The flower expert: "Bergen's urban mountains are unique"

When Erlend needs to unwind from his job as a botanical designer, he laces up his hiking boots and heads up to the top of Mount Ulriken.

"I really like how the mountains are so close to the city. They are accessible for both shorter walks after work and for longer hikes if you want to spend a full day outdoors," says Erlend Grevskott, florist at De Bergenske.

He recently moved back to Bergen after having lived in Copenhagen. Since his return, he has gained a new appreciation for just how close the mountains are to the city.

Fjords and mountains in Bergen

Erlend is responsible for the floral decorations in De Bergenske's hotels and restaurants.

When you check in at Grand Hotel Terminus, it is he who has carefully selected the flowers you see in the reception. Erlend has designed table decorations and floral arrangements for De Bergenske. Not to mention the Christmas wreaths on the door of Villa Terminus and the mantlepiece décor in Bar Amundsen for the Christmas holidays, all created with a keen eye for the colours and style of the room in which they are presented.

As many people know, Bergen is located by the fjords and is surrounded by seven mountains. Hiking in the city mountains inspire Erlend's creativity. Among other things, he likes to create bouquets with a design idiom in which unstructured natural materials are combined with more recognizable varieties of flowers. Examples may include crooked roots, balls of moss, or dried flowers where the colours and texture of the stem play an important role. 

One of the hikes Erlend regularly takes is to the top of Mount Ulriken, Bergen's highest peak at 643 meters. The hike starts near the neighbourhood of Montana, or you can ride the gondola, Ulriksbanen. 

"You get a really good view of the city from the mountains," says Erlend, adding: 

"But I also suggest just strolling around the streets of Bergen and simply taking in the city!"