The penguins in front of me hopped into the small lagoon that had been built for them and zoomed away swiftly, flying through the water of their enclosure, popping up and out on occasion.
This was the highlight of the Bergen Aquarium. I really liked the penguins a lot – their exuberance was truly a joy to watch.
But I’m getting ahead of myself . The day started with a visit to the Medieval Bergenhus Fortress, dating from 1240. It stands at the mouth of the harbor and has two primary attractions: Rosenkrantz Tower and Haakon’s Hall, the only two remaining structures dating from that era.
Rosenkrantz Tower dates back to 1270 when it was constructed as a defensive tower. Later, in the 1500s, it was incorporated into the larger tower that we recognize today, including living quarters and the dungeon.
This was the chapel.
And this is the view from the top of the tower. Notice the low lying clouds here? If you hadn’t guessed it was a rainy day, which drove me inside much of the day. I would have gone to the museum, but today was a Monday, and the museums here are closed on Monday.
Near the center of that photo is Haakon’s Hall, which was constructed during the reign of King Håkon Håkonsson in the 13th century. The structure includes a basement, middle level, and hall. According to Wikipedia, the architect may have been English, as this type of construction was not typical for this area.
The hall is a grandiose space, and was reportedly one of the inspirations for the Harry Potter movies. I am intrigued that the hall is still in use for concerts and for banquets. I always find it somehow satisfying when old structures like this still are in active use today, and not just as big museums.
It wasn’t quite time for lunch when I left the hall, but I wan’t feeling great so stopped for Reindeer sausage (salt!) on my way to the hostel for a brief nap. The sausage was delicious, and the toppings of mustard, jam, and fried onions were perfect. I think I may start putting fried onions on my hot dogs at home – they are an underrated condiment.
In the afternoon I went to the aquarium. I find aquaria to be … interesting. They often crop up in tourist destinations, and I guess give us something to do when other options are closed. I get the sense they are built with great excitement, but often feel a bit neglected in the end.
This one was no different.
Often they have a random collection of fish, so I appreciated that they featured some of the local fauna here. This is a wolf fish – which I would later see offered on the menu at a restaurant.
I was disappointed that the otters weren’t playing, however (this was their enclosure). And only one seal could be seen swimming around.
This crocodile is definitely not a local. He kept one eye open and fixed on me as I stared back through the glass.
The curators here made other interesting choices, leaving me to wonder at the definition of aquarium. There were two random terraria for tarantulas, neither of which I could find, as well as a terrarium for hissing cockroaches who also couldn’t be seen.
Curiously, they had a large collection of other cockroaches. That terrarium wasn’t very well sealed, with a sizable gap between the glass panes of the door, which led me to wonder how many baby cockroaches had escaped.
This terrarium housed a poison dart frog. They accumulate poison by eating insects in their home environment, so this guy wasn’t poisonous.
The afternoon was dying as I left the aquarium. Little had changed: the sky was still grey and the day had grown chill, with a fine mist of drizzle about me. I pulled my light rain jacket tight about my body and headed toward evening and a warm dinner for my belly.
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