Day two in Bergen began with a ride on the Fløibanen funicular, a cable railway system that connects points along a steep slope, to Mt. Fløyen. The start of the album shows the view of Bergen from the Mt. Fløyen lookout, and the trail photos are from our hike around Mt. Blåmanen on the Blåmanen Loop trail.
Our hike started in rocky, wooded terrain that was significantly more challenging to traverse due to the previous night’s rainfall, which left many rocks slippery and the path muddy. There was only one other couple hiking this particular path, while most others kept to the gravel trails, admittedly missing out on some of the best views. Once we passed most of the steep climbs, the view opened up, revealing the surrounding mountains and stunning vistas of Bergen.
Total Hike Time: 3 hrs 10 mins
Elevation Gain: 1,243 ft
Length: 4.43 mi
Hike Direction: Counter-clockwise
During World War II, the Germans built an anti-aircraft battery on Mt. Blåmanen. After the war, the battery was used by the Norwegian military until 1952, when the guns were dismantled and moved to Kopåsbatteriet in the Oslo fjord. We stood atop one of these bunkers and snapped a picture of what remains. Two additional images show an aerial photo from 1951, when most of the buildings from World War II were still in place, but the gun positions seemed to be covered by a pyramid-like structure. By 2005, the gun positions had been filled with stone, and most of the remains of the buildings had long gone.