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.

You will find pictures of the Gamlebyen Model Railway at www.gbmj.no (Norwegian only).

Voldgaten 8, Gamlebyen, Fredrikstad. Open weekends only, Sat 11am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm. Admission 30Kr.

The resident population of ducks in the Old Town of Fredrikstad is a popular local attraction. In winter the moat freezes over, and the ducks, no longer able to find food there, relocate to the quayside by the River Glomma, where they wait for handouts from visitors and locals alike. They make quite a sight – particularly against the white background of freshly fallen snow.

‘This is a nice simple image which made me smile. The picture would work even better with the top distractions cropped of. I’d like to see just enough to know where the road ends and the hedges start, but anymore is just distracting the eye from the fun part of the photograph’, said judge Nathalie Meyer. Well, I kind of agree re. the cropping, but this is a travel photo competition, so I figured it was important to give a sense of the place too. These are not just any ducks – they are the Gamlebyen’s ducks!  Great ambassadors for Fredrikstad don’t you think?

See all the shortlisted entries at http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2010/dec/01/been-there-photography-competition#/?picture=369197741&index=15

- The statue in the middle of Gamlebyen’s main square is that of Frederick II. The Danish king founded the town, which is named after him, in 1567, although he never actually visited Fredrikstad!

- Gamlebyen was ravaged by fire several times throughout the course of its history. The town burnt to the ground no fewer than five times in the first two centuries of its existence, the last time in 1764.

- 200 canons once guarded the Old Town, which was until as late as 2002 still used as a garrison town. Today around 80 canons (most of them replicas of the original weapons) can still be seen on the ramparts, although their use is no longer military, only decorative.

- Local businesses in Gamlebyen include shops, restaurants, cafes, galleries, a post office and a museum, but also three schools, various offices, a doctor and a dentist surgery, and even a funeral parlour.

- Gamlebyen’s latest attraction is its model railway. The work on a local enthusiast, who took five years to build it, it is one of Scandinavia’s largest, with almost 3kms of tracks. And it’s already a huge success – visited by 5,000 curious rail enthusiasts in the first month of opening alone.

- In cold winters the water in the moat around Gamlebyen freezes over, turning the star-shaped moat into a huge ice rink, much to the delight of local children.