Archive for category News
Diving in Ytre Hvaler NP
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, News on December 21, 2010
Hvaler to get under-water nature path
Posted by admin in Nature and the great outdoors, News on December 21, 2010
Ytre Hvaler National Park has just received the green light for establishing a nature path under water. The new ‘path’ will be part of a joint Scandinavian project called the Nordic Blue Parks Project, whose aim is to offer a network of under-water ‘paths’ for divers and snorkellers. The path in the Ytre Hvaler National Park should be ready by the summer.
There will be, among other things, several information signs (anchored in cement blocks) around the wreck of the Lossen, a ship that sank in the area on Christmas Eve 1717 (more on the Lossen at www.elusivemoose.eu/2010/09/the-lossen-hvaler/).
The fauna and flora are protected in the Ytre Hvaler National Park, Europe’s first, and only, marine national park. But the project should not have any adverse effect on the local ecosystem, says Østfold fylkesmannen (the county governor).
Source: Fredriksstad Blad www.f-b.no/nyheter/lager-natursti-under-vann-1.5902688 (Norwegian only)
More info, in English, on the Nordic Blue Parks Project at www.nordicblueparks.com
Deep-water cod from Hvaler
Posted by admin in Food and drink, News on November 29, 2010
Cod caught off the coast of Hvaler, deep in the waters of the Oslofjord, has been named as best sea raw ingredient of the year at Det Norske Måltid 2010, an annual competition aiming to find, and reward, the best Norwegian products and ingredients nationwide. The jury at the Norwegian Gastronomic Institute in Stavanger, led by former Bocuse d’Or winner Bent Stiansen, were impressed with the deep water cod, which is typically caught at depths of 300-400m, because of two distinctive characteristics: its firm texture (the fish swims in strong currents) and its marked crustacean taste (it feeds on prawns).
Want to try the deep-water cod for yourself? Order direct from the producer – Fjordfisk AS, Utgårdskilen, Hvaler. www.fjordfisk.no (Norwegian only)
For Østfold products nominated last year see www.elusivemoose.eu/2009/12/top-5-%c3%b8stfold-producers/
Fredrikstad: Port of call in 2014
Great news for Fredrikstad! The town has just been named as a port of call for the Tall Ships Races 2014. The Tall Ships Races is an international long distance race for training ships. The aim of the race is to encourage international friendship and train young people in the art of sailing. The annual event has been arranged since 1956, and is the only one of its kind in the world. Today, the Tall Ships Races routinely attract a fleet of between 80-100 vessels from around 30 countries, 6-8,000 trainees from some 50 countries, and 3-4 million visitors. Ports of call change every year. Fredrikstad was a port of call for the races once before, in 2005.
More about the Tall Ships Races at www.sailtraininginternational.org
Must-see exhibition at Soli Brug, Sarpsborg
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, News, Photos and videos on August 28, 2010
Hariton Pushwagner
Posted by admin in Art, culture and literature, News on August 28, 2010
Today was the opening of the Pushwagner exhibition at Soli Brug (on until 5 Sep). Pushwagner, real name Terje Brofos, was born in Oslo in 1940. One of the most acclaimed, and controversial, contemporary Norwegian artists, Pushwagner is known for his colourful yet dark pop art tableaux inspired by city life. The office, commuters, tall buildings and cars are recurring themes in his work, in which distorted perspectives, repetition, and primary colours are used to striking effect to depict a modern society in which the individual has all but disappeared.
Educated at the National Arts & Crafts School, and then the National Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo, he has also studied/lived in London, Stockholm, NYC and Paris. Pushwagner won back the rights to his drawings from Morten Dreyer, his former agent and benefactor, after a high profile court case in Oslo in 2009. Pushwagner, who in 1998 was homeless and struggling with drug addiction, had ceded the rights well under their market value. Dreyer was asked to return all artwork, estimated at a value of 30 million kroner, and pay one million kroner in compensation.
More info on Pushwagner at www.pushwagner.no
Modern design in ancient landscape
Posted by admin in History and architecture, News on August 26, 2010
The Solberg Tower (Solbergtårnet)
Posted by admin in History and architecture, News on August 26, 2010
The brand new Solberg Tower (Solbergtårnet) by the E6 motorway in Skjeberg was officially opened today. The tower, which is almost 30m high, and cost 50 million kroner to build, was designed by Todd Saunders, the Canadian architect behind the popular Stegastein viewpoint in Aurland, western Norway. It’s a joint project between the Norwegian Public Road Administration (Statens vegvesen), the county of Østfold and the municipalities of Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad. The view from the top floor is enticing enough, but the main reason for building the tower here was to highlight the many sites dating back to the Bronze Age along the nearby Oldtidsveien. Facilities at the Solberg Tower include a lift, toilets, rest area and information panels (in Norwegian and English) on the various attractions in the area, as well as maps of the different sites.
More on Oldtidsveien at http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2009/10/26/
More on the Stegastein viewpoint at http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2010/04/stegastein-viewing-platform/
Photos of the Solberg Tower under construction at http://www.sa.no/lokale_nyheter/article5185109.ece