Posts under "Leisure"

Bird Hunting in Norway

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Nov 16 2011

While I haven´t been to Norway for over a year now (crazy that it´s been that long, gotta get back for a visit), I was very much reminded this past weekend of a very fun experience I had in Norway last fall.  This weekend my boyfriend and I took my dog, a weimaraner (pointing breed) up north for å jakte etter fasaner (to hunt pheasants) near Lake Mille Lacs.  We hunted for a couple of hours in the late morning and early afternoon and guess what?  We continued to shed layers until we got down to our t-shirts.  That is pretty crazy for mid-November in Minnesota.  I remember last fall up in the mountains in Salangen Fylke (County), Norway we were also in t-shirts some days when the sun shone bright and there was little wind.  Then there was a day or two when we were all wearing layer upon layer of clothing including vinterluer (winter hats) and hansker (gloves).

While fuglejakt (bird hunting)  in MN, or any kind of jakt for that matter, is different than å gå på jakt i Norge both because of the type of dyr (animals) and the different topography and climate, the rules and reasons for engaging the activity are similar, as is the popularity.  I can´t seem to find good data on the number of jegere (hunters) in Minnesota, but because Norway has a state-run association of jegere og fiskere (Norges jeger og fiskerforbund), I know that 120,000 individuals are medlemmer (members) of this association.  These 120,000 medlemmer belong to 570 local jeger og fisker klubber.

rype (grouse)

Last fall in Norway, I went with a friend and his fellow jeger og fisker venner (friends) up into the mountains in Salangen Fylke  for å jakte etter rype (grouse).  I had my hund (dog) along and another guy had his very experienced flushing hund.  The Weimaraner rase (breed) is a peker rase (pointint breed), but (perhaps because she had no training whatsoever), she did not peke.  She was, however, very helpful retrieving.  The other hund would peke, someone would skyte (shoot)  and my hund would hente fuglen (retrieve the bird).

As it turns out, she did the same this weekend when we jakte etter fasaner!  We´d walk through the tall grass and try to get her to run in there to scare up fugler.  She didn´t peke at all, but if we shot a fugl, she was extremely helpful in finding it.  I swear these were super fugler!  Several of them were såret (wounded) and were very difficult to find after they ran around in the brush.  Stella did a great job though!

In any case, now you know a few Norwegian words associated with fuglejakt.  I will write a post later with more specific information on the kind of fugler one can jakte.

The Valdres Region of Norway

Posted by kari No Comments
Nov 9 2011

The other day I posted about Rakfisk Festival, which is a festival that takes place every year in celebration of fermented trout and char, as well as other local food production and handicrafts.  Fagernes, a small city in the region of Valdres, Norway is where the annual festival takes place.  Although I´ve driven through Valdres, I did not really know that much about the region–until now.  So, I thought I´d write a bit about the Valdres region of Norway and what it is known for, what one can do there, etc.

First, I´d like to begin by saying that the dialects people speak from this central region of the country are very different than the rest of the country. When I studied at the University of Oslo, I had a class with a girl named Karine who was from Valdres  and I could literally barely understand her.  My Norwegian is by no means perfect, but I am fluent and I can understand all other dialects I´ve heard.  This one was tough though.  I mean, it was almost like the different between spoken Norwegian and Danish-she used completely different words sometimes.  For example, here are some words where you can see a marked difference between a Valdres dialect and standard bokmål:

Examples of local words Squirrel - Norwegian: ekorn, Valdres: ikødn All right (as in an all right person) – Norwegian: grei, Valdres: snodig (which in Norwegian normally means strange/funny) Lonely - Norwegian: ensomt, Valdres: aule

Oppland County

Let´s move on to geography and demographics.  Valdres belongs to the fylke (county) of Oppland and is made up of 6 municipalities:

  • Sør-Aurdal (The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bagn)
  • Nord-Aurdal (The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Fagernes)
  • Vestre Slidre (The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Slidre)
  • Øystre Slidre (The administrative centre of the municipality is the village Heggenes)
  • Etnedal (The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bruflat)
  • Vang (The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vang i Valdres)
Valdres is situated between the valleys of Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal (dal means valley) approximately halfway between Oslo and Bergen.  The major European highway E16 runs through it and it also has an airport (in Fagernes).  This part of the country is stunning with all of the mountain ranges and valleys and small farms.
Historically, agriculture was a major industry in Valdres, but today tourism and trout fishing have surpassed agriculture as forms of livelihood.  There is plenty to do for tourists who visit Valdres.  Valdres is well known, as mentioned earlier, for trout fishing, as well as cycling, hiking, horse riding, rafting, golf, and of course skiing in the winter.
Let´s go to Valdres! 

Tromsø now has a Porsche dealer!

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Oct 8 2011

What?  Tromsø just became home to the world´s northernmost Porsche bilforretning (car dealership)?  Now that is pretty cool.  Who would ever think that the German bilforretning (to be sure, the founder was Austrian…) would come to northern Norway, one of the geographically most isolated parts of the world?  My initial reactions as far as what I think legitimate this move were:

1)  Norwegians have a lot of penger (money) per capita

and

2)  Northern Norway is home to lots of rednecks as we call them (this is not meant to be an insult, I´m friends with quite a few of them!)

Porsche Center Tromsø (also known as Traasdahl) is Norway´s fifth authorized Porsche bilforretning.  There are Porsche forhandlere (dealers) in Oslo, Bergen, Son, and Stavanger.  The fact that there is now a Porsche forhandler in northern Norway means that literally the top half of the country (Nordland, Finnmark and Svalbard) has a closer forhandler to kjøpe (purchase) from.  It´s a long drive from Bergen or Oslo to Tromsø!  Trust me, I´ve done it!

 

Many of you have been to Norway and perhaps gotten a ride with a friend or relative.  The average citizen´s automobile in Norway is much much nicer than the average citizen´s vehicle in the United States, for example.  Of course there are crappy beaters in Norway just as anywhere else, but the majority of vehicles are in very good condition and cost a hell of a lot more money than vehicles in the U.S.  You may have noticed that even the taxis are super nice-usually a Mercedes or Volkswagen.  This is not true of just Norway.  I have seen this in the Netherlands as well as Sweden.  It still never ceases to surprise me though.  As an American, I am used to hopping in mediochre cards.  I digress…back to Porsches.

Besides Norways´s largest northern city, Tromsø, announcing the opening of it´s new Porsche forretning in August, Porsche has also recently announced major decreases in prices for models that are designed to minimize pollution.  I´m into irony at the moment and I would like to simply state that although Norway produces a large amount of the worlds oil and gas, Norwegians are very conscious about their impact on the environment.  Triple bonus!  Northern Norwegians with a lot of penger, a desire for a Porsche, and would like to lessen their carbon footprint can now purchase a Porsche in Tromsø:)

I´m not super into biler (cars), but I am into Tromsø and I think it´s pretty cool that Tromsø has recently opened a Porsche forhandler!

Typical travel related questions in Norwegian

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Sep 30 2011

My job has given me the opportunity to do quite a bit of traveling.  Every month I travel somewhere for at least a few days, sometimes 2 weeks.  Although my colleagues and I usually have some sort of connection with someone who either lives or has lived in the cities we visit, we still find ourselves asking the typical tourist questions.  Correct me if I am wrong, but I think most people who want to learn a foreign language actually want to be able to use it in some fashion.  While most Norwegians speak English very well, I would think many of you would like to be able to walk Karl Johan and ask a native Norwegian a question in Norwegian.

I made a list of all of the questions that I asked Philadelphia natives (or people that have lived there long enough to answer these questions) last weekend.  You will also find the answers to these questions below as well.

1.  Hvor er den beste italiensk restaurant?  Where is the best Italian restaurant?

Den beste italiensk restaurant finnes i Gammel by og det heter Ralph´s.  The best Italian restaurant can be found in Old City.  It is called Ralph´s.

2.  Når stenger utestedene?  When do the places to go out (another word for bar, club, places to go out) close?

Utestedene stenger kl. 2.  The places to go out close at 2.

3.  Hvor er den nærmeste jernvarehandel?  Where is the nearest hardware store?

Den nærmeste jernvarehandel er cirka 2 km nord fra sentrum.  The closest hardware store is about 2 km north of the center.

4.  Hvis man vil kjøpe en gave til noen hjemme, hvor kan man shoppe litt?  If one wants to buy a present for someone at home, where can one shop a bit?

Det er mange butikker ved hovedgaten midt i sentrum.  There are many stores on the main street in the center.

5.  Hvor lang tid tar det å kjøre til flyplassen fra hotellet?  How long does it take to drive from the airport from the hotel?

Det tar 25 minutter å kjøre til flyplassen fra hotellet.  It takes 25 minutes to drive to the airport from the hotel.

6.  Hva er denne byen mest kjent for?  What is this city most known for?

Denne byen er mest kjent for Philly Cheesesteaks og Brotherly Love.  This city is most known for Philly Cheesesteaks and Brotherly Love.

7.  Hvilken cheesesteak er bedre-den fra Geno´s eller Pat´s?  Which cheesesteak is better-the one from Geno´s or Pat´s?

Pat´s lager bedre cheesesteaks, absolutt.  Pat´s makes better cheesesteaks, absolutely.

8.  Har hotellet et treningssenter?  Does the hotel have a fitness center?

Ja, hotellet har et treningssenter på andre etasjen.  Yes the hotel has a fitness center on the second floor.

9.  Kan man ta egen alkohol til restauranten?  Can one bring one´s own alcohol to the restaurant (BYOB)?

Ja, det er mange restauranter i Philadelphia der man kan ta med egen alkohol.  Yes, there are many restaurants in Philadelphia where one can bring one´s own alcohol.

10.  Hvor mange timer forskjell er det mellom Philadelphia og Minnesota?  How many hours difference is there between Philadelphia and Minnesota?

Mellom Philadelphia og Minnesota er det 1 time forskjell.  Between Philadelphia and Minnesota, there is one hour difference.

Of course if you are traveling in Norway, you will ask much different questions, which I will address in a later post.  However, I thought in this post I would make the content a bit more familiar to you so that you can concentrate more on sentence structure and vocabulary.

God natt!  Good night!

 

Disappointing Autumn Colors in Norway

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Sep 21 2011

I was on a run with my dog in the nearby woods after work yesterday and remembered that last year at this time, I was not at home in Minnesota.  I was enjoying høsten (the fall) in Tromsø.  In fact, at exactly this time last year, I was returning from a jakttur (hunting trip).  I accompanied a friend and 8 of his friends in the jeger og fiskerforbund on a delightful adventure into the mountains of southern Troms fylke (county), more accurately the municipality of Salangen.  Den samme gruppen går på rypejakt hvert år (The same group goes grouse hunting every year).  I believe the gang returned recently from this year´s jakt.  I´ll have to get the scoop.  From what I´m reading, rypejakt has suffered this year due to the consequences of the very våt sommer (wet summer).

In Norway, the sommer sesong saw an unusually high amount of precipitation, which has had major impact på høsten.  While dreary and wet, Norway om høsten is typically stunningly beautiful with all of the different farger på trærne (color on the trees).  We Minnesotans enjoy the beautiful farger as well om høsten, so I have complete empathy with the Norwegians´ lack of this very important part of høst.  Besides the great lukter (smells) of harvest and bål (fires), and the various høst matretter that can now be enjoyed, the display of farger på trærne is something we look forward to om høsten.  Without this, it almost feels like you go directly from sommer til vinter.

The våt sommer created the perfect atmosphere for a fungi that attacks bjerketrær (birch trees).  Bjerketrær leaves typically change from grønn (green) to gul (yellow) to orangsje (orange) before they fall off.  This year, the leaves turned directly from grønn to brun (brown) or grå (gray) in late August and to make matters worse, the leaves completely fell off the trees.  So now, in mid-September when the leaves are supposed to be at their peak in terms of color variation and boldness, they are dull and disappointing.  Fortunately, there are still some trær that do have their leaves and the leaves are colorful.  Furthermore, the fungus that has hit bjerketrær all the way up to Finnmark fylke does not kill them; they will be healthy in the spring.  As the vakre farger (beautiful colors) om høsten is a very key point of attraction, tourist hot spots will simply have to find other ways to entice tourists to visit om høsten.

In case you are traveling to Norway om høsten, I shall suggest a few activities that you can pursue in the absence of the vakre høst farger:

-jakt etter bær og sopp (hunt for berries and mushrooms) and lag noe som smaker godt (and make something that tastes good)!

-enjoy hiking or camping in one of the following four national parks: Jotunheimen, Rondane, Dovre and Dovrefjell- Sunndalsfjella

-gå på fisketur (go on a fishing trip-laks or salmon is of course one of the most popular…)

-go river rafting

-go on musk ox safaris in the Dovrefjell region

There are also many festivals across the country that one can participate in or attend.  I shall go into more detail about these in a later post.  Until then, enjoy whatever kind of vær (weather) your høst has brought you today.  Here in MN?  Drizzling and cool.  Off to Pennsylvania this morning where it is rainy and warm!

PS the pictures in this post are from my time last year in Tromsø om høsten.

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