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8.32am – We’re nearly there now! The sea was very rough overnight but it’s very calm now as we approach Bergen from the North.

8.45am – We’re just getting ready to go now and deciding how many layers to wear. I’ve just stepped out onto our balcony and it’s not too cold. I think we’re going to be extremely lucky with the weather today; apparently Bergen is one of Europe’s rainiest cities with approximately 195 days of rain each year. That sounds pretty much like anywhere in the UK as far as I’m concerned!

10.02am – We’ve arrived!Following a sumptuous breakfast in The Grill we’re now waiting for a disembarkation announcement in The Britannia Lounge. Our first impressions of Bergen are very positive. The buildings look really attractive. Oh yes, and I’ve spared you the latest set of food pictures!

11.48am – We’re at the top of Mount Floyen at the moment, having come up on the funicular railway. The views are breathtaking and the silence is awesome. We can’t believe how lucky we are with today’s weather.

Yesterday I mentioned some of the culinary treats we had been advised to look out for. Here is an image of Helen with her number one choice: a cinnamon bun.

2.53pm – We’re having a cold drink in cafe in Bergen following a really interesting two-hour guided bus tour of the city. We’ve got another two and a half hours before we need to be back aboard the ship so we’re going to have a look in the fish market and then the tourist shops in Bryggen, which is the famous row of brightly-coloured wooden buildings along the waterfront.

These buildings date from the days of the Hanseatic League and were formally the solo preserve of the influential German merchants who largely controlled the league’s trade.

BTW: We’re taking a great deal of photos today, both on our phones and on our ‘proper’ cameras. It’ll take me some time to download and organise them all, but it’s my intention to put a curated selection on the Gallery page of the blog. I may have time to do that on our next sea-day, (if there’s sufficient time between meals, of course!).

3.25pm – We’ve come into a (semi open-air) restaurant in Bergen’s famous fish market for a bite to eat – well, breakfast was a long time ago now!

Spoiler alert: food photos to follow!

5.05pm – We’re back on the ship now, having visited a few of the Bryggen tourist shops during our walk back to the ship.

Sadly, we’ll be departing from here in the next hour or so, but I can honestly say that Bergen is absolutely beautiful and we could easily have spent several days here alone. Of course, the magnificent weather today has added greatly to our enjoyment of the city and will have undoubtedly coloured our attitudes. Perhaps six feet of snow and only about five hours of daylight during the Winter months might lessen the appeal!

Incidentally, I blogged earlier that the British gentleman who gave the presentation about Norway and Bergen yesterday had stated that Bergen received about 195 days of rain per annum. Today’s tour guide informed us it was about 230. However, he was Italian, so he may not be any better informed than the British man! All I can definitively say is that there were an awful lot of waterproof clothing items and umbrellas on sale in the tourist shops!

9.55pm – Dinner in The Grand Dining Room was really good. You may be relieved to learn that I forgot to photograph our main courses or desserts though! All is not lost – I did manage to take a photo of the starter which we both had…

Helen’s main was Pork Tenderloin with a prune and apricot stuffing whilst I had a huge piece of Halibut with buttered spinach, carrots and white radish. Both were delicious and very well received. Next Helen had a selection of cheeses with a glass of port whilst I had a crème brûlée. Coffees and Petit Fours rounded out a great dinner. So, no photos but a lengthy description of our meal instead! (Is that even more annoying Dr Williams??)

10.03pm – We’ve just worked-out all the logistics of our visit to Flam tomorrow. Once again we’re doing two separate excursions, so a degree of forward-planning has been necessary. Unlike today where we could just walk off the ship, we’re being taken ashore by tender tomorrow, so that should be a bit exciting in itself!

The BBC weather app has never heard of Flam, but the weather in Bergen is likely to be a bit less sunny than today, if that’s any kind of indicator (Flam is quite another farther North of Bergen though). However, after the glorious sunshine we’ve had today we’ll be more forgiving if the weather isn’t so good tomorrow.

10.18pm – We’re up quite early tomorrow so we’re not staying up late tonight. Here is our current position as we we get ready for bed: