As I mentioned, we got to our cabin for the night at 3:00 in the morning. We were just glad to have a place to crash at that time. I wish we had more time there. When we looked out of the window the next morning, we could see over a beautiful fjord. The cabins were also nice and spacious. However, we planned on driving to Bergen that day so we left soon after.
We got to Bergen and discovered that the center of it near the docks was historic and quaint. The shops were colorful and what you would think of when you thought of Norway. The streets were cobblestone and the whole area just made you feel like walking around and browsing through the shops.
We spent several hours shopping and trying some of the food. I think I mentioned it before, but almost all of the food in Norway was very good. Needless to say, Marty found a lot of stuff to buy. I was beginning to wonder how we would get everything in our luggage to fly back home.
We also explored a fortress or castle while we were there. We weren’t allowed to go in or very far into the grounds. They were setting up for a concert so they weren’t letting anyone into the grounds without a ticket.
That night we stayed in an apartment in Bergen that was on a small cobblestone street. The street was so small, we had to park at a parking garage because we couldn’t get the car down the street.
The next day we first went to another wood stave church that was actually in Bergen. It was located up a small hill in a wooded lot. This was not one you would have spotted from the road. We learned that this one had actually been started on fire by an arsonist in the 1990s and had been rebuilt. I can’t imagine someone who would start a historic work of art like that on fire.
After that, we drove a couple of hours through scenic and mountainous countryside to a reproduction of a Viking village. On the way, we passed an impressive waterfall that was right by the highway. There was a souvenir shop at the base. I wonder what it cost to have that waterfall put in to get people to stop at the shop? Ha ha.
At the entrance of the Viking village was a big blonde guy in Viking dress and holding a spear. Stoller is 6′ 1″ and this guy made him look small. Luckily, he was friendly. Since we had tickets, he let us in.
The village was really well done and had a lot of things you could do there. There was a replica of a Viking boat there that was pretty cool. The houses were wooden with thatched roofs and the workers were dressed in authentic garb. We learned that some of them lived there year-round. One guy said in the winter, the blacksmith shop is very popular with the residents because of the warmth.
There was one guy that was very funny and knowledgeable and told us all about the weapons at the time, the gods they worshipped, their clothing, and what life was like. He was quite fascinating to listen to and watch as he demonstrated various weapons. He told us it definitely was not true that Vikings wore horns on their helmets.
They had a place where you could try hatchet throwing and archery. We got Marty to try her hand at hatchet throwing. They also had Viking outfits and armor you could try on. We all enjoyed the Viking village and if you go there, I would recommend it.
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