Bergen, City of Hills! (Tribute to a lovely city!)

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A city on a hilltop cannot be hidden! 
But this city is not on a hilltop 
Bergen is at the bottom of hills 
Pressed from all sides by rugged hills 
That lie like sleeping giants. 
Visitors stand in awe of them. 
Beloved by the children of the city 
Who walk not but run up and down 
The rugged slopes all day nonstop!



Read: Village Boy Impressions - My First Snow

 Ah Bergen! What a city!
I should never tire
Of gazing at the little houses
The red, yellow, white homes
That litter the quiet valleys
Stretching into cracks and crevices
Strewn along the slopes of countless hills
From whose tops countless lakes lie.
A visit to Bergen is incomplete
Without a hike up the seven sleeping giants
Fløien the beloved and Lydderhorn
Blumanen, Rudermanen, Sanvidkfjellet
Løvstakken with the spectacular view
And Ulriken that towers above them all!
Up their slopes all day long
Not one of them is ever lonely
For day and night natives and visitors
Crawl up and down their rugged slopes
For pleasure or sports.

 Read: Village Boy Impressions - Lines Written on A Rainy Day in Bergen



The fearful clinging onto rails and rocks
Sweating blood and bleeding tears
But all must reach the summit!
Never compete with a local though
For they walk not but run or ride
Up and down without rest or respite
Neither rain nor shine deters them
For they are the sons of the soil
And the daughters of the hills.


How could you not love this city
Of the seven mountains?
If in doubt wait for the summer
And try the seven-mountain hike
Men, women, young, old, weak, and strong
Come out to try all seven in a day
All going at their own sweet will and pace
Without speeding clocks
To raise the blood pressure
And the heart rate
Everyone is a winner in their own right.


But the city is the first winner!
Winning the hearts and souls of all
Even them that complain nonstop
About the rain and the damp
Are glad to drop their mumblings
At the burst of a sunny day
In order to run up and down a hill
And savour the victory and the view
That lifts the very soul to heaven!

A city on a hilltop cannot be hidden
But it is hard not to love
A city built in the valley between hills
It is impossible not to love Bergen!





Read another interesting poem about Bergen city here
Location: Bergen, Norway

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