Europe

[Visited: September 2007 and several times before]

One of the obvious places to visit in Bergen is Floyen, right above the wonderful city. You can reach it either by walking up (highly recommended), it can be reached by various paths, but there also is a funicular that takes you up almost directly from the quayside of Bergen. The view from the top is great: you can see the harbour of Bergen, the islands and fjords behind it, with the North Sea as a background. Instead of going right back to town, it is a very good idea to continue walking. There are various hikes to choose from, and if you want, you can continue walking for the rest of the day. It is also possible to just trust your sense of direction, hit the paths, and see where they lead you to. And that is what I did.
On this beautiful day, panorama point of Floyen was full of visitors, but soon after walking off, I was catapulted from the cosiness of coffee, hot chocolate and souvenir stalls to the bare nature of Norway. Walking in the woods, past small lakes and looking up at hills that reached a little higher, I found the peace that was not to be found at the viewpoint. The trees and the rocky outcrops above them were reflected perfectly in the quiet waters of the lakes; a few birds flew over, chatting to each other, the light that filtered through the roof of the forest illuminated the mossy grounds, making it shine and look almost unrealistically bright and shining green.
When I reached a lake, I saw a waterfall from a distance on the other side. I walked along the shore along the lake, all the time enjoying the view from the other side. Coming closer, the sound of the waterfall was added to the friendly sounds of the natural surroundings, as lots of water came down the hill. No doubt, the quantity of rain falling in these regions always keep the waterfall alive. From here, I backtracked a little, and followed a narrow path that eventually was not more than a vague track up a hill overgrown with trees and moss, until I reached an open area with rocks and a little lonely white house at a distance. Walking around the rocks on the top of this hill gives sweeping views on all sides: small lakes just below, forest, and, lower and further away still, villages climbing out of the sea on the slopes of hills, islands, an enormous boat sailing the fjords on its way to the open sea... Walking down from here was a little tricky, also because there was no real path and I was treading very wet territory. Once back at the lake, I followed a real path, passing some more quiet lakes, before I reached a small road leading me back to the outskirts of Bergen.

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Mount Fløyen hiking (Norway)

Mount Fløyen hiking > Norway > Europe

[Visited: September 2007 and several times before]

Around the World in 80 Clicks