Today is our day to disembark our pretty (IKEA) Viking Vela. We are not leaving to fly home so we did not have to get off the ship early. We left our stateroom and went to sit in the main living room (yes, that’s what they call it). We sat and visited with other travelers asking them how they enjoyed their trip. We said our good-bye’s and exchanged phone numbers with couples that we had made friends with and wished them safe travels home. One woman asked if we had seen the special guest onboard and we said, I don’t believe so, but we weren’t looking. She laughed and said they weren’t either but he blended in nicely when he was sitting upstairs having coffee each morning. She said she asked the staff if it really was Harrison Ford and they said yes. Guess he was revisiting some of those places from his movie shoots in Iceland and Norway. Who knows? Picture below – decide for yourself.

Since Bob and I have extended our trip, we were meeting a group to take a guided tour of Bergen. We left the ship and boarded a bus. Our luggage would be delivered directly to our Hotel downtown (Hotel Norge).

Bergen’s Bryggen has come to serve as an important window into both Norway’s maritime and architectural traditions. Totaling more than 60 buildings, with the earliest dating back to the 18th century, these distinct structures are all that remain after numerous fires that have ravaged Bergen. The buildings are largely reconstructed within their original property lines, with their restoration and continual preservation staying true to medieval Norwegian building techniques, materials and tools. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our guide took us to Rosenkrantz Tower. It’s a tall, stone building that was built in 1560’s. It’s one of the most important renaissance monuments in Norway. Parts of the tower are from 1270. The building was badly damaged in 1944, when a cargo ship loaded with explosives, exploded just outside the tower. The rebuild was completed in the 1960’s.

As we were driving by the harbor, we spotted a very, unique custom yacht. People talked about it belonging to Tom Cruise because the name was “Maverick” and had the name Pete Mitchell (his name in Top Gun) on the side. We looked it up later and it belongs to a billionaire explorer that was a fan of the movie and had the yacht custom built. The article we read said he was taking his family around the world on an expedition for three years. It carried its own ‘tender’ boat, jet skis and expedition vehicle with motorcycles.

We made our way past the harbor to the Old Bergen Museum. It opened in 1949 and built around the summer house of shipbuilder Rasmus Rolfsen. The property was owned by the Rolfsen family from 1784 to 1903. It was a shipyard, summer house and later a park in the style of a formal English garden.

The Old Bergen foundation succeeded in establishing the museum as a safe haven for Bergen’s old buildings, which were threatened with being torn down. The open air museum has 55 wooden houses, most of which stood in the center of Bergen. Thankfully they were saved and placed in this beautiful setting for people to visit and enjoy.

After our tour, we went to our hotel (Hotel Norge). Our luggage was waiting for us in our room. We have the rest of the day to explore on our own. We went out for a walk and found a cute coffee shop just outside some gardens. Got a coffee and cinnamon roll to enjoy outside.

Walked around some gardens and then went to explore the downtown area. We decided to take the funicular to the top of the mountain. We walked to the entrance and found it was a short line. Hopped on and road to the top. Wow, what a view of Bergen. We could see our ship, the Rosenkrantz Tower, the church, the yacht, bee hives, our hotel and how the town was laid out around the harbor. As we walked along the path at the top, we started seeing goats everywhere. Laying in the path, soaking up some warmth from the pavement. The goats are cashmere goats, a type of domestic goat primarily known for their very fine wool undercoat. Rather than grass, they prefer bushes and trees so used for clearing land. The “No fence” collars the goats wear are a kind of virtual fence. If the goat moves towards the edge of their defined grazing area, their collar vibrates and make a sound to let them know. The goat quickly learn what the sound means and avoid getting shocked by returning to grazing area. The collars are solar powered and made to look like the old fashioned bells around their neck.

Enjoyed our view and then made our way down the funicular. We walked around the part of Bergen with all the old, wooden buildings. Enjoyed the architecture and colorful houses, pubs and shops. Strolled back to our hotel and decided to have dinner at the restaurant in our hotel. I had halibut and Bob had a steak. Both were delicious. Tomorrow we plan to eat lunch at the famous fish market downtown where we can really enjoy fresh seafood.

Bergen harbor also has huge oil rig support ships that were docked close to the cruise ships.

We were told that everyone in Norway loves the outdoors. Nice to see even the little kids with their teachers out enjoying a stroll down the street.

Bergen is a lovely destination. Really enjoyed our day.