Last night was the first time we'd seen dew on the windows and we awoke to what appeared to be a major change in the weather. Looking out we were greeted with low cloud obscuring almost all of the mountain view across the harbour.
We needn't have been concerned as by the time we had completed our leisurely breakfast it had all cleared and we again had wall to wall sunshine.
Our plan for the day was to visit a view more musea (the plural of museum, or should that really be museums), this was to include the Science Museum, the Rosenkrantz Tower, and the Bryggen museum.
After a 10 minute walk to the first one we are greeted with "you know this is designed for children but you're welcome to enjoy it" comment as we present ourselves at the reception desk of the Science Museum. It's basically the Norwegian equivalent of the UK TechniQuest.
We ended up spending nearly 2 hours playing on the various exhibits. A number of children turned up but we didn't let them get in the way.
Testing our heart rate, pulling ourselves up on different pulleys, doing puzzles,
launching an hydrogen rocket, skipping on an automatic machine (video available at a price), trying but failing to walk along a tightrope. We even let Eric enjoy some items! The 'how storms form in tornado alley' was rather too educational for his liking, but had an interesting spin on the illustrative graphics.
Eric's legs wouldn't reach the pedals to make the Skeleton move.
This one was particularly good fun. It's called the Fred Crusade Ball Machine.
Next, hop back on the light rail for a trip to the Rosenkrantz Tower.
Exiting the train at the Byparkken terminus our ears are assailed by the sound of motorcycles turning in to the park opposite. It was obviously a major meet as there must have been a few hundred bikes there.
This lot are just turning up
Eventually we reach the tower, which was built in a number of phases over the years between 1270 and around 1740,
when it was converted to a magazine for gunpowder storage, which interested Eric.
It's a rather strenuous but enlightening trip up (and then down) the 5 storey tower using narrow curving stairs built into the outer walls. After visiting several rooms along the way that were mostly empty but contained some medieval artefacts for Eric to examine and exclaim over;
Not quite my size.
We couldn't resist a few pictures of these casts of gargoyles that are on the exterior walls of the tower.
Incidentally they are also on sale at the obligatory gift shop at the base of the tower. Since we only travel with hand luggage we decide to leave that purchase to others.
A rather handsome copy of the aforementioned Mr Rosenkrantz and his lady wife's gravestone
eventually we emerge on the roof with views around the city.
We mused as to wether the artillery would have been effective against this sort of invasion!!
On the descent we passed through rooms with lots of details on exhibitions, including the celebration of the cities support for the Dutch East India companies haul of treasure from the East in 1655, and the witch trials.
Next we step out into the sunshine to have our picnic lunch in the park beside the Rosenkrantz Tower.
On to the Bryggen Museum, which provides a clear explanation of the early development of the town through the results of an archaeological dig, and showing its early trading days. The museum also provides two temporary exhibitions, one of which explains the marching drum people from yesterday. They are the Bergen Archery brigades, set up for children by children, we think because they like the marching, the discipline it involves and the sense of community it brings. There's a lot of explanation of what they were, how they were formed and various other details but it's a very Bergen thing and I'm not sure we really understood it, it's all a bit weird. These were self organised groups of children that "entertained" themselves with military style drills and practices. They are much less popular now but still exist in small numbers and the march through the town at various times accompanied by drummers and carrying both crossbows and wooden "rifles".
The other exhibition was an all singing, all dancing anthropological research project about where people in Norway have come from (meaning they had used many different types of anthropology in their analysis), and was quite interesting. You could put on a lab coat and goggles if you really wanted too!
The walk back to the station leads Eric to discover yet more statues we hadn't noticed on earlier walks on the same route.
Ole Bull. A famous Norwegian violinist who built a home resembling the Alhambra Palace with magnificent gardens on an island outside Bergen it's one of the top tourist destinations in Bergen, but as you may have guessed by now - it's not open in May!
Edvard Grieg.
Henrik Ibsen.
After all this physical and intellectual mental exercise we decided to return to the apartment after buying a few provisions. That was was the plan but being strangers in a foreign land meant the best laid plans...! All the supermarkets and convenience stores shut on Sundays here. We thought we had covered the issue when we spotted a 7-11, the definitive convenience store in the US and much the same as Spar etc in the U.K. Norway has a different take on them though. It would have been great if we had wanted a meal of ice cream, Popcorn and a couple of chocolate bars. So it's eating out for us tonight. We make for the Cafe Opera which we had been advised had a reasonable vegetarian menu. It was a pleasant venue overlooking the park in front of the theatre (visible in the background of the Ole Bull Statue. A vegetarian choice of two meals, and the one chosen was quite tasty although a little on the spicy hot side, and a burger with salad. No starters, no desserts and just water to drink but it still cost £34 even with a 10% Bergen Card discount! At least we can say we've sampled a local restaurant. Back to the ranch for a relaxing evening doing nothing before bed.