“På ferie” (on holiday) is one of the first phrases you learn at Norwegian language school here in Norway and there is a very good reason! Norwegians love going on holiday – it is Norway’s biggest past time. Come Summer and practically the whole country shuts down to cater for all the Norwegians taking their [...]
The days have been beautiful over Easter and so we couldn’t let all the sunshine go to waste. A family BBQ on the sledding hill was the perfect way to make the most of our holiday.
At 1 o’clock the hill was packed with sun-bathers and families. The hill is in a great position facing the [...]
Easter in Norway is a time of renewing. Spring is in the air and the sun has returned. New life creeps into the landscape, homes are redecorated with Summer colours and Norwegians enjoy the outdoors with snow activities. This time of year marks the end of the long Winter.
Symbols of Easter
Chickens and eggs are the [...]
‘I’ll be away’ is starting to be a pain. I’m organising a festival at the moment and to make a festival happen you need people, lots of people. However, this time of year is the ‘I’ll be away’ season. Spain, Brazil, Thailand, Africa, Sweden and France are just some of the places my friends, family [...]
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 [...]
Plane landing in Tromsø at sunset
Living in Europe, it doesn’t take long to get anywhere. Even being so far north, we get to enjoy weekend trips to Venice, Prague, Athens and Budapest. Flights from Oslo to London are just two hours. From Arctic Tromsø to London it is only a three flight. We sure have [...]
It would seem that Halloween is a new celebration in Norway since trick-or-treating has only become popular in the last ten years. However, this holiday has a long tradition in Norway that started in medieval times. In the 10th century A.D. the Catholic Church had become established among the pagan Norsemen under the iron fist [...]
Reindeer herding is more than just an occupation, it is a way of life and an integral part of the Sami culture and identity.
By our favourite jetty is the cutest little boat shed. We often have picnics there in Summer. It’s nice to just drop by our favourite places in Winter to see how very different but very beautiful everything still is.
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At full-moon the blue light almost looks electric. Our favourite jetty really knows how to surprise us for Christmas – especially with this ‘elfs-eye-view’.
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Celebrate National Fårikål day with us. On the last Thursday of September every year Norway celebrates their national dish with, of course, all you can eat fårikål!
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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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The sun never goes down during this season but the mountains to the East are so high that the sun still has to raise above them in the morning hours and an artificial dawn-effect wakes the city.
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