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Norway……it conjures up images of Vikings, Midnight Sun and if you are old enough, the pop band A-Ha!

I departed just after Thursday lunch from London Heathrow for a short overnight trip to Bergen, the Gateway to the Fjords. I was with a dozen fellow Travel Agents and our hosts from Hurtigruten and BMI.

Just less than two hours later we arrived at Bergen Flesland Airport and within 30 minutes we had transferred by coach to the port to board the MS Trollfjord, one of Hurtigruten’s newest, largest ships which is capable of carrying just over 800 passengers.

After a short presentation, we were treated to aperitifs and canapes, before settling down for a buffet dinner in the ship’s restaurant, which presented us with a fantastic array of fresh seafood and meat/vegetable alternatives. You could tell that fishing is in the Norwegian’s heritage, as I have never seen so many different ways to prepare fish before…..the salmon and prawns were simply stunning.

After dinner, we were led on an escorted tour of this fine ship, and were lucky enough to be treated to a tour of the Bridge as well as meeting the captain for a brief Q&A session. I bet you didn’t know that all the Hurtigruten vessels are known as coastal voyagers, and that they are never more than five miles from the coast on their scheduled services to/from the Arctic Circle communities.

These are working vessels and not luxury cruise ships, so if you decide to book one of their coastal voyages, then you could be sharing your dining table with a Lofoten islander, or a resident of Kirkenes in the frozen North, where the border with Russia is less than 10 miles away.

The following morning we all met up in the hotel foyer with Thor (a Viking name if ever there was one!) who took us on a two hour walking tour of this fascinating port city. Bergen is a compact city and is easy to get around on foot, so a walking tour is highly recommended to get a real flavour of this former European City of Culture. The highlight of our tour was visiting the World Heritage Site of Bryggen down near the port, which is the site of the first houses built in Bergen. After numerous fires throughout the centuries, the little wooden buildings still remain, and you could spend hours exploring the narrow alleyways and quaint boutique shops in this part of the city.

Next we wandered up to the funicular to take us up one of the seven mountains that surround Bergen, Mount Floyen. After just seven minutes we were 320 metres above sea level and staring out at the fascinating panorama of the city below. We were treated to lunch at the Floien Folke restaurant which sits atop of the mountain and is highly recommended. After a quick browse in the souvenir shop, which sold such Norwegian specialities as trolls, Viking t-shirts and reindeer skins, we took the funicular back down the mountain. To add to the adventure, we got out halfway and walked back the rest of the way through the narrow, meandering, slippery alleyways, where the most expensive houses in Bergen are located…I could see why as the views were breathtaking!

We had a bit of free time to explore the city on our own and whilst some ventured off for a final bit of sightseeing, I went off with the rest of our party to see the MS Kong Harald, which is one of Hurtigruten’s smaller ships, and was due into port at 3pm.It was fascinating to compare this with the larger MS Trollfjord, and great to see it offload its cargo at the dockside.

Whistle-stop tour of Bergen complete, but not before we stopped off en route to the airport at Troldhaugen, home of Bergen’s most famous son Edvard Grieg, the 19th century composer.

This was truly a step back in time, and the house where he lived for over 22 years is perfectly preserved, with many original reminders of Grieg’s time there. There is also a museum and a concert hall here, which houses many recitals during the Summer season.

The Edvard Grieg Museum is one of Bergen’s top tourist attractions and I can see why……..highly recommended.

I loved my brief trip to Bergen, and it left me wanting to experience more of this fascinating country. The people are so friendly, the air so crisp, and the scenery breathtaking, so I hope to return soon.

If you go, beware of the trolls………!!!!