The diary of David, a just-turned-30 Brit living in Norway
Norway’s national diet harks back to its days as a poor country, with a focus on preserving fish and meats in salt, lots of potatoes and simple sauces. This heritage still dominates today with delicacies such as lutefisk eaten through choice rather than necessity. One of Norway’s best loved culinary treats is also one of its simplest and I’m surprised it’s taken me ten months to write about it. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I … [Read more...]
Back in October I took the Oslo to Bergen railway with my friends Chris and Graham. This weekend I repeated the trip with Nicola and Simarjeet, dear friends from my Oxjam Brum days. They were staying with me for a week so to mix it up a bit we chose to check out Bergen, partly for the railway trip and partly for the musical heritage of the city. I also wanted to give the place a second chance, as I wasn't too fond of it first time around. I … [Read more...]
As much as I love sharing my thoughts and observations on Norway and Norwegians, you've heard plenty from me lately. So here I present Life in Norway's second guest post, this time from Gerry. He works at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science & Technology) and moved from Mexico to Norway in April 2010... Through the window, snowy Norwegian roofs greet me as I enter my office. I take my coat off, toss the backpack on the desk, and shake … [Read more...]
This morning on my daily walk to Jerbanetorget, I wandered past the Norwegian restaurant Dovrehallen, as usual. Panic set in as I saw the latest addition to the menu - Lutefisk. Yes folks, Lutefisk season has begun. Perhaps the best way to explain Lutefisk is as the Norwegian version of Marmite, you either love it or hate it. Although I have a sneaky suspicion that those who claim to love it, really don’t. Lutefisk is basically rotting … [Read more...]
It's been nine days since I last updated my diary, telling you all it was time for a lifestyle change. It might sound cliche or gimmicky, but I genuinely am trying to reboot my life through more exercise and a better diet. This also includes spending less time online, which unfortunately means less blog posts. Soz-a-tron! But you know what they say, less is more. Since my last update I've been to my new gym a further three times, which when … [Read more...]
Since arriving in Oslo I've been debating with myself whether to join a gym. My diet has been better, although recently I've fallen foul of the snack attacks. I've also done a lot of walking. Most evenings I take a walk up (literally, up!) to St. Hanshaugen Park, or down to Aker Brygge. I've not put on any weight here, but I do feel sluggish, and now the days are just beginning to get shorter, the realisation has hit me of how much more difficult … [Read more...]
Today I had intended to continue my search for Oslo's best cafe, but I took a slight detour and decided to concentrate on coffee. Living in the centre of Oslo I am surrounded by cafes offering good coffee, but nothing outstanding. For the capital of one of the world's greatest coffee consuming nations, that's been a surprise. I've missed the variety on offer back in Birmingham at Urban Coffee Company. So a quick surf on some coffee blogs and I … [Read more...]
"Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive." For those who don't know me well, I am a total chocoholic. The above quote comes from the Joanne Harris novel Chocolat, which is about as close to food porn as you can get. If you've read it or seen the film adaptation, you will remember the mystical chocolaterie opened by Vianne and her daughter Anouk in the French countryside. It left such an … [Read more...]
He writes here about his new life in Norway: his observations and experiences, the language and culture, the people and places. [Read More …]
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