Since Michael Jackson passed away, there have been lots of tribute dances…then my office buddy at work sent this one over to me – it did make me chuckle and remind me that the Norwegians know how to have fun!

The front guy is Aksel Lund Svindal - he is one of Norways top alpine skiers and has won the Alpine Skiers World Cup twice (2007 and 2009).  He was born in 1982 so he’s not doing too bad for his age!   Dean/Paul – hope to be seeing a Bulgarian version in February!

Hope you enjoy – thanks for sending Cathrine!

In Norway:

We’ve been abroad for 6 months now and we’re quickly finding some useful links that we thought we would share with you – know of any that should be on the list?

Catch up on news from home:
http://news.bbc.co.uk
www.skynews.co.uk

Missing UK TV?  Access ITV and BBC iPlayers online and connect it up to your TV!  You’ll never miss an episode of Spooks again:
www.tvexpat.com

Remember occasions:  Never miss a birthday or anniversary again – make sure cards turn up on time!
www.moonpig.co.uk

Get from A to B:  Covering all forms of public transport including boats, buses, trams and trains – shows you how to get from one place to another.
www.trafikanten.no

Train on time?  If you need timetables, schedules or routes, use the NSB site!
www.nsb.no

Snow or sunshine:  Check the latest weather reports for Norway right down to the hour!
www.yr.no

Yellow Pages:  Need a plumber?  Need a florist?  check the Norwegian Yellow Pages online
www.gulesider.no

Pizza To Your Door:  Can’t be bothered to cook?  Design you’re own pizza online and get it delivered by Peppes!
www.peppes.no

Fancy a Norwegian Supper?  Great website with videos and recipes including traditional meals from Norway!
www.matprat.no

Oslo this way - top of the Eiffel Tower

What a weekend!  We recently travelled to Paris for the weekend with Eliot’s work colleagues.  It’s a  funded trip (for Eliot) via the employee entertainment fund – a budget set aside each year for employees to go and have fun.  Wives were also invited – some might say that the fun stops there – but Eliot seemed pretty okay with it!  Besides, we got to experience what it was like holidaying with Norwegians.  You have to imagine it – 20 Norwegians who know each other in a country where wine and beer is half the price – we were expecting fun.

First we should mention that we travelled Ryan Air from Torp Airport.  Torp-Oslo is like saying Birmingham-London – it’s not very close.  It’s about an 1.5 hour on the coach.  Nice airport, great flight (if you obey the strict Ryan Air rules) and then we flew into something like Brussels, Paris – can’t remember but closer to Belgium than Paris   All in all – 8 hours travelling from door to door – not recommended if you’re going for the weekend.

Paris was fantastic.  We had the days to ourselves and spent the evenings as a group.  Eliot and I had a military style plan of action for both days starting with coffee with a friend, followed by Eiffel Tower (with a long distance view of Oslo – picture), then Arc de Triomphe (watching the crazy traffic - video) walking up the Champ Elysees to The Louvre, coffee in Cafe Marly overlooking the glass pyramid (thanks Cath and Lori for the recommendation) and then back to hotel.  We were shattered.  We had 15 mins then we were meeting for dinner and drinks until 3am the next morning!

Needless to say, Sunday was somewhat slower.  Sacre Coeur, river cruise and a flambee pudding that nearly took my eyebrows off (video).  We had a fantastic weekend and would love to go back at some point. 

Anything you think we missed that’s worth going back for?  Need to plan the next itinerary…

A few weeks back we had a house full of visitors from the UK and Australia and it was just such a fantastic atmosphere.  Mum and Dad (Sarah’s) came over first with Mary and Peter who are from Adelaide, Australia.  Eliot and I stayed with Mary and Peter when we travelled the world.  Then a couple of days later Chris and Ros arrived.  They also live in Adelaide, are very good friends with Mary and Peter and we stayed with them a couple of years back when we spent Christmas down under.  

Everything went so well – a walk around Oslo, up to Frognerseteren, the museums, Sognsvann lake, Sandvika - it was a busy time.  On the Thursday we went to the Folk Museum. 

It’s a great day out for anyone visiting Oslo for the weekend but go on a dry day – a lot of it is outside.  Traditional buildings, old churches, paintings, craft houses – it’s fantastic.  We even came upon some stilts that we just couldn’t help but have a go at! 

The house was so quiet when everyone left – we need some more visitors!

Most people know it can be expensive to live in Norway but in return the standard of living is nice, it’s a safe place to live, there is very low unemployment and the healthcare is good.  However, over the last few days I’ve come across a number of things that affect me as an employee that I just wasn’t aware of.  It’s like getting a Christmas present every day!

• All employees get Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off (you only get Christmas Day in UK)
• All employees get New Years Eve and New Years Day off (you only get New Years Day in UK)
• In December, you only pay half the income tax on your salary – a present from the Government I guess
• If you move house, your employer lets you take a “moving day” – complimentary
• New Fathers are entitled to 3 months paternity leave within the first year of the childs life

If any colleagues are reading this…are there any others?

The winter is fast approaching so in an effort not to turn into recluse, both Eliot and I are trying to build an active a social life through the language school, work and meeting friends.  But you can’t do everything together so I joined a local choir (great fun…when they don’t sing in Norwegian   ) and Eliot plays Innebandy…yes Innebandy (pronounced Iny-bandy).

I know it sounds a little like an indie music club for teenagers but Innebandy is actually an indoor version of hockey – also known as Floorball.  The sticks are light and shorter than hockey sticks (look a bit like plastic) and the plastic ball has holes drilled into it (26 holes to be precise).  It is believed that North Americans who migrated to Scandinavia created the game in the 1970s.  Started in Gothenburg in Sweden, the game quickly spread to the other Scandinavian countries as a recreation sport and is now taken quite seriously with championships.

So what has this to do with Eliot?  Eliot works with a guy who set up an Innebandy club after work so he decided to give it a try a few weeks back.  After the first time, he had to take the car to as he couldn’t walk any distance at all.  But he’s been playing for a few weeks now and slightly more adjusted.  Given that the game should be played 6 a side and they play with 4 people in total, they certainly get their fair share of excercise.

Autumn is the season for the national dish of Norway – I’ve seen it in a few places now and we had it at work not long ago.  “Fårikål” is made from layering cabbage chunks and lamb in a big pot, add lots of pepper, bit of water and let it stew for hours whilst you “går på tur” (for a walk).  You know when it’s time to make Fårikål because you have never seen so many cabbages in the supermarket!  They’re in the veg section (of course) and then at the end of every aisle.  On the last Thursday in September Norway even celebrates this dish with “Fårikålens Dag” – a day dedicated to eating the dish!   I have even found a website dedicated to this dish (Farikal.no) and there’s a Facebook group!   If you’re really in the mood, your can also play the “Fårikål Game” here.

I’ve tasted this dish and it’s really quite nice – it’s also very easy to make.  The only thing is they leave the bones in the stew so when you’re hungry, you have to take your time so as not to choke yourself.   If you fancy making the dish I’ve added instructions below!  I also watched it on the web – let me find the URL and I’ll update this page later. 

Delicious Fårikål Dinner – A perfect Autumn comfort meal

 This is what you need:

• 3.3 pounds of lamb from neck, shank or breast, together with the bones, cut into serving-size pieces

• 3.3 pounds of garden cabbage

• 2 tsp salt

• approx.4 tsp peppercorns

• 1-2 tbsp flour

• approx. 10 fl.oz of boiling water

 

This is how you do it:

• Cut the cabbage into segments.

• Place the lamb and cabbage in layers in the saucepan, starting with the lamb. Sprinkle flour, salt and peppercorns between the layers.

• Pour over boiling water.  Bring to a boil and let the lamb and  until the meat is tender, which will take about 1-2 hours.

40MB file

Today I discovered a great little book about Norway.  If you’re new to the country and don’t know where to start with the forms, renting, schooling, working etc…this is the perfect book for you!  Access all the content online for FREE.  I just wished we had found this earlier.  Top tips and things you should know immediately:

• DRIVING:
  • If you’re driving in Norway, your lights should be on ALL OF THE TIME
  • The drink/drive limit is 20mg (a quarter of the UK limit).  It’s not worth the risk – don’t drink/drive at all!
  • If you intend on staying in Norway for some time, you must get your license exchanged for a Norwegian license within 12 months…some nationalities will need to sit a Norwegian practical and theory test.
• MONEY:
  • To open a bank account you need your passport, a passport photo, d-number or a personal ID number (depending on whether you’re staying temporarily or for some time)
• FORMS IF YOU’RE STAYING UP TO 3 or 6 MONTHS FROM THE UK:
  • You don’t need a residence permit up to 3 months but you do for up to 6 months
  • You do need an employment contract
  • You do need a D-number
  • You don’t need to complete a population registration (and therefore get an ID number)
  • You do need a tax deduction card
• FORMS IF YOU’RE STAYING OVER 3 MONTHS FROM THE UK:
  • You do need a residence permit
  • You do need an employment contract
  • You do need a D-number if you don’t have an address
  • You do need to complete the Population Registration form (and therefore get an ID number) if you have an address
  • You do need a tax deduction card
• SOCIAL
  • Join a voluntary club – over 84% of Norwegians apparently are members of a voluntary group/organisation.  It’s a great way to meet people.  Check out www.frivillighetnorge.no  (English in top right corner)

Yesterday we saw a huge stir in the media around the Nobel Peace Prize notably because Barack Obama was awarded the honour only 9 months into his presidency. 

However, on showing my visitors around Oslo last week it suddenly occurred to me that not many people realise that the Nobel Peace Prize is the only Nobel Prize to be awarded in Norway.  All other prizes are awarded in Stockholm on 10th December each year. 

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish inventor and chemist and he established the prizes in his will in 1895 - most of which are mainly related to science and literature.   The Nobel Peace Prize conveys social prestige and is often politically controversial.  Nobel never really explained why he created a prize for peace but it’s thought that it came as a result of his friendship to peace activist Bertha von Suttner. 

Either way, the Norwegian Nobel Committee speculates that Norway may have been better suited to awarding the prize as it did not have the same militaristic traditions as Sweden and so that is thought to be the reason why this is the only prize to be awarded in Oslo each year. 

89 Peace Prizes have been awarded to 119 Nobel Laureates between 1901 and 2008.  The prize is awarded in the Town Hall.  The building shown above is of the Peace Prize museum – it’s a lot better looking than the Oslo Town Hall. 

Winners of the peace prize include a few famous faces – some more controversial than others!  The full list is below including the latest winner – Barack Obama!

• 2009 – Barack Obama
• 2008 – Martti Ahtisaari
• 2007 – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Al Gore
• 2006 – Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank
• 2005 – International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei
• 2004 – Wangari Maathai
• 2003 – Shirin Ebadi
• 2002 – Jimmy Carter
• 2001 – United Nations, class=”mceItemHidden”> Kofi Annan
• 2000 – Kim Dae-jung
• 1999 – Médecins Sans Frontières
• 1998 – John Hume, David Trimble
• 1997 – International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Jody Williams
• 1996 – Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, José Ramos-Horta
• 1995 – Joseph Rotblat, Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
• 1994 – Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin
• 1993 – Nelson Mandela, F.W. de Klerk
• 1992 – Rigoberta Menchú Tum
• 1991 – Aung San Suu Kyi
• 1990 – Mikhail Gorbachev
• 1989 – The 14th Dalai Lama
• 1988 – United Nations Peacekeeping Forces
• 1987 – Oscar Arias Sánchez
• 1986 – Elie Wiesel
• 1985 – International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
• 1984 – Desmond Tutu
• 1983 – Lech Walesa
• 1982 – Alva Myrdal, Alfonso García Robles
• 1981 – Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
• 1980 – Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
• 1979 – Mother Teresa
• 1978 – Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin
• 1977 – Amnesty International
• 1976 – Betty Williams, Mairead Corrigan
• 1975 – Andrei Sakharov
• 1974 – Seán MacBride, Eisaku Sato
• 1973 – Henry Kissinger, Le Duc Tho
• 1972 – The prize money for 1972 was allocated to the Main Fund
• 1971 – Willy Brandt
• 1970 – Norman Borlaug
• 1969 – International Labour Organization
• 1968 – René Cassin
• 1967 – The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1966 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1965 – United Nations Children’s Fund
• 1964 – Martin Luther King Jr.
• 1963 – International Committee of the Red Cross, League of Red Cross Societies
• 1962 – Linus Pauling
• 1961 – Dag Hammarskjöld
• 1960 – Albert Lutuli
• 1959 – Philip Noel-Baker
• 1958 – Georges Pire
• 1957 – Lester Bowles Pearson
• 1956 – The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1955 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1954 – Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
• 1953 – George C. Marshall
• 1952 – Albert Schweitzer
• 1951 – Léon Jouhaux
• 1950 – Ralph Bunche
• 1949 – Lord Boyd Orr
• 1948 – The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1947 – Friends Service Council, American Friends Service Committee
• 1946 – Emily Greene Balch, John R. Mott
• 1945 – Cordell Hull
• 1944 – International Committee of the Red Cross
• 1943 – The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1942 – The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1941 – The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1940 – The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1939 – The prize money was with 1/3 allocated to the Main Fund and with 2/3 to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1938 – Nansen International Office for Refugees
• 1937 – Robert Cecil
• 1936 – Carlos Saavedra Lamas
• 1935 – Carl von Ossietzky
• 1934 – Arthur Henderson
• 1933 – Sir Norman Angell
• 1932 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1931 – Jane Addams, Nicholas Murray Butler
• 1930 – Nathan Söderblom
• 1929 – Frank B. Kellogg
• 1928 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1927 – Ferdinand Buisson, Ludwig Quidde
• 1926 – Aristide Briand, Gustav Stresemann
• 1925 – Sir Austen Chamberlain, Charles G. Dawes
• 1924 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1923 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1922 – Fridtjof Nansen
• 1921 – Hjalmar Branting, Christian Lange
• 1920 – Léon Bourgeois
• 1919 – Woodrow Wilson
• 1918 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1917 – International Committee of the Red Cross
• 1916 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1915 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1914 – The prize money was allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section
• 1913 – Henri La Fontaine
• 1912 – Elihu Root
• 1911 – Tobias Asser, Alfred Fried
• 1910 – Permanent International Peace Bureau
• 1909 – Auguste Beernaert, Paul Henri d’Estournelles de Constant
• 1908 –  pre=”">Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Fredrik Bajer
• 1907 – Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Louis Renault
• 1906 – Theodore Roosevelt
• 1905 – Bertha von Suttner
• 1904 – Institute of International Law
• 1903 – Randal Cremer
• 1902 – Élie Ducommun, Albert Gobat
• 1901 – Henry Dunant, Frédéric Passy

I was quite disappointed on Tuesday when I took my house full of visitors to watch the “Changing of the Palace Guard” …it was a soggy, wet, cold day and really wasn’t too spectacular.  Since then, the weather has been brilliant and since Ros and Chris had a few hours before their flight back to Australia, we thought today would be an ideal day to take some photos and purchase a few last souvenirs.  Little did we know that parliament was being opened in Oslo and we timed it perfectly. 

We waited a short time and before long we had witnessed three military bands, several hundred servicemen marching up to the palace and the Royal Guard lining Karl Johans Gate from Palace to Parliament.  It more than made up for Tuesday. 

Minutes later, a stream of black Embassy cars slowly passed by taking each ambassador to Parliament Building (Stortinget) to witness the opening ceremony.  It was quite funny to watch…the Swedes came in a Saab, the British came in a Land Rover, the Germans in a BMW, the Americans in a HUGE chevrolet – you get the idea.  It was like a United Nations car catwalk!

After that, the Crown Prince Haakon went by followed by his Mum and Dad – King Harald V and Queen Sonja.  We saw the King and Queen of Norway!   They had an open top vehicle and were waving at the clapping crowds – very civilised society.  We were waving like mad to get a good photo snap.   We never expected to witness such an event and we were very lucky to get so close to royalty! 

As if that was not enough…one of our visitors was approached by BBC World Service for a comment about Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize and Mum and I made it onto NRK1 – the equivelant of BBC1 here in Norway.  Take a look at the day on video.  Look out for me and Mum – we make our debut 5.32mins into the film.