Archive for July, 2010
From Mexico to Norway – Ana Luisa Rébora
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature on July 15, 2010
Another local artist whose work I love. I was actually very tempted to buy one of her paintings at the exhibition she had at Soli Brug, Sarpsborg, a couple of years ago – it was a rather big painting of a group of people by what looked like a huge waterfall, in shades of blue, browns and white – reminded me of Gullfoss in Island, very atmospheric, and just beautiful! Only the price tag (around 10,000Kr if I remember correctly) stopped me 
Anyway… When I say local artist I mean an artist based here, by the way, because Ana Luisa comes from Mexico originally, but Norway has been her home for the past 10 years – she now lives in Eidsberg, Indre-Østfold, although she still spends the winter in Mexico whenever she can. Her husband grows and sells organic Christmas trees, while she paints in her studio. Check out her work at www.analuisarebora.com or even better, visit her exhibition at Gallery Stallen in Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad, which is on until 30 July.
Weather forecast for Norway
Posted by admin in Travel and practical stuff on July 13, 2010
Wondering what the weather will be like during your upcoming trip to Norway? Check out the forecast on www.yr.no. They have weather forecasts, in both English and Norwegian, for more than 700,000 locations in Norway, so wherever you are, they should cover it. You can see the forecast for the next three days at a glance, or look for a long-term forecast (9 days). They even have a page for stats I discovered recently. I’ve just checked out the entry for Fredrikstad, and found out that during the course of the past 12 months, the lowest temperature was an unusually cold -17.7 °C (9 January 2010) and the highest (on 4 July 2009) a very nice 25°C! Ice cream anyone??
Did you know? About Fredrikstad
Posted by admin in Uncategorized on July 11, 2010
- Edvard Munch’s mother, Laura Cathrine Bjølstad, was born in Fredrikstad in 1837. She married Edvard’s father, Christian Munch, in 1861. He was twice her age. They had five children together, including Edvard, before Laura died of tuberculosis in 1868. She was only 31 years old. Edvard was five. His mother’s premature death, which was followed by that of his favourite sister a few years later, was to have a profound impact on his life and career.
- The city was named after the Danish king Frederik II in 1569. Fredrikstad is also known locally as ‘Plankebyen’, because the town was once one of Norway’s main exporters of timber.
- Fredrikstad, with its 73,600 inhabitants, is the main town in Østfold, as well as Norway’s 6th largest.
- Fredrikstad Football Club, FFK, were Norwegian football champions nine times, although their last victory dates back to 1961. They play at the award-winning Nye Fredrikstad Stadion, which was built on the site of the old shipyard, Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted (FMV).
- In 2005, Fredrikstad was the final host port for the Tall Ships Race, attracting thousands of visitors to the town. The municipality has made another bid, currently under consideration, to host the races again in 2014.
- Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), one of Norway’s most famous polar explorers, was born just outside Fredrikstad in Borge. Amundsen famously beat Captain Scott in the race to the South Pole, reaching his target on 14 December 1911 – or 33 days before his English rival. Today you can visit his childhood home in Borge, where you can learn more about his life and achievements.
- Fredrikstad’s cinema, which opened in 2002, has been voted best cinema in Norway six times in a row.
On board the D/S Turisten
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, Photos and videos, Travel and practical stuff on July 9, 2010
The Halden Canal
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, Travel and practical stuff on July 9, 2010
The Halden Canal, part of the Halden watercourse, is one of Norway’s only two man-made canals. Stretching some 80km from Tistedal in the south to the little village of Skulerud in the north, it consists of a series of large lakes connected by short rivers or sounds. The canal, designed by ingenior Engebret Soot, was historically used to float timber, but the last log was lifted out of Lake Femsjøen in 1982, when a 600-year-old tradition came to an end. Today it is used by leisure boats and kayakers, and exploring the area from the water is great fun.
You can buy a map at the Halden tourist office and explore the canal at your leisure, or join an organised tour. Built in 1887, the steamship D/S Turisten, which used to ply these waters but was sinked in 1967 because it no longer was profitable, was hauled up after lying for 30 years at the bottom of LakeFemsjøen. It has since then been completely restored, and a trip on this old-fashioned vessel is quite a special experience. It runs every Wed, Fri, Sat and Sun from Strømsfoss til Tistedal until 11 July, thereafter sister ship M/S Strømsfoss takes over until 22 Aug. Departure at 11am. Price: 290Kr (M/S Strømsfoss)/450Kr (D/S Turisten) return, children under 15 free. See www.turisten.no for more info (Norwegian only).
One of the highlights of a trip along the canal is going through the Brekke Locks, Scandinavia’s highest. See www.elusivemoose.eu/2010/04/brekke-locks-halden/ for more information.
The Borgarsyssel Museum, Sarpsborg
Posted by admin in History and architecture on July 7, 2010
Borgarsyssel Museum, located next to the Borregaard factory and Sarpsfossen, Sarpsborg’s famous waterfall, is the largest open-air museum in Østfold. Centered around the ruins of St Nicholas Church, a medieval church dating back to 1115, the museum has a collection of over 30 buildings from all over the county, as well as artefacts and exhibits from the Stone Age to the present day. These include, among others, silver and faience from Herrebø stoneware factory in Halden, and Østfold’s largest collection of high seat panels, displayed in the Østfold Gallery. The Sørnes Clock, one of the world’s most technically advanced astronomical clocks, in also on display here. The buildings themselves range from a 18th century courtyard (complete with dwellings, stable, cowshed, barn, storehouse, oats house and smithy) and crofter’s house to the bourgeois home of a chief local judge. You can also see how industrial workers employed at the nearby factory and their families lived until as recently as the 1950s, and visit the St Olof Chapel, the reconstruction of a medieval church based on three existing churches in the district. There are children’s activities in summer, and a glass blowing studio on site.
The museum is open Tues-Fri 10-16, Sat-Sun 12-17 from 1 June to 31 Aug. Free entrance to the museum, access to collections and guided tour (on the hour every hour) is 40Kr. Times vary outside peak season. Gamlebygaten 8, Sarpsborg. Telefon: 69 11 56 50, www.ostfoldmuseet.no
More info on the Sørnes Clock at www.elusivemoose.eu/2009/12/17/