I wanted to visit Norway for a very long time. The beauty of fjords, lakes, waterfalls, mountains small cottages. Bergen was a preludium to all of that. I spent three days there with my friends, but it was enough to experience the wonders that Norway has to offer.
Bergen is unreal. It is the second largest city in Norway but it has only 280,000 inhabitants. It lies on the western fjords of Norway by the sea, but its hidden behind a series of smaller isles that blocks the view to the open sea. The sea can only be seen from the mountain tops. The geography of Bergen is peculiar, the city sprawled between a number of high mountains that surround it and the peaks are visible from everywhere so there's no chance of forgetting where you are. The city was supposedly founded in 1070 by king Olav Kyrre and was named Bjørgvin, what means "the green meadow among the mountains". A fair name, I must admit. It served as Norway's capital in the 13th century, and as a bureau city to the Hanseatic League. It was the largest city until Christiania (Oslo) surpassed it in 19th century.
Even when strong trading traditions of Bergen faded a bit, but what remained was a unesco-sited old town that still attracts a bunch of tourists. And trade as well. Its greatest value lies in the picturesque architecture and mindblowing nature that surrounds it, so let me show you.
