When I found myself in Bergen for a couple of weeks, without much of a plan, I decided to visit the tourism office for a few ideas. While I was there, I picked up a Bergen card, which allowed me entrance to attractions all over the city, including the Bergen Aquarium.

As an admitted animal enthusiast, it didn’t take much convincing to get me to walk across the city centre to make my way over to the aquatic attraction.

Immediately upon entering the main gates, I spotted them.

PENGUINS! I literally screamed and ran toward them, likely scaring my friends and the other visitors standing outside.

A group of penguins were standing atop a large rock that was encircled by a cool, blue pool. The aquarium was lucky enough to have welcomed five new baby penguins this year (the ones in yellow), two from their most senior couple.

We watched as the group was fed a healthy diet of raw fish from their trainer, who supplied us with interesting facts in both Norwegian and English. Turns out that the aquarium actually holds the record for the world’s oldest penguin, which you can find inside the main lobby.

Before heading inside, we also watched the seal show, and the sea lion feeding. The seals were like acrobats in the water, fetching balls and leaping into the air. The pack of sea lions were impressive with their massive size and ability to move so quickly. We stood mesmerized by both for quite some time.

Making our way inside, we headed straight to the snake room. Glass cases lined the room, each holding one reptile more fascinating than the last. As we strolled around the viewing area, we were approached by a Norwegian news channel crew which was doing a story about snakes, and they filmed us taking photos of the snakes.

Read the story and watch the video here. I appear around minute 1:30!

I was taking the following photo, and saying:

“Oh, so that’s where I left my bowl of snake”

We spent some more time wandering around the reptile habitat, admiring their shiny scales and oohing and aahing over the unique colourful ones. There were also small crocodiles, lizards, alligators and spiders.

Next, we headed into the fish and ocean-life area of the aquarium, located downstairs. There were countless rooms and tanks, creating a maze through the basment of the building. Window after window, we slowly made our way through the dark halls, eventually leading to a large and brightly lit aquatic tunnel.

The hallway lead through an arched aquarium where we became surrounded by swimming fish and swooping sharks. It was hard not to get caught up in the dream-world, but we finally made out way to the last room.

As a fun finale to the day, we were greeted by a case of tiny silky monkeys, two of which are twins that were born this summer. These silly little monkeys talk with facial expressions and sound just like people.

It was a great way to spend the day in Bergen, and I definitely recommend a visit if you find yourself in Bergen!

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Thanks to Visit Bergen for the Bergen Card!