WanderLex

Tag: Bodo

  • Bergen and Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf

    Bergen and Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf

    It was a rainy morning when I left for airport to catch my flight to Bergen. The friendly bus driver mentioned that he would love to visit Singapore in the near future. And the casual conversation made the short bus ride to Bodo airport a very pleasant one. The plane was the smallish Bombardier Dash 8 again and a pain to stuff my Deuter backpack underneath the seat. But not that bad since it is a mere 2 hours’ flight between the two cities. The Wideroe plane landed at Bergen Airport and I was greeted coldly by Mr. Rain. I made my way to Bergen Centre where my hotel is located via the Airport Express Bus.

    Rain at Bodo

    Rain at Bodo centre

    Wideroe flight to Bergen

    Bergen Airport Express Bus

    Bergen Airport Express Bus interior

    The Fish Market (Fisketorget) is hard to miss given its central location and right across from Scandic Strand Hotel where I am staying. All the stalls have a nice and enticing display of fresh seafood with great variety. It’s probably rather pricey to buy from here since it is after all a main tourist attraction. However, he freshly caught seafood here is undeniable fresh though hence still worth a try!

    Bergen Fish Market stalls

    Bergen Fish Market stall

    Bergen Fish Market indoor stall

    Signage at Bergen Fish Market stall

    Lunch at Bergen Fish Market

    Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf

    The waterfront city is Norway’s second largest city and known to be the Gateway to magnificent Fjords. It is also one of the stops in the popular Norway in a Nutshell trip to take in the beautiful western fjords by train, boat and bus. And the most iconic landmark of Bergen is none other than Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf. The brightly painted and slightly crooked wooden buildings against the mountains as backdrop are beautiful.

    Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf in Bergen

    Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf

    Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf Heritage Site

    Bryggen Wharf

    Monument near Bryggen Wharf

    The Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf with its colourful and wooden buildings is listed as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. All these are actually reconstructed due to a fire which destroyed almost everything. Gone are the German merchants and in their places are souvenir stores, shops, restaurants and museums. It’s funny that most people are only interested about the waterfront buildings and leaving out the nice narrow alleyways. Whereas I find these other wooden buildings and little shops to be equally interesting.

    Brick house at Bryggen

    Brick houses at Bryggen

    Narrow alleyway around brick house at Bryggen

    Wooden stock fish statue Bryggen

    Water well at Bryggen

    Manhole cover of Bergen

    Old wooden house at Bryggen

    Red wooden house at Bryggen

    Bell at Bryggen

    Alleyway of wooden house at Bryggen

    Bryggens museum of Bergen

    Statsraad Lehmkuhl at Bergen

    The Bryggen wharf area is equally charming in the night.

    Bryggen at night

    Statsraad Lehmkuhl at night

    Bergen sea at night

    Bergenhus Fortress

    I did a quick visit to Bergenhus Fortress which is near to Bryggen. The defensive fortification is now mostly being used for public events.

    Bergenhus Fortress of Bergen

    Bergenhus Fortress in Bergen

    Buildings of Bergenhus Fortress

    Building of Bergenhus Fortress

    Statue of King Haakon VII

    Around Bergenhus Fortress

    STAY: Scandic Strand Hotel review

    Scandic Strand Hotel is right across to the Fish Market and overlooking the beautiful Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf. And being right at the central area means short walking distance to many attraction sites. The hotel staffs whom I met were friendly and helpful. The small basic room’s comfort level was passable at best but the condition was quite bad and in need of a makeover. It’s hard to justify the high room price if not for the location. I would not mind staying here again but I do hope the room will get refurbished by then.

    Scandic Strand Hotel

    Scandic Strand Hotel lobby

    Scandic Strand Hotel room

    [alert]

    What are your thoughts about Bergen and Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf? Leave a comment and share it with me.

    [/alert]

  • Vikten, Henningsvær and back to Bodo

    Vikten, Henningsvær and back to Bodo

    Vikten is my last stop here in the western part of Lofoten Islands. The houses of this small village have some wonderful beachfront view of the North Sea, although the shoreline is more of a rocky one. The forceful waves that day reminded me to stay away. While the cold harsh wind made it tough to wander around. Then I came across a sheep farm where the residents are seemingly enjoying the ‘breeze’ and snowfall. It is so funny that one of them was looking at me with such an intense stare.

    Sheep farm at Vikten

    Sheep farm at Vikten Lofoten

    Sheep farm facing the sea at Vikten

    The curious sheep at Vikten

    The curious sheep of Vikten
    Hello stranger, baa…

    Houses around Vikten

    Tractor at Vikten

    The Lofoten Design cabin (Glasshytta Vikten) looks different from other buildings around here. It is where the famous Norwegian glassblower makes his handicrafts from recycled glass. But it is closed during off season so I did not have the chance to check it out.

    Lofoten Design at Vikten

    The rocky shoreline carves by the unforgiving waves of the North Sea is both beautiful and scary at the same time. And adding on to the nice dramatic scene are beautiful mountains in the background. Perhaps the turn-offs would be those discarded junks and rubbish around the beach.

    Rocky shoreline of Vikten Lofoten Islands

    Rocky shoreline of Vikten Lofoten

    Rocky shoreline of Vikten

    Rubbish at the shoreline of Vikten

    Fish bones at the shoreline of Vikten

    Bicycle at the shoreline of Vikten

    I set up my tripod in attempts to capture the waves while reminding myself to keep a distance. But when the snowfall turned to a downpour, the only audience that afternoon has to scurry back to the car.

    Waves and rocks of Vikten Lofoten

    Waves and rocks of Vikten

    Waves and rocks of Vikten Shoreline

    Pentax K-5 at Vikten

    And it is going to be a long drive towards Henningsvær. Bye Vikten!

    Road leading to Vikten Lofoten

    Some great looking places while driving along E10.

    Nice coastal area along Lofoten E10

    Nice coastal areas along Lofoten E10

    Henningsvær, Venice of the North

    It took me around two hours to drive from Vikten to Henningsvær. On hindsight, maybe it is better to spend my limited time around the western part of the island instead. But I really wanted to check out Venice of the North before returning the rented car. The picturesque fishing village is comprised of some smaller islands spread around its waters. That is something different from the other villages I have seen on Lofoten Islands, although I do find Henningsvær to be a little touristy than the others. Still, the unique setting makes the drive here worthwhile – if only I have more time to explore around.

    Henningsvær of Lofoten Islands

    Henningsvær Lofoten Islands

    Harbour of Henningsvær Lofoten Islands

    Harbour of Henningsvær Lofoten

    Around Henningsvær of Lofoten Islands

    Unique house at Henningsvær Lofoten Islands

    I had a splendid lunch at the highly rated Fiskekrogen of Henningsvær. The restaurant has a great harbour view and the food is superbly fresh and tasty.

    Fiskekrogen Henningsvær

    Soup at fiskekrogen henningsvær

    Fish at fiskekrogen henningsvær

    I grabbed some food at a convenience store for the drive back to Leknes Airport.

    Food stuff from Joker convenience store.

    On the way to Leknes Airport

    Sunset reflections near to Leknes Airport

    The sun was still up when I reached Leknes Airport at 8 pm to return the Toyota Auris. I have clocked a mileage of 2012 km in the past few days and hope to be back here again.

    Returning Toyota Auris at Leknes Airport

    Returning Toyota Auris at Leknes

    Bright and shine at 8pm Leknes Airport

    Lofoten Islands look even more amazing from the sky above and I was hoping for the flight to last longer. How I wish I have gotten a window seat for my Bodo to Lofoten flight earlier on.

    Lofoten Islands from flight above

    Lofoten Islands from flight above

    Lofoten Islands from flight above

    And that is followed up by a brilliant sunset upon reaching Bodo Airport. Absolutely stunning!

    Amazing sunset at Bodo Airport

    STAY: Rica Hotel Bodo (Scandic Bodo) review

    I stayed for a night at Rica Hotel Bodo (Scandic Bodo) after arriving late. And my flight to Bergen will only depart the next morning. The single room is small and basic which was expected for its price point. I just needed a good night rest before my flight so I suppose the hotel meets my expectation.

    Rica Hotel Bodo

    Room at Rica Hotel Bodo

    Bed at Rica Hotel Bodo

    [alert]

    What are your thoughts about Vikten, Henningsvær and Bodo? Leave a comment and share it with me.

    [/alert]