I’m always amazed at how many people show up to 17 May celebrations. With all of us squished into our little Storgata it is a wonder how any parade gets through.
The Russ never fail to please with their bright red cars and wacky sense of humour. It rather resembles a pride parade than a school [...]
Every town and city in Norway has a gågate (walking street). And every gågate has its regulars.
In Oslo there are two types of regulars – the regular-regulars, who are on the street every week, and the seasonal-regulars who return year after year.
The tribal American Indians are an odd regularity in Norway. I see them every [...]
Every juletid Oslo puts on a Christmas market by the docks out front of the Oslo Town Hall. It is mainly for tourists but I’m sure there is an Odd Norwegian around, or two.
During the day the place looks like a construction site but at night the lights make it look like a fairy-tale land. [...]
Berg is just outside of Tromsø on the mainland. It is a farming area and every year the community gets together and puts on an event for us city-goers. The Nissehelg (Elf Weekend) is now a tradition and every year we go out and brave the cold (and darkness) to visit the fjøsnisser (barn elves). [...]
It doesn’t really snow in Oslo for Christmas and the city is too far down the northern hemisphere to get the Northern Lights. So to give some Christmas cheer to the Osloenser in the dark season the city burns enough juice to make sure the astronauts can find Norway.
Karl Johans Gate is one of the [...]
Since Norway ‘lost’ Santa to the Finns (via a big Santa amusement park built in Lapland), the Norwegians have decided to make the most out of their incredible natural icon – the Northern Lights. In fact, Northern Norway has been tagged with the name ‘Land of the Northern Lights’ to attract attention and tourists to [...]
The Tyholt Tower is the second biggest tourist attraction in Trondheim behind Nidaros Cathedral. It is a telecommunications tower and stands 120 metres high overlooking Trondheim city.
There is a sight seeing level on the lower floor. On the upper floor is an Egon Restaurant (the Norwegian version of a T.G.I. Fridays). The floor revolves giving [...]
The further ‘out of the way’ you go the more common it is to see folk cottages standing by the side of roads, along fjords or in a thicket of trees, minding their own business.
Towards the water in a beautiful pocket of leafy oak trees is the Byneset Church.
Driving on highway E8 an hour south of Tromsø, you will come across a strange sight. There, right next to the road, is a gigantic diamond-shaped boulder that once upon a time broke loose and rolled down from the mountain above it. This is a landslide-prone area with many large and small boulders decorating the [...]
Pølse is THE fast food of Norway. When the grilled pølse was first introduced to Norway in the 50s it was eaten naked – without bread.
How Norway became a country is shrouded in mystery and folklore. The most well known tale is of Harald Hårfagre who gathered the small kingdoms of the north into a unified nation in 872AD – and of course, this story is about love.
Flower Show Series: Arctic Botanical Garden Selection – Tromsø
A popular Summer activity in Norway is kayaking. The coast of Norway is dotted with thousands of little islands making the perfect conditions for a smooth paddle.
From the west, a wall of stone Saints and Prophets will confront you. All sides of the Cathedral are very textured and deserve a long walk around. You’ll see gargoyles and gothic arches, thick wooden doors with rusty floral art and Anglo-Norman/Romanesque bits and pieces ’stuck on’ that intensifies your ground view. However, the outside of Nidaros Cathedral is even more intriguing when you know the history.
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On any celebration table in Norway you can always find a Norwegian layer cake (bløtkake). What better way to celebrate Norwegian Constitution Day than with fresh cream, wild berries and a little bit of sponge in between.
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