Beneath, through cotton wool clouds tipped with sun, the first sight of water. Islands floating, joined by bridges or not, dotted with dwellings or not. Was that a sailing ship, tall-masted, that I saw, or just another cloud, forming and shining like a hologram before melting away?
The boat leaves the harbour with its Hanseatic houses, wood painted in ochre and red. Warm colours that belie the cool air. People crowding the quay grow smaller until the scene could be a Bruegel painting, tiny figures playing out tiny lives.
Fjords made by glacial melt cut through ravines where sheer rocks rise whilst water springs from the top, falling in rivulets like living lace.
Atlantic salmon, char, haddock and herring swim deep beneath the black surface. Here and there small settlements appear like mirages on strips of startling green. A church, perhaps, some houses and a tiny school. Idyllic in the sun, but the hard winters come bringing isolation in the wind.
Mountains, deep forested, deep green. A funicular railway climbs to its steep peak. Tourists pause to take pictures of Bergen from on high, many placing themselves in shot, blocking the expansive view before they tumble back down the mountain. There’s a quiet path to the lake through forests, damp mosses glimmering through the tall pines, streams gently burbling as they flow. A magical place for trolls, dwarves and elves of folklore. The lake reflects the sky and its surface throngs with water fowl, their sharp cries cutting through the still air.
Descending then to the city, compact and quaint, lived-in but echoing with history. A trading port, cod liver oil and fish in exchange for grain. Ravaged by fires and rebuilt each time until old and new mingled in contented harmony.
Mary you write so beautifully and lyrically .
Garden Cottage by the Sea , Ireland
Thank you Mairead for your lovely comment. So good to hear from you. My niece is in Westport at the moment so that brought back happy memories of our stay in your beautiful garden cottage. Xx
Really fun to see your take on Bergen and Osterfjord, as I believe the photos from the fjord are from. Lovely photos – and I am really happy you got to experience a rare sunny city. 🙂
Thanks Otto. We can’t wait to come back. It was such a beautiful place.
Ah, Bergen. I went there as a student and lived on Ryvita and tinned sardines for a few days. The Oslo rail route is one of the world’s greats.
We were just plotting our return last weekend.
Magical.
Oh, you will love it now you can eat more than tinned fish! Enjoy.
Hello, Mary! As ‘Mairead quinn’ said, You write prose like Poetry! Sounds good. And very Beautiful photographs! Kudos and Regards. 🙂
Thank you so much Swamiyesudas. I found Bergen really inspirational. Glad you liked it.
Thank You, my Dear Mary! 🙂