20260607 Sunday, June 7, 2026 Bergen City Tour and Sail Away
Ben got up to get a run in at 6 a.m. in the fitness center. The sky does not seem to darken much at night this time of year and at this latitude, so keeping the blackout drapes pulled over the balcony sliding doors is necessary to sleep. At that hour, there were 3 other passengers doing cardio on the treadmills and elliptical machines, but there were plenty of machines available so there was no waiting. The fitness center staff do a nice job of keeping equipment clean and ready for workouts. They even put a fresh towel and sealed water bottle on each machine when they can.
We met with Mark and Jan for breakfast in the restaurant. We enjoy leisurely breakfasts there because it is the only place you can get lamb chops and eggs for breakfast, as well as all the usual suspects including eggs benedict. They did a perfect preparation on both the eggs and lamb chops.
After breakfast, our room stewards were still not quite done with the room, so we wandered up to Mamsen’s for coffee, tea, and pastries while exploring the Explorer’s lounge. The Neptune does not have a planetarium like its predecessors the Orion and Jupiter had, but due to mechanical issues, both the Orion and Jupiter will probably have their planetariums removed in the future. The upstairs of the Explorer’s lounge has more utility as lounge space rather than an out-of-order planetarium space.
There is a very unusual ship berthed near the Viking Neptune. It is one of very few CO2 bulk carrier ships which are used to transfer CO2 from industrial production sites to deep earth injection sites for “permanent” storage to help ameliorate rising CO2-induced global climate change.
It is powered by LNG to reduce its inherent CO2 footprint, and also has supplemental wind power through the use of a rotor sail or Flettner rotor. These are large vertical columns that generate lift when the wind blows around the rotating cylindrical column. These columns rotate in a direction and speed dictated by the prevailing wind direction and which way the desired thrust vector needs to be. Minimal energy is required to cause the column to spin, while the lift generated by the differential wind speed on opposite sides of the spinning column generates propulsive force like a sail that can reduce cruising energy consumption by up to 25%.
Ben wandered off the ship for a bit to get a closer look at this ship and to explore the Bergenhus Fortress, which is situated right at the head of the pier where the Viking Neptune is berthed. There is an imposing-looking tower which was open. The interior is accessed via very narrow and steep winding stone staircases. It is a smaller version of London’s Tower.
After returning to the ship, we had a quick lunch at the poolside grill. Ben got the Asian chicken wings and found these to be different than what we had on the Viking Orion. These wings were completely sauced, while on the Viking Orion, they were served dry with the sauce on the side to be drizzled or dipped, which was less messy. Fortunately, they do provide robust single-use wipes to deal with the mess.
Janet had a cheese steak with onion rings and Ben also had a hot dog with fries.
The weather had improved steadily since our arrival in Bergen. There was no rain, and the sun actually came out through cloud breaks, pushing the temperature into the 60s. There was also no wind, so it was a very comfortable day to walk around Bergen.
Our inclusive Viking Bergen tour was a Bergen Panorama tour which took us on a bus past the sites within easy walking distance from the ship and on to sites on the opposite side of the Bergen inner harbor in the Nordnes neighborhood. Our first stop was a wharf with a nice view of the Bryggen UNESCO World Heritage site with a nice backdrop of the hills behind and a funicular tram visible. There was also a nice view of the ship tied up across the harbor.
We then toured the Nykirken, or New Church, which despite its name, was consecrated in 1622. It was built on the site of other churches which had stood for already centuries old, but had burned down. So at the time, that name was appropriate.
Even the current church was completely rebuilt in 1764 after it too had burned down. Since 2002, it has been used with a special emphasis on children and young families, earning it a new title as the Children’s Cathedral. We started with a tour of ancient foundations in the basement. It was kind of spooky down there—very reminiscent of the catacombs beneath Paris. Upstairs, the church is bright and welcoming, with a modern brightly colored mobile suspended from the roof along with an angle who serves as a baptismal font.
Bergen’s Nordnes neighborhood has a steep hillside with crisscrossing roads not entirely unlike San Francisco’s Lombard Street, which we just got a peek at as we drove past. Other alleys are just very narrow and steep.
The bus took us to Bergenhus where we took a walk along the park between the national theater’s Henrik Ibsen statue and the Festplassen, where there was an open-air car show going on.
There is a large fountain in the center of Smålungeren lake, a man-made lake that has hosted wakeboarding competitions.
There are a number of tributes to the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, including statues and a concert hall and music college in his name in Bergen.
The bus then took us past the train station where we had gotten off when we arrived from Oslo before making our final stop, which was at the Bryggen, the Hanseatic League buildings that are a UNESCO World Heritage site and postcard face of Bergen to the world. We had some time to wander through alleys between the buildings which showcase some very interesting and historic woodwork and improvisational architecture.
We were returned to the ship in time for afternoon tea as the ship left and sailed away from Bergen. It was interesting to see some deep-sea platforms and aquaculture in the waters around Bergen.
The whole group had dinner together at the Chef’s Table. Mark and Jan had shown up first and got seated along with Doug and Sandy. When Ben and Janet arrived, the head waiter was unable to find a reservation for our stateroom or name, and while Ben was trying to pull up documentation of our reservation on the Viking app, Janet had disappeared. The waiter was about to turn Ben away until a waitress came back to the head waiter and said a party of 6 was looking for a missing member, so she took Ben back and it was our table. Janet had wandered back and sat with everyone else. Apparently, once a table gets seated, the reservation gets erased from the system, so that’s why Ben and the head waiter were unable to find our reservation.
The menu for the night was inspired by the East Indies. This started with a carrot & cardamom cream amuse-bouche, which was an interesting contrast of textures, flavors, and appearance. It looked a lot like it should have tasted sweet, but instead was like tasting a bowl of savory soup but with an airy texture.
The first course was spicy tuna tataki seasoned with Sichuan peppercorns, coriander, and sesame which had a bit of an exotic twist to basic seared tuna.
After a palate-cleansing ginger and tarragon granita with lemon foam, the main course was perfectly prepared medium-rare beef tenderloin with 4 warm spices that were fork-tender and seasoned with paprika, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon.
Dessert was an apple tart with a gelled apple compote presented on a flaky buttery cookie with a dash of whipped cream. It was a novel twist on apple pie à la mode.
The evening’s entertainment was kicked off with a round of trivia in the Explorer’s lounge. It was here that we learned that we are booked on only a very short segment of a much longer cruise that started in Amsterdam and will end up in Boston. There were several trivia teams set up from the earlier segments of the cruise, with a similar number of new teams formed by people who had also just embarked on the ship today. Our traveling group of six was a perfect size for a trivia team. The trivia was hosted by Amy, the assistant cruise director, who is a very talented singer from the UK. Out of 15 questions, we got 14 correct and won outright, earning a round of mimosas for our group.
Shortly afterwards, a welcome reception was held in the Star Theater where the ship’s officers and entertainment staff were introduced. Amy, our trivia host, did a solo vocal number, demonstrating her vocal prowess with a Norah Jones number backed by the band. The two male and two female vocalists did a medley of songs from the 50s, and they all seem quite talented. They are all from the UK. The cruise director is actually the only crew member who is American, and he comes from Florida.
Tomorrow morning, the ship arrives at Eidsdal, Norway, where it will anchor offshore and use tenders to get passengers ashore. Our inclusive excursion is in the early afternoon, so we’ll be able to sleep in, unless we want to go ashore earlier to wander around for a bit.
