Archive for July, 2010
Shelter for the night?
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos on July 30, 2010
Walking in Østfold: Fridtjof Nansen’s Hotel
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on July 30, 2010
This is a great day walk in the footsteps of Fridtjof Nansen, the famous polar explorer, who used to hunt in this area some 100 years ago. The ‘hotel’ is just a sheltered spot under a rocky face where Nansen and his fellow hunters would rest for the night, and not much to write home about, but the nearby lake makes for a good picnic spot before you head back on the return leg of your trip. You will feel like you’re really venturing into the wilderness on this walk, which is quite exciting, but you should make sure you have appropriate footwear (and pack enough water and mosquito repellent) before you set off. Allow about 5 hours to get there an back, with a short pause half-way.
The terrain is varied, ranging from pine trees and carpets of blueberry bushes to bog and green conifer forest, and peppered with little lakes, making for a pleasant walk. The path, which is quite narrow in places and from time to time disappears under lush wild grass, is marked all the way, but not used all that often. Finding the blue spots to follow can be a bit tricky as a result, as the paint has peeled off some of the trees. When this has happened keep going straight and just look for the next blue spot. We only struggled twice to find our way – when we reached the little forest road, about one-third in (you have to follow the dust road to the right for about 50m before finding the path again on the other side, skirting the bog) and again about two-thirds in, when the path seemed to have all but disappeared, and we found white marks, instead of blue ones, going down to a little lake on our right. We continued straight for a few minutes, and found our path again, slightly to the left, after about 50m.
How to get there: From Halden follow signs for Tistedal, and then continue on Rv21 along Femsjøen (the big lake on your left). You will pass the crossing for Brekke Sluser (locks). Continue on Rv21 for about 4.5km, and you will see a sign for Fridtjof Nansen’s Hotel on your right, a couple of km before Store Ertevatn (another, smaller lake), where Rv21 goes to the left towards Aremark.
Chilled Norwegian rhubarb soup
Posted by admin in Food and drink on July 29, 2010
Rhubarb soup is a popular summer dessert here in Norway. This is an easy recipe that features seasonal ingredients, and will be ready in minutes. Why not give it a go?
What you need (Serves 8):
- 4 sticks of rhubarb
- 1 pint (4.5 dl) of water
- 100-150gr sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon (some prefer orange, another alternative)
- 1/2 vanilla pod
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise pods
- 4 sprigs of mint or one small fresh ginger root (optional)
What you do:
Peel the rhubarb and cut it into thin slices. Put the rhubarb slices in a saucepan with the water, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla, lemon/orange juice and bring to the boil, then let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender. Remove the cinnamon stick, vanilla pod and star anise, then add the sugar to the pan and stir until it dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if you like it sweeter. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool. Serve the soup ice-cold with vanilla ice cream (if you’re a purist) or, alternatively, mascarpone, sour cream, or whipped cream, according to your preference.
This is the traditional recipe for Norwegian rhubarb soup. You could add mint leaves for flavouring, or even ginger, for a more oriental-inspired variation – both go very well with rhubarb. Many other recipes for this traditional Norwegian dessert also feature strawberries, so feel free to add them to the mix of ingredients above if you want to give this variant a go – about 400g Norwegian strawberries (nothing else will do of course!) should be sufficient. Enjoy!
The Arctic fox
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos on July 28, 2010
The Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus or Vulpes lagopus), also known as Polar fox, snow fox or white fox, is one of Norway’s most endangered mammals, and features on the Red List.
The Norwegian Red List
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on July 28, 2010
The variety and beauty of the Norwegian fauna and flora is what draws many travellers to this country, but did you know many endemic species were threatened? The Red List is a record of all the threatened species in Norway. Published in 2006, the list was compiled by 23 teams of experts who assessed 18,500 species in mainland Norway and on Svalbard, as well as in Norwegian seas. Close to 2,000 species currently feature on the list as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable, and include 78 species of birds, 44 fish, 31 mammals, and 5 species of reptiles and amphibians. Top of the list are actually beetles (802 species) and fungi (744 species), followed by butterflies and moths (430 species).
The Red List helps to draw attention to threatened species not only at a national level, but also among regional and local authorities. Its aim is to make sure species do not disappear from the country and to maintain viable and healthy plant and animal communities. The highest concentration of threatened species can be found in forest and woodland, closely followed by agricultural landscapes (kulturlandskap), where increased agricultural activity and forestry destroy habitats, as do the building of roads and houses. Pollution and climate change, unsurprisingly, also form important pressures on biological diversity.
På låven, Hvaler
Hvaler is not known for its shopping, but there is one place worth checking out if you’re after original clothes and gifts – På låven on the island of Vesterøy, the first island you come to after crossing the bridge over Puttesund. Ideally located in a restored barn (hence the name), this charming shop has a great selection of clothes and footwear for both children and women, as well as gifts big and small, and a range of home decoration items in romantic, rustic style. Don’t be all that surprised if you encounter a hen roaming freely in one of the rooms while you browse, they belong to the nextdoor neighbour, and in common with locals and tourists alike, they seem to enjoy stopping by to have a good look around too.
På låven, open Tues-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm during school holidays, after that weekends only until Christmas. Hauge, Vesterøy (take it right at the Esso station and follow signs for Hauge. You’ll see the shop on your right at the crossing for Papper about 3km on). Tel: 93 00 06 09, http://paalaaven.blogspot.com (Norwegian only)
Foten, Fredrikstad (Beach)
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors on July 16, 2010
This cute spot just outside Fredrikstad was voted best beach in Norway in 2006 by VG newspaper, and it is easy to see why. It’s a great place for anyone, from families with young kids who spend the day by the small shallow sandy beach to couples who take over in the evening for a late swim and/or a romantic walk watching the sun set over the Oslofjord, not to mention those coming here for a BBQ between friends, or even to cast a line from one of the many rocky outputs.
There are toilets on site, picnic tables and a kiosk selling drinks and food, as well as a beach volleyball pitch and a diving tower. You have to pay to leave your car at the nearby car park in high season (30Kr) during the day (until 5pm), so make sure you’ve got some change with you. There are many hytter (summer houses) in the area, so the place can get a bit busy at times. Go for a walk and explore the surrounding area if you get tired on sunbathing after a while – going to the end of the peninsula only takes about half an hour, and from there you’ll have great views of the fjord and surrounding islets.
How to get there: From Fredrikstad follow Rv110 towards Ørebekk, then left at the roundabout towards Gressvik. Follow Rv117 (Vikaneveien) for a few kilometers towards Vikane until you see a Kiwi supermarket on your left. Take it left towards Øyenkilen and follow signs for Foten from here. If you’re using public transport bus no.302 runs between Øyenkilen and Vikane/Fredrikstad pretty much every hour daily (see http://www.ostfold-kollektiv.no/userfiles/302.pdf for timetable).