This used to be "the" shopping centre in Bergen when I grew up. Living 3 hours north of Bergen, in…read morea town with limited options for shopping, our day trips to the city of Bergen, taking the bus early in the morning, was centered around the visit to Galleriet.
And one still can not avoid it. It's located in the heart of the city, on Torgallmenningen. Seven floors of shops and services offers you everything from a haircut to cheap dining, from books, via clothes and accessories to groceries. What used to be a dream of a shopping centre, has however turned in to a centre I am trying to avoid. I think it's me who has changed, cause the centre is more or less the same as it was 20 years ago.
So what is it I do not like? The seven floors can, and will, contain a lot of people. It's always crowded, and for me I get a feeling of stress the moment I step inside. Also the shops are not all that interesting, without me being able to point a finger on why.
The reasons why I still drop by: the chocolate shop on the corner, the farmacy that is located few steps from my bus stop, the sandwich / coffee cafeteria on the first floor, offering free crossaints along with your coffee before 10 a.m. and the book store Norli. Also every now and then I am forced to use the escalators to other floors to look for last minute birthday gifts, or visit the the grocery store in the basement, that is untidy and overprized, but still have a great variety of fresh produce.