Norwegian Fjord Cruise (Part 1)

Dear Yes,Virginia...blog friends/followers.
This is Dr. John again. Today I will be sharing some photos taken on our cruise to Norway.
 
 So, why visit Norway? On a cruise we took two years ago, we met a fellow passenger who had been on over 100 cruises! We asked her which one was her favorite. Without hesitation, she replied: the Norwegian Fjords, for its amazing scenery, friendly people, and relaxed pace.
After fighting traffic for 3 hours to get from London to Southampton (a distance of 130 km/80 miles), we finally arrived at the cruise port terminal. Our ship was the Celebrity Eclipse. Although I usually prefer mid-size ships (around 2,000 passengers), the Eclipse, with almost 3,000 passengers, is very well designed and rarely felt crowded. Plus the food and service were excellent. Anyways, on with the tour.

First stop: Bergen, Norway's capital in the 12th and 13th centuries. 

We were dropped off by the shuttle bus after a 5-minute ride from the cruise port. Immediately, we were greeted by this beautiful fountain in Lille Lake. From there, we walked to the city center.

The most famous Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (see statue) was born and buried in Bergen. You may have recognized Grieg's music (see You Tube video: Peer Gent) as it is still widely played to this day.

The Floibanen Funicular climbs 300m (1000ft) in seven minutes to the top of Mount Floyen for the best view of the town. It was a pleasant and smooth ride even though it was a bit busy at the time.

Views from the top. 

 The harbor and Fish Market (double row of red roofs).

Our ship (top), my uncooperative children, and the Floien Folkerestaurant atop Mount Floyen. Virginia had fun browsing through the gift shop and got ourselves a Norwegian cheese slicer.

David found himself a T-shirt that says "Norway"--surprise!

The Fish Market, located here since the 1500s. We had very expensive but tasty scallops.

On the left above, the wooden old town. Upper right," Lego architecture".

The old town is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Colorful wooden warehouses, originally part of the Hanseatic League, a free-trade zone established by German merchants (c. 1250-1750), where dried cod and fish oil was exported and grain, cloth, beer, wine, and ceramics were imported. 
Hope you enjoyed this charming city. 

Please leave me a comment if you would like more of Norway from Dr. John.

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