elusive moose » Østfold

Roald Amundsen’s birthplace, Borge

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:28:56 +0000

A great place to visit for anyone interested in one of Norway’s most famous sons – polar explorer Roald Amundsen. This is the house where he was born, the youngest of four brothers, on 16 July 1872. His family, which owned this farm and several others in the area, lived here for generations, and this place in Borge played a significant part in Amundsen’s upbringing. As a child the future explorer spent many a holiday here, watching the ships ply the River Glomma, already harbouring dreams of travelling to the far corners of the world. His childhood home has been preserved just like it was when Roald Amundsen lived there.

There is a cafe and a souvenir shop in the barn next door, which also houses a small conference centre. Guided tours in Norwegian, English and German every weekend during the summer (May to Aug), private tours can be arranged the rest of the year. Book via the tourist office in Fredrikstad (tel: 69 30 46 00)

Framveien 7, Torp (along Rv111 between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg). Tel: 69 34 83 26, www.roaldamundsenminne.no (Norwegian only)

Eidet Timber Tunnel

admin — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:08:36 +0000

With so many big forests and the Glomma, Norway’s longest river, running through the county, it is little wonder that timber floating was a big industry in Østfold until well into the 1970s. But getting the timber down to Fredrikstad was not always easy. Two waterfalls in particular, Sølvstufossen and Sarpfossen, both near Sarspborg, were problematic, so the decision was taken to build a timber tunnel to avoid them. Construction started in 1906 and the tunnel was officially inaugurated on 18 September 1908. During busy years, such as 1953 for example, as many as 7 million timber stocks would travel through the 3km-long tunnel in the course of a year – over 300,000 a week. Up to 90 men would work at Eidet in season. With an incline of 21 metres, the tunnel, which runs between Isnesfjord and Eidet in Visterflo, was an innovative project, for which engineer Wilhelm Blakstad was later presented an honorary award by the Norwegian Engineer Association. The tunnel was bought by Fredrikstad Municipality in 1985, and is today a cultural monument.

Fishermen’s cabins at Kuvauen, Hvaler

admin — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:14:05 +0000

Did you know? A few facts about Østfold

admin — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:40:04 +0000

- Østfold is home to Europe’s first ever marine national park. The Ytre Hvaler NP was opened in September 2009 (jointly with Koster NP in Sweden). It covers a surface of 354km2, most of it under water, and boasts unique coral reefs, as well as around 7,000 different marine species, including invertebrates, fishes, sharks and seals.

- Famous locals include Hollywood director Harald Zwart, jazz saxophonist Jan Garbarek, rally driver Petter Solberg, celebrity chef Eyvind Hellstrøm and artist Vebjørn Sand, among many others.

- Gamlebyen in Fredrikstad is one of Norway’s most popular man-made attractions, visited by hundreds of thousands every year.

- Østfold is among Norway’s oldest inhabited regions, and stunning rock carving sites, burial mounds and stone rings can all be found along Oldtidsveien, between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg.

- Wildlife in Østfold’s forests includes moose, deer, red foxes, badgers, wild boars and even wolves.

- Østfold is a popular destination with anglers. There is much fish to be caught in the Glomma and the hundreds of lakes in the county, not least in Indre-Østfold. The Enningdal River in Halden is also one of the best rivers in Norway for salmon fishing.

- Østfold counts 25 manors (herregård), about half of all the manors found in Norway. Most of them date back to the 17th and 18th century, when Norway was under Danish rule.

- Rygge Airport in Østfold was formerly a military airport. Today it is Norway’s largest privately-operated airport, and one of Europe’s fastest growing. Last year 640,000 passengers travelled to/from Moss Lufthavn Rygge. The airport is now Norway’s fifth, and Oslo second largest by passenger numbers.

Winter in Skjebergsmarka

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:59:41 +0000

Walking in Østfold: Krysstjern, Sarpsborg

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:56:34 +0000

This is one of my favourite walks in Skjebergmarka in the Sarpsborg area. I’ve been there in all seasons, and I love it there. Although there is often a couple of other cars at the departure point, we’ve seldom met people at the lake itself, so with a bit of luck you’ll have the place all to yourself. It takes about half-an-hour to reach the lake from the car park, and this involves having to cross a bog and climb a rather steep rock face. Then it’s another hour to walk around the cross-shaped lake and back. You can go back the way you came, although it is better to follow the path back down on the other side of the lake, thus doing a loop. Pack your skates in winter if you want to go for a spin on the ice (don’t expect the latter to be smooth everywhere though – it isn’t), and a basket in summer – this is good mushroom picking territory. The walk is not marked so it is advisable to study a map beforehand.

How to get there: From Sarpsborg, take Skjebergveien (Rv118) southeast, and then Rokkeveien (Fv599) east towards Rokke. After about 6km on Rokkeveien, you will see a little car park on your left. This is your departure point. Follow the dirt road into the forest for about 300 metres, until you see a path on your left. This is the way towards the lake.

Best in town?

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:53:33 +0000

Where to eat: Kranbanen, Fredrikstad

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:50:33 +0000

A restaurant with gourmet aspirations – and prices to match. We visited in December, when half of the dishes on the regular menu disappear to make room for traditional Norwegian Christmas specialities, and decibels in the busy dining room reach a dangerously high level. Possibly not the best time of year to get an idea of what Kranbanen is really about, but what did we make of it?

The cooking showed real flair and talent, if not in all the dishes we tried, at least in several of them. Starters, although verging on the small side, were stunning, be it the duck with Cumberland sauce, or the scallops in green pea cream. So were the desserts – my chocolate fondant with pear sorbet, for example, was a great way to round up the meal, and I wouldn’t rule out going back to Kranbanen just to have it again. It was that good.

Our mains, however, were not all quite in the same league – a dish of pinnekjøtt turned out to be slightly chewy, and the sauce accompanying my (otherwise delicious) venison was somehow dull. Likewise the lacklustre wine list was a disappointment, with no real exciting labels to speak of – here again there was room for improvement.

So the verdict? This is a restaurant showing real potential, and definitely one of the best in Fredrikstad, despite the slightly harsh review (well, when I fork out over 1,500Kr for a meal for two, my expectations go up a notch). I’ll have to revisit at a less busy time… but so far what I’ve seen, and tasted, has been rather promising.

Kråkerøyveien 2, Fredrikstad. Tel: 69 34 55 05, www.kranbanen.com. Dinner only. Expect to pay around 500Kr per person, excluding drinks.

Latin rhythm in Gamlebyen

admin — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:09:34 +0000

José Leguina: Gamlebyen, Tangood

admin — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:05:06 +0000

Cool! Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad’s Old Town, now has a band, and a CD, named after it. And not a bad one either you’ll find, if like me you are partial to a bit of Latin music. Of course I had to feature the man behind it, José Leguina, on this blog. So I asked him to tell me a bit about himself

I was born here in 1974, and have lived most of my life in Fredrikstad, the last three in Gamlebyen. My father is Spanish and my mother is Norwegian. I have two boys, so when I’m not playing music, I hang out with them.

I got my first guitar when I was 10, but didn’t start playing until I was 17. I started playing in a hardcore band called My Right Choice 15 years ago. Soon the musical inspiration from my childhood took over, however. Simon & Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Elvis, Bob Marley, classical music and of course different types of Latin music became my references when I wrote my songs.

I’ve never called myself a singer or a guitarist. I just wanted to create little melodies and play along with friends. I have a full-time job – and I’m very happy with that. I work as a culture consulent and my office is located in Gamlebyen as well. Which means I hardly have to leave this place!

I have had a single out before, ‘Songs for Sunday morning’, and an album, ‘Whatever’, with a band called Sunday Morning. This new project is called ‘Gamlebyen’ and our first CD ‘Tangood’ is in the shops now. Basically we are just a group of friends who wanted to make a CD. We rehearsed a couple of times, and just started recording. The official release was yesterday (17 Jan 2011), so we don’t know much about sales yet.

It’s hard to say what I love the most about living in the Old Town. Maybe watching my son going down the ramparts with the sledge in winter, or sitting on a bench watching all the people on the market in the summertime. And of course Månefestivalen*, or just taking a beer with a friend in Tamburen**. I can go on and on…

Gamlebyen, Tangood is available from good record shops in Norway, and from www.platekompaniet.no, 169Kr for the CD, or 79Kr for a MP3 download (10 songs)

* Månefestivalen (Gamlebyen’s most popular festival, taking place in the Old Town every year in late July)

** Tamburen (the bar at the back of Restaurant Major Stuen, a popular place with outdoor sitting in summer.