Oct 6th, 2014

Author: donich_admin

Top of the World

Last night I noticed that there was a scenic funicular railway running from the centre of Bergen right up to the top of the (high) range of hills behind the city. So after work today I thought I would have a little stroll to the station at the bottom, take the train to the top and have a leisurely walk back down (perhaps with an ice cream).

It didn’t work out that way. Somehow I missed finding the bottom station and ended up walking part way up the hill. I kept seeing the tracks for it – but somehow I never came to a station. Then after walking for 45 minutes or so, I did come to a station but I had just missed one train and didn’t want to hang about for half an hour for the next one.

The path wound on higher and higher up the city and the views got better and better. From time to time I was passed by dangerously fit looking young Norwegians (some running!) – and I don’t think in the UK we would see anything like the number of people who obviously thought it would be a fun thing to walk up the side of a mountain for an evening’s stroll.

Anyway – in the end I walked right to the top where there was a nice terrace with a gift shop, ice creams (and loos). The view was stupendous from here and I took lots of photos. Then R called me right at the moment when I was trying to work out how to get my train ticket to open the complicated automated gate at the station. I took the train back down – somewhat footsore as I had not been expecting to walk miles and miles in my work shoes. When I got out at the station at the bottom I realized that I now knew the function of the big white building about five minutes walk from the hotel.

Great fun – and set me up nicely for a burger and a (very expensive) beer. It would still be much more fun if R was here though.