (KSS)

Statue (1949, by Maja Refsum) of Amalie Skram,
a Norwegian author and feminist (KSS)

1702 building at the former city wall and the
crooked street of Østre Murallmenningen (KSS)

Having crossed the Nordnes peninsula, we still had to get
around the harbor to reach the Viking Star!

We were thoroughly drenched, so stopped at the New Fish Market for drinks. Of course, the pouring rain then eased up!

A German mine on pedestal with the dates
1914-1918 (1921, as World War I Memorial)

Rosenkrantztårnet/Rosenkrantz Tower (1270s foundation,
1560s by Eric Rosenkrantz as a defense post and
his residence), today is covered with scaffolding

Rosenkrantz Tower (7/15/1982) where you can see the gun ports
aimed at the Germans in their Bryggen buildings

We made it back to the Viking Star and now were able to access our staterooms.

View from our stateroom of the Nordnes peninsula

Next: Viking Star.