The rain did stop in Bergen and we had a lovely day. It's a lovely city. Radisson ran a shuttle from the pier to the city but it's only about a ten minute walk. On the way into town you pass the Bergenhus fortress. Most of it is a reconstruction from the 19th century and the rest was rebuilt after WW2. The stone tower called Rosenkrantztarnet does have some of its original stone work dating from the 13th century.

Bryggen is the original settlement of Bergen built by the Hanseatic merchants. Most of it was built in the early 1700s following a disastrous fire but they used the original medieval plans. Be sure to go down the alleys between the buildings to get a sense of the place. There are a lot of troll/pewter/sweater stores here, but also some really nice galleries and craft stores. Some of the best shopping is in the little back alleys.

The Hanseatic Museum is at the end of the Bryggen wooden buildings – it's worth a stop if you need to get out of the rain. It's basically a well preserved merchant's house that gives you a sense of how the upper class lived.

There's a pretty church called the Mariakirken which is the oldest building in Bergen. Parts of it date from the 12th century. It's basically gothic but does have an elaborate pulpit and alter put in by the Hanseatic traders.

The Floibanen funicular (60kr return) is worth a ride as you have spectacular views over the city. You can walk down but it's a rather steep path and can be very slippery if it's been raining.

The Torget has the fish market which is not to be missed. There are piles of fresh fish, smoked fish, prawns, lobsters etc. Also some very tasty fish soup and sandwiches are available from the various vendors – probably the only bargains in all of Bergen!

We had a lovely dinner with Sandra Bowern in Latitudes on Wednesday evening. The menu is Asian inspired – not to everyone's taste but we enjoyed it.

Thursday brought perfect weather for our trip to Nevlunghavn. It's a picture postcard perfect fishing village. The local high school band played for each tender and got a tour of the ship in return. They served fish soup on the pier and then provided buses for the ride to the Captain's house. His wife Christina greeted every single visitor to their home. I don't know of many wives who will entertain 600 people for champagne and cake in their garden! It's only about a 10 minute walk to his home through the town and there are great views to the harbor with the ship anchored off shore.

This was a perfect end to a wonderful trip. We are in Copenhagen now to begin the trip back home to Boston – I'll post pictures when I return home.