If you are on a budget just have a coffee or beer and watch the world go past your table. Play a good game of guess the tourists nationality as they pass you. If you are watching the pennies find somewhere away from the harbour to eat. The already high Norwegian food prices are inflated even more because it is a tourist area.

We found that the standard of food in a lot of Norwegian restaurants was poor. It was not imaginative or very well presented. What was really annoying was the cost which was normally double what you would pay in any other European city. There are many fast food shops that offer better value for money. You don't really come to Norway for its reasonably priced meals because they do not exist.

Because of the buildings being made of wood and how close they are too each other there have been a number of dramatic fires that have left many of the buildings destroyed. They were quickly rebuilt with local Norwegian pine so trading to continue without interruption. The fire of 1476 spread quickly and the whole area was raised to the ground. There was another devastating fire in 1702 but again the town was quickly rebuilt.

There are a diverse range of shops that now occupy the wooden German merchant warehouses on the quay side of Bergen harbour. They range from the tacky tourist souvenir shops to the art and craft Norwegian Lace shops. There has never been a big lace industry in Norway. It was one of those commodities that was normally imported and then incorporated into local designed bed and table linen as well as clothing. The photograph below is shows the wonderful skill that went into making these items.

Travel books