He said, “Bergen is at the top of my list. I think it is a must.”

She muttered, “Ugh, it is cold and really what it there to do there anyway?”

I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Staying there for two weeks proved to be a test in my ability to deal with the cold and (shockingly!) very different foods.

• Definitely wander around town and see the row of tilting houses.

• Definitely take the vehicular to the top for amazing views and for the kids park (one of the best we encountered) with a gnome forest!

• Definitely head to the Bryggen Fish market and try reindeer and whale.

• Definitely take the Flam Railway to the fjords, definitely! Do the safari tour.

And get your kiddos excited about this amazing place with these 3 stories!

1. We explored the most beautiful fjord in all of Norwary-  Sogn og Fjordane. On the way we stopped at the Naeroyfjord. The two were where the movie Frozen was based on which is literally frozen in the winters. This town got its first road in the 80’s and up until that point the only way to arrive was by boat. The primary trade of the residence (there are 60, is goat cheese) as they have 300 goats. The children in the town take a boat for elementary and middle school and live elsewhere for high school. There was a small area next to this where there is a bed and breakfast with a two year wait list that can only be reached by a hike up which is easier than the ladder they used to throw down for guests. This experience was more than I could have imagined. The scenery and waterfalls were breathtaking. Everywhere you turned was beautiful and something with the cold, mountain air on your skin and hair blowing from the speed of the boat. Magical.

2. On talking with a woman one day, she had told us that many of the trails we hiked were made by the Germans in their invasion during WWII. They would haul the soldiers to overlook the city and decide their plan of attack. Her family lived on an island not far off the coast and had one of the only cars on the island. The Germans would come knocking on their door asking about a car but they buried it with leaves in the forest and told them they didn't have one.

3. Halfway through the Flam Railway trip we stopped at a stunning waterfall in Myrdal where the story of the mountain witch came out and a women was singing from the mountain. And out comes a witch, singing on the mountaintop. It was eerie and glorious all at once.

Ha det Norway!

xoxo- Jess