There is clearly a lot to do in and around Bergen, one of the most touristic cities in Norway. But since we don't have unlimited time or money, we were only able to do a few things.

Maybe not the most touristy thing to do, but sailing into the harbour of Bergen with our own boat was clearly a highlight for us. After tying up the boat, we went for a walk around the city. Reto had been here 13 years ago, travelling with his backpack, but for me, it was the first time in Bergen. It's interesting how little can change in a city over such a long time, while at the same time, so much can change in a person's life. Thirteen years ago, Reto would never have dreamed that one day he would sail his own boat into the harbour of Bergen.

The next day, we packed our backpack and set off to climb Stoltzekleiven, a steep trail with around 900 steps leading up towards Sandviksfjellet where you can look over the city of Bergen. From there, we continued through the forest towards the more touristy viewpoint of Fløyen.

On our third evening in the city, there was a big World Cup football match between Norway and France. The whole city was wearing Norwegian jerseys and cheering for their team. Although Norway lost 1–4, the celebrations seemed to continue all night. The motorboat behind us was still partying at 6 am, making sure that we couldn't sleep.

We really enjoyed our days in the city, but especially after that last evening, we were looking forward to some quiet time and nights at anchor, and where better to go for that then in to a massiv fjord?

We left Bergen and headed towards the Sognefjord, with about 205km it is the longest and deepest fjord in Norway. It is absolutely enormous and incredibly impressive, especially when you sail into it with your little 12m sailboat. We had some epic sailing days as we made our way into the fjord, but the highlight was probably the very narrow Nærøyfjord, which eventually led us to Gudvangen.

In Gudvangen, we visited the Viking village of Njardarheimr, a reconstructed living-history Viking village with more than 20 buildings. The name Njardarheimr means "the home dedicated to the Norse god Njord", which is very fitting, because the Nærøyfjord is named after Njord, the Norse god associated with the sea, wind, sailing, fishing and wealth. We had a lot of fun exploring the village and learning more about how people may have lived during the Viking Age.

We were even able to talk to the Jarl of the village, the leader and one of the people behind this unique place. After our visit, we had a quick boat-reality check and fitted our storm sail so we would know exactly how to attach it in case we ever need to use it.

after that, the cats got a great hike to a nearby waterfall and before we went to bed, we collected some flowers as an offering to Njord. We asked him to protect our boat and crew and to give us fair winds on our journey.

Before leaving the Sognefjord, we had one more amazing stop in Holen, where we stayed for a day and enjoyed a beautiful hike through the surrounding landscape. It was wonderful to have some solitude after the busy days in Bergen and Gudvangen.

The next morning, I received a very sad phone call from my dad. He told me that my grandfather had passed away.

These are definitely the moments when, on the one hand, I am very thankful to be travelling and seeing the world, because you never know when you might not be able to anymore. On the other hand, I felt guilty and sad that I couldn't be with my family during this difficult time.

Thankfully, my whole family was very understanding and supportive of my decision not to travel home for the funeral. Instead, I took some time to think about all the memories and love I was lucky enough to share with my grandfather. That evening, we drank a glass of wine and raised a toast to him, because he loved wine, and winemaking had been a big part of his life.

In our next blog, we will continue travelling north. Don't miss it!

Day 74: Bekkjarvik NO - Bergen NO