Bergen, Norway, A Great Place To Eat! Anne Madam

Bergen, Norway, A Great Place To Eat! Anne Madam
 
So, when we are out and about in our world we need to eat and in Bergen I found a great place. I was wandering around the first night I got here and saw this place but, of course, it was closed. I saw it the second day also but it wasn't until the third day that I actually made it a point of going in.

It is called Anne Madam.

When I went in I found a clean modern environment, friendly service and local fare! I looked at another restaurant that toted local fare but had, I think, reindeer meat and that wasn't my thing.  But, take a look at this!

 

What we have here is local fish prepared 4 different ways. One fish dish was breaded and fried, one was in a casserole with potatoes. They were all just delicious! Silje, my server, asked if I would like a little fresh leek on top. Yes please! The drink is made of black currant and sugar and was also delicious! And the best part? The night before I ate at a sports bar and paid nearly $50 for ribs that frankly were a bit dry, baked potato, coleslaw and French fries and a coke. This meal, with the drink included, was just a little over $20, yes, American dollars! And it was spectacular! And, during the time that I was dining there I saw at least 15 locals coming in to buy fish cakes on their way home from work. And since I was sitting in the window, one woman who was walking by with her husband looked in the window at my food and had a big smile on her face. I motioned for her to come in. The man next to me at the counter said that she had food envy. And I see why!

Here is a picture of beautiful Silje who waited on me and with whom I had a lovely visit and here is . . .

 

Anton Engen, the owner of Anne Madam. The food is all prepared in Norway and the ice cream . . .

 

is prepared by a psychologist and his partner who moved to a rural area and were trying to figure out how to make a living and started making organic ice creams and sherberts. This one is lemon and honey.

 

Just so you know, the website for this restaurant is AnneMadam.com or Anne Madam.no. Check it out!

 

Bergen, Norway, Day 3

Bergen, Norway, Day 3

So, Day 3 I set out to see the city's museums. There are many here and I love history so I will start there. The first museum was an actual house where the fishermen and boss lived.

Bergen was a fishing village for many years and they traded in many areas of their world.

Here is a picture of the working men sleeping quarters. The workers did not associate with the bosses on a social level. They were separated.
 

The bosses were not always Norwegian. Sometimes they were German. I overheard a tour guide saying that the "book" that registers the amount of fish that comes in and the sales, stays with the house even if the previous boss was German and went back to Germany. This museum was very interesting!
 



The second museum I went to told the history of how the town of Bergen got started. It was a very small village and grew and grew. They constructed homes over the fiord - so, on water. Then a lot of them burned down.

 



Bergen was a major port in its day and traded with many places around the world. There were pottery shards from Greece, jewelry and other artifacts from Egypt, items from Turkey, China and other places around the world.

Very interesting!

 

Now, the last topic of interest that I will share from this 2nd museum is runes. They were written in Old Norwegian and for religious purposes, in Latin but again, in runes. I thought runes were only used like to toss 2 or 3 dice and see what fortune the runes are giving you. That sort of thing. But runes were the way that they communicated back then. And, we still cannot totally understand runes.

Sorry! Don't know how to rotate the picture but these are actual rune writings! I think it is pretty fascinating!

 

Bergen, Norway, One Of My Most Favorite Cities So Far!

Bergen, Norway, One Of My Most Favorite Cities So Far!
 
My flight between Stockholm and Bergen took me through Olso, Norway. So, being on the ground there and changing planes kind of constitutes visiting Oslo. In the airport I have to share 2 things . . .

It looks like a good old American polish dog, doesn't it? Actually, it is a hot dog with cheese in it and wrapped in bacon. It is a very popular fast food in Norway. It can come with red onions and a sweet pickle relish and mustard sauce. Not bad.  And, here is the other thing that I saw in the airport . . .

I think it is "art" and it appears to be people wrestling.

So, there you have it. That and a few post cards. The sum total of my experience in Oslo. Pierre, Anne's husband, (from a former post) is from Oslo and says there is a bit to see there but I guess I'll just have to come back. The Olympics were held here too a few years go! Now, that's something!!

So, a friend told me that if I went to Scandanavia, I must go to Bergen and spend 3 days there. So, I did. And it was worth it! What a lovely town!  I arrived there in the early evening so this is what I saw.

This beautiful building, believe it or not, is a Starbucks and a restaurant.

 
Then I spotted a light on the top of the hill and headed that way.

It turns out that this is the Funicular, a vertical train to the top of the hill - and it runs at night!

I think you can tell it was raining "up there". Down in the valley, no, but up on the hill, yes! So, the group of us didn't stay that long. But what a view!!

Here is a restaurant at the top of the mountain that is a historical landmark.

 

There is lots of room for people to sit out and enjoy the view and the sun during warmer summer days. There are also hiking trails that you can take from the bottom all the way to the top of this mountain and exits off the train for residents who work in the valley and live on the hill. There is a playground for children here and the big thing here are trolls. There is a giant one in the front of the playground.

Here we are riding the train back down the hill.

 

Look at these costumes I saw in a shop at the bottom of the hill. Here is where I want to look for party costumes in the future!

 

 

And, what town would be complete without one of these?

A McDonald's.

Hey! Where's the golden arches??

 

 

And, how was the homeless situation there, you  might ask?

 

The first night I was there, this was the only homeless person I could find . . .

 

 

. . . a bronze statue!