Bergen
Marty and I enjoyed exploring the beautiful city of Bergen on a rainy day. Even with the weather far from perfect, we could not ignore the charm of this place. Bergen is both dramatic and welcoming. The colorful buildings, narrow streets, and changing weather give this Scandinavian harbor city its storybook appearance.
For centuries, Bergen served as one of Norway’s most important port cities and became a major center of the Hanseatic League. Merchants from Northern Europe traded fish, timber, grain and goods through Bergen’s harbor, helping shape both the city’s prosperity and its international identity.
History and daily life blend together in Bergen. The colorful buildings and historic streets are not frozen like a museum. People live, work, shop and gather among these centuries’ old surroundings.
Today, Bergen remains one of Norway’s most beloved and historic cities and serves as the gateway to many of the country’s famous fjords.
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The Gol Stave Church
Among all the buildings preserved at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History is the Gol Stave Church. Dark, soaring, and unlike any church I had ever seen, it immediately transported me back more than eight hundred years to medieval Norway. It is one of only twenty-eight surviving stave churches in the country, making it a […]
Nobel Peace Center
While in Oslo, we visited the Nobel Peace Center, where exhibits highlighted the many individuals and organizations that have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Seeing the stories and photographs of these laureates provided a reminder that ordinary people, through courage and perseverance, can have an extraordinary impact on the world. The building itself adds […]
The Leprosy Museum
While traveling through Bergen, Norway, we found ourselves standing outside one of the most unusual museums we have ever visited: the Leprosy Museum. Housed in St. George’s Hospital, this quiet wooden building preserves the story of a disease that for centuries inspired fear, isolation, and misunderstanding. Leprosy, now known as Hansen’s disease, has been documented […]
