Bergen

I am drawn to faraway places.

Bergen, five thousand miles from home, qualifies. While Bergen is known as the gateway to the fjords, there are simpler, and far more accessible, pleasures much closer to City Center. Wake up early. Go for a morning run through the Fish Market, past the row of Hansa houses on the Bryggen, along the coast road to Old Bergen, and back to your hotel, to enjoy a hearty breakfast buffet, with gravlax, thin Norwegian pancakes, topped with lingonberry, and, of course, coffee. Stop by the local supermarket, perhaps Rema 1000, and pack a lunch, with cold cuts, cheese, fresh bread, and plenty of water. Start walking toward Floyen, but, if you can, skip the funicular, the Floibanen, and hike, for a mile or two, up the mountain (but at a reasonable incline) to the Troll Forest (pictured above). With each turn, the view of Bergen…