The 17th of May – Norwegian Constitution Day – is celebrated all over Norway and around the world.  Tromsø puts on a grand event with ‘the people’ being the focus of the day.  Events happen from 7am in the morning with the flag raising and the laying of wreaths at particular memorial sites to commemorate [...]

Norwegians love their heroes. The folklore is full of stories about the little guy who sets out on a quest and, armed only with wits and personality, shows up his mighty competitors and conquers the kingdom. These «little man» heroes are the essence of the Norwegian personality. They are the challengers of authority, the breakers [...]

I have to learn Norwegian – it’s part of my social requirement to obtain a Settlement Permit in Norway but in the future, I also want to be able to know what Lilu is up to with her playmates!  I’ve discovered I can actually live in Norway quite fine without knowing Norwegian.  Most of my [...]

For such a small country (only 4.5 mil) Norway has an amazing amount of food websites.  A lot of Norwegian cuisine is still based on frozen, salted and dried foods (used for preservation since Viking times) but slowly more exotic foods are making an appearance in supermarkets (mango, pumpkin, pastry, mozzarella etc).  Instead of these [...]