I wonder why Svartnes is named after the colour black.  There is not much black here to be seen in this little farming village in Troms.  In the 1800s this place used to be one big farm housing a few families.  Today it is off the beaten track and can be fenced off from civilization [...]

Some things don’t sound good enough to eat.  I never thought ‘blings’ could be eaten.  I guess with enough mayo anything is possible – even cheap jewelry.  I’m not too sure about the ‘smudis’ either.  And I’m a little confused about the ‘wraps’.  I’ve walked past Smud a thousand times and have never thought to [...]

Sometimes we prefer to take the bus back home to Tromsø rather than fly.  The bus ride is about six hours but it means we get to look at the scenery, have a snooze, eat, ride on the ferries and spend some time playing with the kids. The seasons are very dramatic in Norway and [...]

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 [...]