Scandinavia with Kids: Bergen, Norway

Day 5: Mt. Fløyen 
We had planned out our walking route from our Airbnb through Bergen to the Fløibanen (funicular that took us up the side of the mountain) to maximize scenery. E started taking photos of us a lot on this trip which was a neat 'getting older' milestone.

At the top of the mountain was a great overlook and park as well as a troll themed hiking trail.

E had learned about the Three Billy Goats Gruff story at school right before going on our trip and once there we learned it's a Norwegian fairy tale! We played out the story on this bridge.

We hiked for 1.5 hours at the top of the mountain and also hiked down the mountain instead of paying for a second ride on the Fløibanen. Needless to say the boys were tired and Andrew ended up carrying them both.

Day 6: Tour of Bryggen
This was something on Andrew's list of things to do. We had a walking tour of the historical Hanseatic wharf. It was very informative and the boys did well to stay relatively quiet and listen to the information.

We had learned about the Hanseatic League of merchant guilds and market towns that started in the 1100s for the first time last year in Lübeck, Germany. It was interesting to learn about it from another country's perspective and to see how it shaped this area's history.

Day 7: Norway in a Nutshell Tour
While we made the best of this day, it's not what we were hoping for and wouldn't recommend this tour to other families with young kids. It's better for people travelling without a car who want to get from one side of the country (Bergen) to the other (Oslo) and happen to see some beautiful scenery and if they have internet connection, learn a bit about the country as they go. There are no tour guides, and no one to help with connections.

We travelled by train, bus and ferry for an ~12 hour day. Bergen-->Voss-->Gudvangen-->Nærøyfjord-->Flam-->Sognefjord. The weather was cloudy and rainy most of the day, but the sun did peak out for an hour or so.

Day 8: Gamle Bergen Museum and VilVite Science Centre

In the morning we headed to the Old Town Gamle Bergen Museum to spend a couple hours exploring homes from different periods of Norwegian history, played with some old toys and enjoyed some great views.

We drove 'home' and then walked our packed lunch to the park neighbouring VilVite Science Centre. We like visiting science museums/children's museums on trips as there is always so much to do and it's fun to see the kids engaging in learning.

One travelling/parenting tip is to leave lots of room to be spontaneous and jump in to the child ego state with your children as often as you can. E wanted to jump across the fountains to the statue in the middle. Our initial parental reaction was "We're tired and just want to get home after a busy day" but I caught myself being cranky, got his shoes and socks off and goofily helped him jump over the water. Little moments like these are the reason we do trips as a family.

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Scandinavia with Kids: Aarhus, Denmark
Scandinavia with Kids: Bergen, Norway
Scandinavia with Kids: Stavanger, Norway
Scandinavia with Kids: Oslo, Norway
Scandinavia with Kids: Sweden Pit Stop
Scandinavia with Kids: Copenhagen, Denmark