I came to Bergen, nicknamed ‘the Gateway to the Fjords’. Bergen comes from the German word for mountains (seven of which surround the city) since the Hanseatic League monopolised the commerce and held sway in the city using Bryggen, the quaint German quay formerly known as Tyskebryggen, as their trading quarters.

It’s where the artist Munch has some fine examples of his work (in Kode 3) and where the resident composer Grieg is now honoured with his eponymous music hall. It encouraged me to attend a classical concert in the main square (Torgallmenningen) where the entire audience stood, noticeably and respectively still throughout the entire performance, as though in church. As for walking, Bergen is fantastically pedestrian-friendly, unbelievably easy to get about, and the back streets are refreshingly smart not dingy.

With such a natural harbour it’s no surprise what’s on the restaurant menus. Indeed, the whole area was built on cod and the classic Bergen dish is persetorsk where cod is first marinated in salt and sugar before being pressed. I was able to pick from the season’s best ingredients: from mussels and scallops, crawfish and crabs, prawns and the freshest of fish. I came off the famous Bryggen quayside, down a wooden corridor of former fish warehouses dating from 1702, before climbing a staircase to To Kokker (www.tokokker.no). Meaning ‘two chefs’ and under co-ownership with Enhjørningen, the neighbouring and oldest fish restaurant in town, To Kokker was formerly the living quarters for German merchants. It was like going into someone’s home, so warm-hearted and lived-in was this cabin, so private and personal was the vibe. I felt like it could have been any season and in any century among the net curtains and paintings hung in wonky fashion, the well-spaced tables, low ceilings and low lighting, the white wooden walls and sloping wooden floor. Intrigued by the carpaccio of elk, I nonetheless opted for the mussel soup with tomato and chorizo followed by ‘Fiske Duo’, a steamed salmon and halibut with pairing sauces, and then strawberries with rhubarb tart. The portions were a generous size and presented beautifully. So flavoursome and delicious. A happy time in a happy place.

Across the pedestrian area from the Opus XVI hotel, (www.opusxvi.no) that’s named after the piano concerto by composer Grieg and run by his descendants, is the other top hotel in Bergen, namely Bergen Bors Hotel (www.bergenbors.no/en, where rooms start from €167) and where I stayed. So central with its prime harbourside location, its class is trumpeted by two grand red-carpet entrances. Opened in 2017, it occupies the upper floors of the old neo-Renaissance stock exchange building. The 127 chic rooms with their modern Scandinavian design and trendy spotted carpets had everything I needed for a comfortable stay. The restaurant, with sheepskins on the seats and an exquisite menu, is the first in the city to have a Michelin star and the hotel’s other striking feature is Frescohallen where I had breakfast: a vast vaulted hall with Corinthian columns and painted murals of industrial scenes reminiscent of Diego Riviera.

To experience the magical and mysteriously dramatic scenery of the fjords in supreme style and comfort, I unreservedly recommend Captain Svein and See the Fjords (www.seethefjords.com), his enterprise expressed as a private custom fjord-cruise. Svein is a charming and highly competent captain who insists on staying in the background, occasionally to step forward to share his knowledge of the fjords and top up the Champagne glasses. Upstairs on this stunning 50 feet (15 metres) boat is a panoramic flybridge, on the aft deck a salon, and within an even larger salon. It’s pure luxury as Svein conducts his trips (stretching from 3 hours to 4 days, including tours of both Hardangerfjord and Sognefjord, sleeping six in immense comfort).

Norway is the land of waterfalls, with nine out of the world’s ten tallest, and nowhere else having as many. They leap from the top of huge cliffs, sending their immense spray a considerable distance. They act as nature’s veins or arteries; tearful lifelines of energy now tapped into and captured as electricity by the resourceful and eco-conscious Norwegians. Sitting on the aft of his boat, Svein took me to within touching distance of one cascading crescendo to playfully feel the spray from above. A baptismal moment.

For this day trip, I left Bergen inhaling the cool sea air of the morning as I traversed the North Sea up past long, narrow inlets with their steep cliffs offering vast chunks of granite: colourful with their many mazy striated shapes. The water then narrowed to a smallish river with its mesmerising ripple at Mostraumen. The wind sighed among the pines and the waterfalls murmured. The boat threaded an intricate maze of islands, resembling Koh Samui with trees growing on their rocks, as signs of human habitation emerged as well as elk, deer, swans and salmon farms. I disembarked for lunch at Mo, the halfway point: a quiet plateau with waterfalls on either side, like bookends or theatrical curtains unfolding. The whole experience was sublime and one for the romantics: so sacred and unspoilt, so profound. Svein declares convincingly that he “only has happy customers”.

Looking straight out over the harbour and the fish market towards Bryggen is Bjerck Restaurant (www.bjerck.no) which attracts a young crowd and it’s worth getting there early to command the best view. Named after the owner, it opened in 2018 and with such success that a sister restaurant called Engen will open later this year. With floor-to-ceiling windows, it’s extremely light and the vibe and furnishing is hip and cool. For within the warehouse interior, this bistro-cum-bar comes with velvet covered cushions and a sober colour scheme. Here I was to enjoy their famous dish Prinsefisk, comprising cod, asparagus, shrimps, creamy sauce, dill and potatoes, followed indulgently by the Noisette a hazelnut mousse, with praline and vanilla caramel.

Early the next morning I went with Go Fjords (www.gofjords.com) hopping on a bus from Bergen to get the most out of my day trip along Hardangerfjord on an open-deck catamaran. This took me past farms, orchards and mountains, and charming villages with their small harbours and their posh hotels. It stops at Norheimsund, Herand, Utne, Lofthus, Kinsarvik, Ulvik and Eidfjord. The serene, sturdy and majestic boat was comfy, with snacks from the kiosk, and I sat within or stood without accordingly to enjoy the fjord. At Eidfjord some went on to see the stunning Vøringsfossen waterfall. I chose to stretch my legs and look around the village and witnessed by chance, coming out of the church from a baptism, local men in their traditional dress of dark-blue knee-breeches with stockings of undyed wool, red shirt-sleeves and hats of grey felt, while the women wore bright red or green bodices, with beads in front, clean white linen sleeves, large white head-coverings and blue skirts trimmed with coloured braid.

The broad 187 km stretch that is Hardangerfjord is up to 1,200 metres deep. Most visit in the spring or summer when the trees are blossoming, waterfalls are roaring, and the trails are full of hikers. By autumn and winter the apple blossom has turned to juice and cider, the rushing waterfalls are frozen to ice, and the hiking trails are covered by snow. I smelt the aromatic woods of silver birch and pine and I paused for a moment just to appreciate the profound silence. In a pool nearby a fish rose to leave circling lines of light blue rippling on the surface of the sleeping water, thus accentuating the perfect stillness.

I got off at Norheimsund to stay at Thon Hotel Sandven, (www.thonhotels.com/our-hotels/norway/norheimsund) where rooms start from €146). This family concern needed the King’s blessing in 1857 to override local objection to open. Fantastically positioned beside the bus stop to Bergen and the terminus for the boat trips, it has a front row waterside view. The heart of the hotel, where the feasting and communing happens, is traditional. There’s a ‘female room’ referencing years gone by, a library and a grand piano. The main dining hall, full one evening with a Norwegian choir, reminded me, with its resounding echo, of my schooldays and is bedecked with several paintings of the fjords of which one depicted Norheimsund in winter with the snow resting over the entirety of the mountains.

In my time at Norheimsund, amid the tinkling boats and kids at play, the hiking and biking, the boating and bathing, I went on a heavenly walk across meadows and farmland, forests and pasture before reaching the beautiful, wonderful waterfall that is Steinsdalsfossen. Here I was able to get behind it and look through the falling water and yet not get wet. And as the sun came out so too did a rainbow for a truly blessed moment.

Everything on the fjords is vast and humbling for us mere mortals. For these peculiar trough-like basins are a vital part of the superlative vistas of steep mountains, cascading waterfalls, lively villages, glaciers, leaping porpoises, and innumerable fruit trees.

For books and guidebooks I recommend the Insight Pocket Guide to Oslo and Bergen and A. Heaton Cooper’s, The Norwegian Fjords. Also, Norway can prove to be very expensive so get a Bergen Card (www.visitbergen.com) for free entry or discounts to many museums, attractions, tours, restaurants and travel, and use it to take a tram from the airport to the centre (passing through suburbs with exotic names such as Florida, Paradis and Hop), rather than suffer a pricey taxi stuck in traffic jams.

I must go back, whenever but soon!