corner view bergen, norway: shopping

as i've said before, i'm not a big shopper, and big malls are like living nightmares to me. so this week's theme was a challenge for me. should i take pictures of what my town has to offer for someone into shopping? or should i take pictures of what i usually shop; groceries? or should i go shopping just for the occasion and then show off my finds..? (ha!)

so - i did a mix.

yesterday was workday in town for me, so i decided to take a walk during lunch to take pictures of our outdoor fish and flower market, but neither fish nor flowers were being very photogenic. they were having a bad fin and petal day.

before i got to the fish market, though, i passed the self service book flea market just next to where i work. i've bought several books there. pick your books, and drop the coins into a metal pipe mounted to the wall. you decide how much you want to pay. not bad, eh?

i work in a touristy area of town, so i also passed some souvenir shops. mooses and trolls in all shapes, sizes and materials, handknits, sami figurines - the regular stuff.

here i am bracing myself before entering the grocery shop in a smaller mall to look for some lunch. it didn't offer anything tempting, so i went to 'madam bergen' - one of our town's prides. a shop selling locally made fish products. it's now under threat of being shut down, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that people are shocked around here. i don't know how i can survive without these delicious fish, um, cakes. that's what we call them, fish cakes. of course they're not cakes, but they're shaped like it.

three of those eaten in the office, followed by a sticky coco/cream/chocolate dessert thing.

there are some things i do like to shop for, though. craft supplies and fabric ranks high up there. books a little further down - i prefer the library as i can just lounge while thinking of what to borrow. still - i accidently stumbled upon a book sale, and got back with these cook books and a street magazine (sold by drug addicts or recovering drug addicts, as a way to provide them with dignified income).

chicken, veggies and tapas. yum.

later that afternoon my husband and i went to this cool science center for kids to pick up a long wanted object for our son; an artificial habitat for ants. in the shop i found this beautifully illustrated book about darwin's life (it's darwin year this year), and discovered that it is both published and translated by someone i know. but i couldn't afford it, and bought a pocketbook about einstein instead. hopefully, that'll stop my son from asking me all kinds of questions about him that i, embarrassing as it is, can't answer.

they also had some really cool notebooks made out of old plastic lunchboxes, pencils made out of old newspapers and pencil cases made out of old car tires. but enough is enough.

so, all in all, i figure you guys owe me about 100 dollars. oh, i forgot; i bought a shirt and 2 pair of pants for my husband at H&M (as their linen pants ("with the extra button!") are the only pants in the. whole. damn. country. that fits him. or so he says) for his upcoming birthday. so, that'll be 203 dollars all in all, thank you very much ;)