In Alta, Moose and I were trekking the mountain next to the farm when I heard a familiar sound.  ’I think I hear crickets!’  I was a little excited because it was a sound I hadn’t heard since leaving Australia.  I started looking for where the sound was coming from.  Scanning over the rocky, cold, [...]

A Norwegian Christmas is filled with many celebrations and traditions, old and new. As the snow falls, the white landscape is the first sign of Christmas and Norway starts to prepare for their long season of juletid.
November
As the snow comes, Norway enters the Christmas season early with a series of Christmas parties. Work, clubs, schools [...]

“Cheese!” is the English word used to bring a cheesy smile across your subject’s face when taking a photo.  However, this same word in Norwegian doesn’t give quite the same effect.  In fact, if you say the Norwegian word for cheese, ‘ost’, your subject will pucker their lips like blowing out a candle for the [...]

Norwegians have really understood the principle of recycling. An old, decommissioned boat like this one just needs to be stripped down, dragged out of the water and planted on solid ground. And voilá, you have a jungle gym for your kindergarten!
It’s just like how kids dump their new toy to play with the box it [...]

In London city there is a pub on every corner.  It’s no doubt that Londoners love their watering holes.
If a Londoner ever makes it to Trondheim they won’t have to fear about ‘drying out’ on their travels as this old Viking city is full of expat pubs just waiting to be filled.

Being just a block [...]

When Lilu was born she had the mark of a Norwegian – A Rosebud in Her Hair.  (Of course I had to write about one of the mysteries of being Norwegian.)  We have watched the rosebud grow as Lilu has grown and since that first post I have received comments about how somebody’s Norwegian also [...]

Australians grow up with the idea that the great Aussie barbie is a true blue tradition that distinguishes us from the rest of the world.  We (used to) get a kick out of our Australian icon Paul Hogan (aka Crocodile Dundee) trying to teach the Americans how to put on a ‘real’ BBQ.

When I came [...]

The Sami Easter festival has something for everyone.  Not only can you get up close and personal with the reindeer but there is a whole array of activities that showcase Sami life and culture.  The festival also includes the Reindeer Racing World Cup, the Sami Film Festival (which is held in an ice-cinema), the Sami [...]

Dance Day (or Dansens Dag in Norwegian) is celebrated all over Norway.  Every year Norway joins with the rest of the world to promote dance on International Dance Day, 29th April.  However, Norwegians love dancing so much that the closest weekend is also included and so we get to have a whole week of dancing [...]

I’ve always had that fear of frozen lakes – you know the one that you see on TV where people fall through the ice and can’t get out again.  My ‘fear’ was odd to Moose as I had never been on a frozen lake before (nor even seen one in real life, for that matter) [...]