Bergen is the kind of city that makes you pack the waterproofs first and the camera second, and then makes you glad you did both. Seven hills stand around a sheltered harbour, the Atlantic sends in rain on most days of the year, and in between the showers the light comes through so cleanly that the painted houses on the slopes seem lit from inside. About two hundred thousand people live here, and it is a lively, slightly stubborn place that thinks of itself as the real capital of western Norway.
Tradition dates the founding to 1070, and for a time in the thirteenth century this was the seat of the Norwegian kings. Later came the Hanseatic merchants and the stockfish trade, and then the shipping and the offices that still define the economy. The composer Edvard Grieg was born here and lived out of town at Troldhaugen, where you can see his little composing hut by the water. A cable car climbs Ulriken, the highest of the seven mountains, and a funicular climbs Fløyen, and both are worth it on a clear evening.
As a starting point for a long motorcycle day, Bergen has its trials and its rewards. Getting out means using the tunnels and the toll ring, with traffic that thickens badly at rush hour, so leave early or late. Once clear, the E16 climbs towards Voss through a valley of lakes and waterfalls, with long bends, short tunnels and plenty of trucks. Then you are into the fjord country proper, where the roads follow water, cross on ferries and tunnel through mountains, and a day that looks short on the map turns out to be very long in the saddle.
Fuel and food are no problem in the city, with stations on all sides, and you should fill up before the long run east, since the villages beyond Voss are further apart. For breakfast try a cinnamon bun, called a skillingsbolle locally, and for the road take a thermos and a waterproof.
The weather is the real character. A morning can start with drizzle and clear by lunch, or the reverse, and the fjords can be wrapped in cloud and then reveal themselves all at once. May and June are often the driest and brightest months, while September brings clear light and fewer visitors. Whatever the forecast says, expect a shower, and carry on.