Check out, for example, the art section, which has a good collection of picture books on Norwegian artists, or the selection of novels in English in the main room. There is also a local history department that has good maps of the region; a bright and inviting children’s department with an exhibition of children’s art on the top floor; a PC room in the basement, where you can get free Internet access; and a reading room with a selection of national and international newspapers and magazines. The staff is friendly and pretty much all of them speak good English, and they’ll be happy to lend a hand if you’re looking after something specific.

J N Jacobsensgate 1. Tel: 69 38 34 00. Open Mon-Thur 0800-1900, Fri 0800-1600, Sat 1000-1500, Sun closed.

- Thon Hotel Halden: Lovely new hotel (opened 2009) right on the harbour, with great views of the fjord and fortress. Langbrygga 1. Tel: 69 21 33 00, www.thonhotels.no/halden

- Halden Park Hotel: Quiet hotel a short walk from downtown, with a pleasant garden. Marcus Thranes Gate 30. Tel: 69 21 15 00, www.park-hotel.no

- Grand Hotel: A good budget option offering B&B style accommodation in 33 rooms, with central location by the train station. Tel: 69 18 72 00, www.grandhotell.net

- Kaserna: Budget accommodation in historical surrounds in Fredriksten Fortress. Small dorms available for groups. Generalveien 25-27. Tel: 92 86 47 97, www.kaserna.no

- Fredriksten Camping: Campsite in historical setting on the fortress grounds. Cafeteria, kiosk, playground, minigolf. Open in season only. Tel: 69 18 40 32.

- The first international ski jumping competition was held in Husebyrennene, Oslo in 1879, with another Norwegian, Olaf Haugann, setting the first world record for the longest ski jump at 20m.

- The annual event was moved to Holmenkollen, Oslo, in 1892. The first competition there drew a crowd of 10,000, and was won by Svein Sollid from Morgedal in Telemark, Norway, with a 21.5m jump. Holmenkollen has remained the pinnacle of ski jumping venues ever since.

- Ski jumping has been an Olympic discipline since the first Winter Games in Chamonix Mont-Blanc in 1924. The Large Hill competition was included on the Olympic programme for the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck.

- The winner in a ski jumping competition is decided on a scoring system based on distance, style, in-run length and wind conditions. In the individual event, the scores from a skier’s two jumps are combined to determine the winner.

- The first official jumper at the new Holmenkollen ski jump was Norway’s best woman ski jumper, 25-year-old Anette Sagen, who inaugurated the jump on 4 March 2010 with a 106.5m jump.

- The Holmenkolldagen Annual International Ski Jumping Competition, held in March each year, is also known as Norway’s second National Day, and draws tens of thousands to the hills above Oslo, where the ski jump is located. It is the world’s second oldest ski jump competition still in existence.

- The new Holmenkollen ski jump, designed by JDS Architects, cost 1 billion Norwegian kroner to build. The world’s most modern ski jump, it is completely built of steel, and lit up at night by powerful floodlights, hence its nickname, the Holmenkollen Fyr (Holmenkollen Lighthouse). The start house tower, 60m above the ground, affords great views of the Oslofjord in the background (Holmenkollen is located 375m above sea level).

- Ski jumping is a popular sport in Scandinavia and Central Europe (almost all world-class ski jumpers come from those regions, or from Japan), and during the season many events are broadcast live on Norwegian TV.

- The fact that ski jumping is the only sport where women are not allowed in the Olympic Games has become a major bone of contention as the field of elite female competitors has grown.

- Ski flying is an extreme version of ski jumping. The events take place in big hills with a K-spot of at least 185m (607 ft). It’s possible to fly over 200m (660 ft) in all the ski flying hills, and the current world record, set by Norwegian Bjørn Einar Romøren at Planica, Slovenia, in 2005, is 239m (784 ft).

- 145 years after the first ever ski jump took place in Norway, Oslo remains the undisputed capital of ski jumping, and Holmenkollen has become a national icon – over the years the arena has hosted nine different nordic skiing and biathlon world championships, including the 1952 Winter Olympics. The World Ski Championships will take place here in 2011.

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Want to try the Holmenkollen ski jump for yourself? Yes you can… Check this link out www.visitnorway.com/holmenkollen/

Best imported beers, by the way, were the Danish Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel which came first, followed by American Flying Dog Snake Dog and Stone Brewing Special Holiday Ale.

I haven’t tried any of these yet, so I can’t tell you more, but I thought that was an impressive pedigree. I promise to investigate on your behalf! Cheers! (or rather Skål!)

More info on Nøgne Ø, in English, at www.nogne-o.com

More on beer in Norway at the Beer Academy in Oslo www.ol-akademiet.no (Norwegian only)

Watch Fredrikstad-based artist Erik Formoe work on some of his paintings prior to the opening of the ‘5 fra Østfold’ exhibition at Gallery Gerner in Moss (see below).

Henrik Gerners gate 7, Moss. Tel: 69 25 77 75, www.ghg.as. Opening times: Tue-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat-Sun 12pm-4pm.