Travel
In one of the houses we met this young lady cooking pancakes, Norwegian style (that means with sour milk) and she graciously invited us to try some. They were absolutely delicious! I have to say this was the one and only time we got free food in a museum. We were really impressed.
- Stavanger. Petroleum, Angry Birds And Pretty Wooden Houses
We arrived in Stavanger after a very long train ride. We left Bergen in the morning, but as there are no direct trains to Stavanger, we had to go almost all the way back to Oslo and then head back West. We chose the train over a direct and therefore...
- Having Fun In Bergen: Hiking Mount Floyen (a Photo Essay)
Mount Floyen is one of those places where you can take a deep breath and the whole world becomes a happier place. On our 3rd day in Bergen we took the funicular up the Mount Floyen, where we enjoyed some amazing views over the city and hiked through the...
- Amazing Views And Irresistible Souvenirs In Bergen
Just as we left the Hanseatic Museum and crossed the street on the opposite side of Bryggen, we got face to face with this cute little train. We've never taken a touristic train like this before, not because we have anything against the super touristic...
- Bergen: The Unesco World Heritage Site Of Bryggen
It was the 18th day of our Interrail trip... First thing in the morning we decided to go on a guided tour of the UNESCO Heritage Site of Bryggen. Situated just next to the harbor, the colorful facades are the highlight of the city, and one of the...
- A Short Stop In Gothenburg
On the 14th day of our 1 month Interrail trip through Europe we made a short stop in Gothenburg. As far as I can tell, Gothenburg, in spite of being the second largest city in Sweden, it's not a very touristy place. Even the locals told us there was...
Travel
A Trip Into the Past. Wandering Through the Old Bergen Museum
When we first decided to include Scandinavia on our InterRail itinerary, we literally expected to see wooden houses and nothing but wooden houses. We weren't prepared for Oslo's beautiful but brick made buildings for example. Therefore we started chasing wooden houses all over Scandinavia in a desperate need to keep the dream alive. Don't get me wrong, you can spot cute wooden houses all over Norway and Sweden, but the big cities are more modern and try to comply with the fire safety regulations.
After visiting Den Gamle By in Aarhus and having liked it so much, we decided not to miss any opportunity to visit an Old City/Village Museum. We both like observing the architecture of the places we visit because we believe it pretty much shapes the way people interact with spaces and form habits.
We noticed for example that in Sweden the boards the houses are made of are predominantly placed vertically, but in Norway they are places horizontally. We thought that the later design might just be smarter, as the lower part of the house is the one more prone to rot and if the boards are horizontal they can easily change just a few boards at the bottom when needed. Unfortunately we never found out the real reason why the Swedish build on vertical and the Norwegians on horizontal...
We noticed for example that in Sweden the boards the houses are made of are predominantly placed vertically, but in Norway they are places horizontally. We thought that the later design might just be smarter, as the lower part of the house is the one more prone to rot and if the boards are horizontal they can easily change just a few boards at the bottom when needed. Unfortunately we never found out the real reason why the Swedish build on vertical and the Norwegians on horizontal...
Bergen has some gorgeous neighborhoods where the wooden houses are predominant. One of them is just by the Fish Market. Another one is close to the beautiful St. John's Church. We wondered the streets of these neighborhoods but we just felt like we wanted more. Therefore we went to the Old Bergen Museum.
The Old Bergen Museum is located a bit outside the city center and we took the local bus to get there. Though only having around 40 houses from the 18th century onward, the museum preserved all the charm of what Bergen used to be before redevelopment.
The Old Bergen Museum is placed on a hill, so the visit is a constant up and down, which I think gives the visitor a better understanding of the city. We enjoyed some gorgeous views over Bergen from here, and the fact that the museum is places amidst so luxurious vegetation gives it a unique feeling.
But probably what we enjoyed best were the beautifully decorated interiors and the actors they had hired to play the part of people from centuries past. They weren't there so much to answer questions like a guide would (which of course they did in a tone of voice characteristic to the period and their status), but to give the visitor the feeling of a past era. They were minding their business, acting just as if that was their house and life right there and then. We almost felt like we were intruding in their lives as we wandered around their houses.
One unique feature of this museum is that it doesn't have well defined borders and some houses are rented or privately owned and modern people actually live in them full time, with modern furniture and rights to privacy. On the other hand, the houses surrounding the museum look just as good and cared after. Except that you can't enter them.
In one of the houses we met this young lady cooking pancakes, Norwegian style (that means with sour milk) and she graciously invited us to try some. They were absolutely delicious! I have to say this was the one and only time we got free food in a museum. We were really impressed.
We also met this other young lady in another house and she told us a wealth of information about the family members she was working for. And as we left she went back to polishing and cooking and cleaning...
The merchant was busy having his tea and reading the newspaper, but nevertheless he invited us in his house...
As our visit came to an end, we stumbled upon this cat. It was a curly cat!! I used to think they were like the mythical creatures, that they didn't actually exist in reality. Well, this one was very well groomed and friendly and as I sat down on some steps, she came to me and we played for a few magical moments. Then she left, never to return, leaving me heartbroken.
END OF STORY!
For more Bergen travel tips and ideas, you can check out VisitBergen.com
You can also see our month long Interrail itinerary and read our tips for traveling Europe with an Interrail pass. Have you used an Interrail pass before or are you planning an Interrail trip in the near future? Please leave us your feedback. It means the world to us.
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Though we used the Interrail Global Pass for our journey, it's worth noting that single country passes are also available.
- Stavanger. Petroleum, Angry Birds And Pretty Wooden Houses
We arrived in Stavanger after a very long train ride. We left Bergen in the morning, but as there are no direct trains to Stavanger, we had to go almost all the way back to Oslo and then head back West. We chose the train over a direct and therefore...
- Having Fun In Bergen: Hiking Mount Floyen (a Photo Essay)
Mount Floyen is one of those places where you can take a deep breath and the whole world becomes a happier place. On our 3rd day in Bergen we took the funicular up the Mount Floyen, where we enjoyed some amazing views over the city and hiked through the...
- Amazing Views And Irresistible Souvenirs In Bergen
Just as we left the Hanseatic Museum and crossed the street on the opposite side of Bryggen, we got face to face with this cute little train. We've never taken a touristic train like this before, not because we have anything against the super touristic...
- Bergen: The Unesco World Heritage Site Of Bryggen
It was the 18th day of our Interrail trip... First thing in the morning we decided to go on a guided tour of the UNESCO Heritage Site of Bryggen. Situated just next to the harbor, the colorful facades are the highlight of the city, and one of the...
- A Short Stop In Gothenburg
On the 14th day of our 1 month Interrail trip through Europe we made a short stop in Gothenburg. As far as I can tell, Gothenburg, in spite of being the second largest city in Sweden, it's not a very touristy place. Even the locals told us there was...