Breathtaking Bergen sets scene for an epic
?BREATHTAKING is a description somewhat over-used when singing the praises of travel hot spots around the world.
It's the first one that comes to mind, though, when describing the view across Bergen and the sea beyond it as seen from Mount Fløien.
The view is enjoyed at the business end of a thrillingly steep funicular railway climb, and offers the perfect introduction for the newly arrived visitor taking stock after the quick flight across the North Sea from Aberdeen Airport. This pretty city is within surprisingly near striking distance of Ross-shire airline Widerøe offering a twice daily weekday service from fares starting at £69.
Teeming with history as part of the Hanseatic trading league, Bergen, with a population of 235,000, is the ideal base for the one-day Nutshell tour or more extensive wanderings. Its picturesque wooden buildings (which critics at one point wanted to level), magnificent mountain setting and oodles of nightlife options have seen it described as the most enjoyable city in Norway.
Culture vultures should make a bee-line for Edvard Grieg's home at Troldhaugen. The opportunity to linger in the living room where the great composer worked and gaze out at the view which inspired him leaves hairs prickling on the back of the neck.
The sensitively curated museum next door has it all, including a rather classy gift shop. Be prepared: you'll probably depart humming In the Hall of the Mountain King and carrying a T-shirt adorned with musical notes...
It's incredible to think there are still critics who believe Bryggen Wharf should be levelled to the ground.
Granted, you probably wouldn't want to have the higgledy-piggledy maze of timber-clad buildings on your patch as a fire chief.
But the history of the place virtually oozes out of the often precariously lop-sided structures which form the focal point for the entire city.
The Enhjørningen (Unicorn) Fish Restaurant housed in one of the buildings upstairs is heaven on earth for any seafood fan and if you go during the weekend you can enjoy raucous live music seeping up through the floorboards from the pub below.
If you're looking for the bigger picture, take the funicular up to Fløien Folkerestaurant at the top of Mount Fløien for a view to die for. Either way, bring a camera...
Bergen, a city of some 235,000 people, can rely on the stunning timber-built UNESCO World Heritage site of Bryggen Wharf to lure visitors. But linger a little longer and take advantage of the excellent Norway in a Nutshell tour and you'll come to see why there's a lot more to this unassuming country than first meets the eye.
Taking in some of this small country's most beautiful fjord scenery, the year-round day Nutshell tour offers a surprisingly relaxed day-long jaunt by bus, train and ferry, offering a best bits overview.
You hop aboard the Bergen railway before jumping on a bus at Voss that will take you to a ferry heading down the Aurlandsfjord and the UNESCO-listed Naeroyfjord. While the fjord scenery promoted by FjordNorway offers echoes of our own Highland glens, this is on a stunning scale.
The settlement of Flam, starting point for the world-famous Flam mountain railway, offers a chance to get something to eat, stock up on souvenirs (expect plenty of Viking-related items and bobble hats!) and sample the delights of a rather unexpected microbrewery.
If beer brewed on the premises doesn't take your fancy (though chances are it will), there's plenty to admire in the massive wood burning stove that dominates the centre of a cosy, beautifully built timber building. Indeed were it not for the promise of the Flam Railway ahead, you might be tempted to tarry a while...
The train journey - on one of the world's steepest gradients - provides some of Norway's wildest and most magnificent scenery. Rivers cutting through deep ravines, waterfalls cascading down the side of steep, snow-capped mountains and little farms clinging precariously to the sheer slopes.
As the railway twists and turns, you'll be left green with envy at those with the foresight (and, presumably, cash) to have located mountain cabins here.
Such rural boltholes are common in Norway, and a thoroughly civilised idea they are, too.
Indubitably a tad pricier than back home, this part of Norway nevertheless has plenty to offer the curious visitor and can be enjoyed on a tighter budget with careful planning.
Anyone interested in challenging a few stereotypes would do well to include Bergen's Vaagen pub on their nightspot itinerary.
The karaoke night has to be seen to be believed. One after another come a succession of larger than life characters giving it their all for everything ranging from smoochy love songs to head-banging hard rock. I was literally lost for words and would argue this is the best free night out in the city.
And that rather sums up this oil rich wee country.
Similar in so many ways to our own and yet also delightfully different.
Flights
Widerøe operates a twice daily weekday service to Bergen from Aberdeen and daily weekend flights. Bergen from Aberdeen, one-way fares from £69.
Widerøe's Explore Norway ticket offers unlimited internal flights for two weeks in Norway as well as the international flights to and from the UK.
Excursions
The Norway in a Nutshell tour is organised by Fjord Tours. Information about the different excursions can be found at www.norwaynutshell.com. Further visitor information is available from Fjord Norway at www.fjordnorway.com
Restaurants
The Fløien Folkerestaurant at the top of Mount Fløien is accessed using the city's funicular railway (www.floibanen.com). The Enhjørningen (Unicorn) Fish Restaurant (www.enhjorningen.no) is situated in the Bryggen at the heart of the city's World Heritage site.
More info on Norway from Lonely Planet travel guides (www.lonelyplanet.com).
