Viking Homelands: Bergen II (8/26/2018)

Sunday, August 26, 2018

We were up early to check the weather and then to try to catch the first funicular up Mount Fløyen.

Fløibanen/funicular lower station

The funicular car

We were blessed with a sunny view of Bergen below

Our Viking Star near the lower center of the photo
is smaller than the Queen Victoria cruise ship to the right

A similar view from Mount Fløyen (7/15/1982)

Tamiko & Kent on Mount Fløyen (thanks, Josefina!)

Fløien Folkerestaurant (1925)

Directional sign on Mount Fløyen

The cashmere goats of Mount Fløyen (or are they
Kashmir goats?) have been hired to mow the grass up here

Why no witch flying allowed?

Passing the other funicular car
(uh-oh, it is starting to rain!) (KSS)

On the return trip down Mount Fløyen, to got off at the next to last stop.

Memorial to Skansens Bataljon Buekorps/Bow Corps
members who fell in the war 1940-1945 (KSS)

Former firehouse that was headquarters for
the Skansens Bataljon Bow Corps

Former firehouse (7/15/1982)

View from the platform at the firehouse

Similar view from the firehouse (7/15/1982)

Colorful tree trunks? (KSS)

View down the zigzag path of Vetrlidsallmenningen

The trees wore knitted sweaters

This house has a ladder on its tile roof (for snow removal?) (KSS)

Yarn-wrapped bicycles echo the sweater-wrapped trees (KSS)

Christi Krybbe skoler/school is the oldest elementary school
in Scandinavia, founded in 1737 under the name Korskirken's
School for the Poor, getting its own building in 1740

View back up at the former firehouse

We had tried multiple times to enter
Mariakirken/St Mary's Church (1130-1170),
the oldest building in Bergen; always closed

Yesterday we missed seeing Bergenhus Festning/fortress because it was set up for a rock concert.

Håkonshallen/Håkon's Hall (1247-1261) was built
for King Håkon Håkonsson for his son's wedding

The view of Håkon's Hall  from the
Rosenkrantz Tower (7/15/1982)

Gun port of Håkon's Hall

The ivy-covered building was a Nazi bunker

Hedges mark the walls of the former Church of Christ that was used
for coronations and royal burials in the 13C

A statue of Mary marks the site of the altar
of the Church of Christ

Statue (1972, by Ottar Espeland) of King Håkon VII

Håkon VII was the first King of Norway after it achieved its full independence from the Swedish-Norwegian Union in 1905. He became the first king who was elected by the people. Håkon VII believed that the power of the government should be in the hands of the people and their elected representatives. During World War II, the king and his family evacuated to England. While in exile, Håkon VII made radio broadcasts from London to keep up Norwegians' spirits. He is the grandfather of the current king, Harald V.

We can see the Viking Star over the ramparts of the fortress

At 11:00 we had our Panoramic Tour by motor coach of Bergen and the nearby environs.

View over the North Sea from about Helleveien 153-173

Stones hold down chimney caps to keep out the snow

Former Dr Wieseners Folkebad/Dr Wiesener’s Public Bath House (1889)
provided affordable bathing facilities for low income families;
Joachim Wiesener was a proponent of public health who
advocated cleanliness and fresh air

View of the training ship, the Statsraad Lehmkuhl (1914)

We returned to the Viking Star for a late lunch.
Next: Bergen III.