he Bergen Aquarium - Akvariet in Norway

One of the places I really enjoyed visiting was the Bergen Aquarium. It was not like most tourist Aquariums. It tried to teach the visitor about the North Sea as well as entertain them. I was amazed at the large tanks full of herring.

Shoal of herring

I just sat and watched how they moved through the water as one entity. This is the sort of exhibit that you do not see in other aquariums. They are the stable food of the Norwegian costal seals and orca killer whales.

You can get up close with harbour seals. There are different species of live cod on display. I normally only see these in batter in a fish and chip shop. There are over 50 aquarium large tanks lining the wall. They state that the Bergen Aquarium needs 1,000,000 litres of clean seawater pumped into the complex each day.

It is these sorts of favourable conditions and attention to detail that allows the Aquarium to be able to keep a shoal of herring happy and healthy. There are some more unusual Norwegian coastal fish on display like anglerfish, catfish, piked dog fish, lobster and the small spotted catshark.

Harbour seals

There are also more exotic species on display like the dinner suited waddling Gentoo penguins, silk monkeys, snakes and crocodiles. There is now a glass shark tunnel. It is six metres long and enables you to view these fearsome hunters from underneath in the depths. Have a look at the daily events board to find out the feeding times.

It only takes about 20 minutes to walk to the Bergen Aquarium form the Fish Market but it may take a bit longer as you are walking through the Nordnes peninsula area of Bergen that is full of pretty buildings. You may have to stop to take photographs or have a cup of coffee and munch on a cake at a local cafe.

If you have problems walking up hills then take a taxi or get on the number 11 bus from the centre of Bergen or look out for the special shuttle bus. If you are healthy then I would really advise you walk there and back again choosing a different route along the Nordnes peninsula. Type in this street into Google maps to find its exact location 'Nordnesbakken 4, NO-5005 Bergen'.

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