Posts under "Nature"

Deer Populations in Norway

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Jul 8 2011

In the past 2 weeks, I have had several close encounters with hjort (deer) here in MN.  Last week, I was on a bike ride on an open rural road with fields on both sides and a massive deer sprung out of the ditch no more than 50 ft. in front of me as I was pedaling along at a fast pace.  My heart was racing for a few miles after that-I can´t imagine what the result would have been had I been a little farther ahead…my next recent close encounter with a hjort was this past weekend in the Apostle Islands.  My boyfriend and I took his car on the ferry to Madeline Island (the largest of the Apostles, but still only 13 miles long) and were driving on the narrow gravel roads to check out properties for fun.  We were driving perhaps a bit faster than we should have on the road and came extremely close to smoking a huge hjort with the car.  This morning I was running with my dog in the nearby arboretum and nearly got run over by a mama hjort and her young ones!

rådyr

elg

I personally have never seen as many hjort in MN before as I have in the past several weeks (I´ve seen more than just the 3 that I came in very close range of).  This got me thinking about hjort in Norway and the various species that exist there.  Norway is home to rød hjort(red deer), rådyr (roe deer), reinsdyr (reindeer), and elg (moose).  Rød hjort are most common in Western Norway and Trøndelag.  They are known to damage crop fields and fruit orchards.  Due to the effects of weather conditions and predator existence, the population of rådyr is quite variable. Despite shrinking habitations the populations of rød hjort, råhjort, and elg are increasing in northern and western Norway due to mild winters, increased food supply, and increased hunting of younger animals and males, resulting in an increased ratio of fertile females.

rød hjort

Norway manages the last viable population of European wild reinsdyr and it is a current challenge to protect this species.  Railway, road, and hydropower infrastructure, as well as human disturbances have all led to an increasingly fragmented habitat for reinsdyr.

reinsdyr

I´ve eaten both hjort and reinsdyr in Norway and both are delicous…just thought I´d mention that even though I support protecting especially reinsdyr as a potential endangered species in the future.

Hurtigruten-Minute by Minute

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Jun 25 2011

Last Thursday, Norwegian broadcasting company, NRK, started airing the 5 day trip of the Norwegian cruise ship Nord Norge from Bergen to Kirkenes.  Nord Norge is one of many Hurtigruten ships that sail along the coast of Norway as a mode of transportation for everyday Norwegians and a spectacular treat for visiting tourists.  The entire 5 day trip with the 670 passenger and crew aboard was aired, minute by minute (as suggested in the title of the program) and it absolutely captivated the Norwegian population.

The Hurtigruten MMS Nordnorge cruise ship approaches Honningsvag June 21, 2011. Worn out by a fast-paced life and faster-paced television shows but lack a vacation budget? Take a five-day cruise along Norway's scenic fjords, all free and streamed live on Norwegian public television. For 8,040 minutes straight -- including all the boring bits -- viewers can follow the Hurtigruten MMS Nordnorge cruise ship and its roughly 670 passengers and crew as the vessel steams north along Norway's jagged coastline. The

“Minute by Minute” aired for 134 hours on public Norwegian television; it has been determined that 2.54 million (over half of the Norwegian population) tuned in.  Thousands from outside of Norway watched the program as well.  NRK never thought the program would be so popular.  Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, was quoted saying that “This is Norway at it’s absolute best.”  What a cool thing. 

I can’t speak for the whole population, but many of the Norwegians I know have not traveled that awfully much in Norway.  They are great about getting out of Norway and traveling south for example to catch some sun during the winter.  However, I know plenty of Norwegians down south who have never been up north.  The opposite isn’t usually true because Oslo, the capital, is in the south and most people have had to be there for some reason or another.  Regardless, the Hurtigruten is not an experience every Norwegian has had, much less seeing the entire northwestern coast. 

I have only been on one leg of that trip-from Bergen to YouTube Preview ImageÅlesund and it was unbelievable.  I’ve never experienced anything like that.  Tremendously beautiful.  The great thing about this program is that the cameras were placed not only on the ship itself.  Other vessels sailing nearby filmed Nord Norge, as well as cameras in the ports when the ship would drop passengers off or pick them up. 

Viewers got so excited about it, when the ship came into port, people would be waiting for her flying Norwegian flags or would have spontaneous gatherings to view the program.  Rune Moeklebust, the program leader, said that “The program seemed to have evoked national pride in a country enamored with nature.”

The point during the voyage when the most viewers tuned is was when Nord Norge sailed ino Lofoten at midnight, when the sun was shining bright.  Queen Sonja greeted the ship as she sailed into her destination, Kirkenes, the northern Norwegian city on the Russian border.  What a trip.

And some information about the ship itself:

MS Nordnorge

Year built:
1997
Place built:
Kleven verft, Ulstein
Passengers:
691
Berths:
457
Car spaces:
45
Gross tonnage:
11384
Length:
123,3
Beam:
19,5
Speed:
15

Check out NRK’s website here to see more information, videos, etc.

Wild Mushrooms in Norway

Posted by kari No Comments
May 20 2011

Sopp is the Norwegian word for mushroom.  I have enjoyed eating various kinds of sopp for a while now, but it wasn´t until recently that I became interested in å jakte på sopp (going mushroom hunting), particularly morels.  I don´t believe morels grow in Norway, but they are very plentiful where I live.  I didn´t even know morels existed until last year.  Few restaurants cook with them and if they do, chances are I´m not eating there.

Morels are quite difficult to find and consequently valuable and pricy.  Last year on my way home from a town nearby, I encountered a father and daughter who were selling their catch on the side of the road.  I forget exactly how much it cost, but it was expensive produce.  They were so worth it!  It was at the end of the hunting season last year (this type of mushroom has a very short season), so I had to wait until this year to attempt the task.  I´ve been out twice in the last week and I can confirm that they are very difficult to find.  My hunting partner and I only found a handful.  We´re going up north this weekend and will have a try at it up there if the weather permits.

I got to thinking, Norway must also have delicious wild sopp.  There are many varieties of sopp that grow in Norway and å jakte på sopp is a very popular activity among Norwegians.  Of course one must be careful to avoid poisonous wild sopp.  You know who didn´t avoid these?  The Vikings.  They ate wild sopp with halucinogenic properties to give them additional courage for battle, not to mention a little foaming at the mouth action!  Wild sopp that have particularly strong colors were also used for dying wool years ago in Norse times.

If you want to be absolutely certain that you are safe to eat the wild sopp that you have found, there are certain parts of the woods that have designated inspectors who can put novices at ease.

See here for an interesting site in Norwegian where you can read about the most popular sopp å jakte på in Norway -the kantarell.  These are described to have a delicate and nutty flavor, sometimes fruity.  They are yellowish-orangish in color and the caps resemble trumpets.

Hvordan er været-How is the weather?

Posted by kari No Comments
Apr 29 2011

Hvordan er været i dag? How is the weather today?  Similar to where I come from in the Midwest, været is definitely an important topic of conversation in Norway.  Right now, været is an important conversation for many people throughout the world, especially the Southern part of the U.S.  The amount of devastation caused by the recent tornadoes is absolutely unbelievable.  I know someone who´s son goes to college in Tuscaloosa, which was hit very hard a couple of days ago.  We experience tornadoes in MN, but never have we experienced hundreds of them in a matter of weeks like the South has recently.  And let´s not forget about the tsunami in Japan.

Here in MN we experience nearly all types of vær as we have 4 very distinct seasons.  It gets reeeeaally kaldt om vinteren and veldig varmt om sommeren.  Om vinteren, får vi mye snø.  During the winter, we get a lot of snow.  We get huge snøstormer (snowstorms) and lave temperaturer (low temperatures).  Om sommeren, er det mye sol og høye temperaturer.  During the summer there is a lot of sun and high temperatures.  Vi får mye regn om våren (we get a lot of rain in the spring) that often leads to flom (floods).  Stormer with torden og lyn (thunder and lightning) are common as well.  This is also the sesong (season) that brings the occasional tornado and more often hagl (hail).  In the last 5 years, we have had many very destructive hagl stormer.  What we don´t get here in MN are tyfoner (typhoons), orkaner (hurricanes), tsunamier, and jordskjelver (earthquakes).

Norway experiences much of the same vær that MN does, but it doesn´t typically get quite as kaldt, nor does it get as varmt.  Norway gets a lot of snø and certainly the west coast of Norway receives a lot of regn.  The southern and northern parts of the country usually have the most sol.  With a high percentage of the country covered in fjell (mountains), snøskred (avalanches) are common.  The most ekstremt vær hits the west coast as vær systemer build up across the Atlantic and Nordsjøen (the North Sea).  Nordsjøen is actually one of the most dangerous bodies of water in the world.  Lots of stormer with regn, vind, og hagl.

Hvordan er været where you are?  Her er det overskyet og litt kjølig. Here it is overcast and a bit chilly.  Vi har hatt mye snø. We have had a lot of snow.  Vanligvis er det mye varmere på denne tiden av året enn det er nå.  Usually it is much warmer at this time of year than it is now.  Jeg gleder meg til sol og varmen! I´m looking forward to sun and warmth!

Bicycling in Norway

Posted by kari 1 Comment
Apr 12 2011

Biking is one of my favorite activities and Norway is my favorite place to be away from home.  I have yet to complete a biking trip in Norway.  This is definitely on my bucket list.  I lived in Tromsø this past summer and bought a hybrid bike for pleasure yes, but mostly for transportation from my apartment into town and elsewhere on the island.  At home in MN, I have become so used to road biking that to be on a hybrid again was like wearing 5 pound shoes.  Therefore, I didn´t do much recreational cycling, which I now regret:(

However, that won´t stop me from either lugging my bike there or renting one and going on a trip with the sole purpose of biking.  All regions of Norway are special in their own way, but island hopping on the west coast would be my first choice.  Crossing bridges, enjoying breaks on ferry rides, and  opportunities to fish sounds absolutely delightful to me, not to mention the occasional refreshing dive into the Atlantic to cool off and relax the muscles.  There are endless spots to stop and take pictures and simply enjoy the magnificent scenery.  There are also plenty of  accommodations for food and lodging, whether you are interested in camping or staying in a full service vacation house.

There is quite a bit of information on the internet for you to consult if you are interesting in a cycling trip in Norway.  The three best websites that I have found are the following:

Bike Norway-see here.

Visit Norway- see here.

Norsk Bygdeopplevelser-see here.

As you might imagine, there are excellent cycling routes all over the country.  You can enjoy the rolling hills, steeper mountains with winding roads and waterfalls at your side, the arctic tundra up north, and the far south with lots of sunshine and warmer temperatures.

If you enjoy the sport of bicycling, but would rather watch, you can see the Birkebeinerrittet bike race

which follows this path:

Start planning your trip!

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