June 13, 2010
It’s Sunday in Sortland and we have been invited to spend the afternoon in the coastal village of Nyksund in the Vesterålen area of Northern Norway. Our host for the day is Jan Christiansen, a former resident of Nyksund and large owner of the village today. As we drive the windy roads to the small town, Jan tells us a little history about the old fisherman’s village. When Jan was growing up, Nyksund was a town of 250 permanent residents that grew to about 1500 during high fishing season. His family was heavily interweaved into the history of the town from his grandmother who was the teacher at the local school and ran the town to his cousin who invented his own fishing machinery. Nowadays, Nyksund has about 25 permanent residents and while the Christensens do not live in Nyksund permanently, they do spend many weekends in the village and are planning to throw a big three day birthday celebration for their youngest son on August 7.
Entering Nyksund, the first thing you notice is that it is not much of a town! There is one small waterway cutting through what looks like a little island and there are about 10 houses on either side of the water. There is another row of houses behind the road, but that is the extent of the house. The first house greeting any visitors is a large white main house, where the Christiansens live when they are visiting town. The Christiansens also own several of the other homes in the area and have given away 800 meters of property to local residents in hopes of attracting new residents. Our first stop was to the local hall which has several old photographs and memorabilia on the walls, detailing the history of Nyksund. Jan tells us that this town has been settled and abandoned at least four times in the past 200 years. One big storm, in 1947, brought such large waves that boats tied on one end of the jetty were pushed over the jetty without a scrape on the bottom!
As big ships failed to navigate shallow waters and as road transportation became harder with poor roads, the town of Nyksund started to face a dwindling population. In the 1970s, Nyksund was officially a ghost town in need of much repair and attention in order to bring back residents. It was in 1986 that Jan met a professor in Berlin who was working with juvenile delinquents, mostly drug addicts, who were sent to a special boarding school for their last chance to clean up before being punished severely. After much discussion and overriding of the town council’s vote, Jan brought nearly 200 of those boys to Nyksund. His idea was to provide the boys with a summer project, hands on work cleaning up Nyksund with the understanding that if his no drug policy was violated, the perpetrator was to be sent back to Germany immediately. The town folk feared bringing the boys into town, partly for the drugs and partly for the fear of the boys impregnating the young girls. Jan personally stood up for the program and the summer was a turning point for Nyksund as the boys did more to clean up that town than was every done before. Jan had asked the local police to make periodic surprise visits to check for drugs, so as to keep the town at peace. Only once, Jan said, did a search turn up something and it was only half a joint. Sticking to his promise, he asked the owner of the joint to step forward or else the entire group would be sent home. One small boy stepped forward and took ownership and to thank him for his honesty, Jan decided to allow him to stay. Years later, in 1997, a young man came to Nyksund looking for Jan and asked him if he recognized the man. It turned out to be the same kid who was given a second chance and today, that young man was a father of four and a professor at a technical school in Berlin. Good intentions really do pay themselves forward!
While looking through the town memorabilia, Jan pointed to a machine that looked like a small box. This was his cousin’s invention; an automatic reel for fishing to help save the shoulders and arms of the fishermen who spend their days out on the water. Jan remembers running around the town finding rubber bands and other things his cousin would need to test out the machine. His cousin almost went broke applying for an international patent, but thankfully did eventually succeed. Jan remembers taking the invention to a fishing conference in Seattle one year and impressing those in attendance. One corporate man asked Jan how many they would be able to make and Jan said “many.” When they got home, they received a fax from the man asking for 10,000 machines. His cousin had to call back and say they could deliver 20 but would need more time for 10,000… sadly, they didn’t hear back from the company again!
The rest of the tour through the town included a stop at the smithery, Nyksundsmia. Smed Vebjørn Sommerset, the local blacksmith, opened shop about four years ago and has spent most of the time making his own tools. Apparently, a blacksmith must make his own tools before he can start working on other projects. Smed is now starting to make small pieces and is currently working on a sign for his studio. He is also converting the front part of his studio into a little showroom. Smed gave us little souvenir pendants to remind us of Nyksund. My pendant is a Thor’s hammer, which the Viking God used to create thunder and lightning.
Our next stop in Nyksund is to the local church, built in 1887. The history of the church is a funny story that started with a few guys who were drinking heavily one night. At the time, there were no bathrooms attached to the building so you’d have to go outside to take care of business. One of the men, drunk and stumbling, went outside to go to the bathroom but was startled by noises he heard. He didn’t realize it was the ocean but instead convinced himself it was the devil. At the time, Jan’s grandmother not only worked at the local school but also ran the town. In order to pacify the men, she suggested building a church and for 4,780 NOK, this church was built. The church is a simple box building with all the artwork and objects donated by town residents. Just last year, the town restored one of the outside walls for 250,000 NOK alone!
Our day in Nyksund ended with a coffee break at Jan’s house, the main house situated near the entrance of town. In addition to a wide selection of refreshments and desserts, Jan and his wife, Britt, served us lefse. Lefse is a traditional Norwegian flatbread, served either as tjukklefse (thin bread) or tykklefse (thick bread). Lefse is made out of potato, milk or cream and flour and cooked on a griddle. There are many ways of flavoring lefse but one of the most popular ones and the one we tried today is layering the lefse with cinnamon, sugar and butter. Yum!
Interesting Notes and Observations:
There is a large Norwegian contingency in the United States, mostly based in Minnesota and Seattle, Washington. In 1900, Norway was actually one of the poorest countries in Europe and almost half of the population emigrated to the United States in search of better jobs. Today, Norway is the richest country in Europe, mostly due to the discovery and mining of oil.
Norwegians tend to just look at a problem and take the obvious solution. This can be anything as simple as binders; rather than having to pull them out by the sides when they are stacked on the shelves, the Norwegian binders have holes to put your finger in and pull out efficiently. This also is true for bigger issues like the bank cards. The Norwegian bank cards have a picture ID, name and social security number (not necessary in the United States) on the back of the bank cards, thus eliminating the odds of identity theft. The flip side, though, is that such simple solutions are more costly and thus, likely not able to translate into the American system.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Sortland nightlife with great friends!
June 12, 2010
Today is our formal introduction to Sortland and who better to meet and greet with than Mayor Svein Roar Jacobsen and Commander Steve Olsen, head of the Kystvakten (Norwegian Coast Guard). Sortland, or “the blue town,” as it is often nicknamed because of the number of blue buildings in the downtown area, is a town of about 5,000 residents. The town is located on the island of Langøya and is the largest town and commercial center in Vesterålen. The municipality is named after the old Sortland farm, since the first church was built there. As one of our hosts, Jan Christensen explained to us, the name of a town can tell you a lot about its history. In this case, “Svorta” is a river name and “land” means land or farm. The river name is derived from the word “svartr” or black, hence the town being named “the black one.”
Commander Steve Olsen is the current head of the Norwegian Coast Guard but will be promoted in August to be an admiral in the Royal Norwegian Navy. The Norwegian Coast Guard is technically a branch of the Navy, so he will be moving out of the Coast Guard and into the Navy. The Coast Guard was established on April 1, 1977 and works on several different safety and security issues at sea. It currently consists of 21 vessels, 6 helicopters, 2 aircraft and 800 personnel. There are less than 10 people living on the base at any given time. The ships generally come into dock on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and stay at the base for 24 hours while the new crew takes their orders. Each crew is out to sea for three weeks and then on land for three weeks. The Coast Guard Law gives the authority to enforce all relevant rules and regulations at sea and to assist in emergency or distress situations. The operational area includes territorial waters and the continental shelf and any other international areas where Norway has commitments. It will also carry out military tasks including force protection if needed. The basic philosophy of the Coast Guard is to be present and maintain control.
After the presentations, we decided to have a low key afternoon and evening in Sortland. Three of our Norwegian friends, Ann Lisebeth, Marianne and Karl Erik, are all from Sortland and wanted to show us the everyday life in town. Nicole and I started the afternoon taking in the downtown Sortland area in search of some affordable Norwegian souvenirs. Sadly, the task was impossible. We did however get to walk around the two downtown malls, which have about six stores in each including a grocery store and the equivalent of a dollar store (but more than a dollar!). The one thing I did notice is that Norway as a whole and Sortland in particular does not offer anywhere close to the number of options we have at home. The only area where there are options is in the grocery store selection, because there are at least four chains in each town. Between the two malls, there are only three to four clothing stores, a couple flower stores, two pharmacy chains, nille (the dollar store equivalent), a toy store and an electronic boutique. Marianne said this was typical and enough for them. Between the sheer number of options and the value of the Norwegian kroner versus the U.S. dollar, it’s no wonder the Norwegian team went crazy shopping when they visited us!
After shopping or rather window shopping, we visited Karl Erik’s house to meet his famed hens! After meeting Karl Erik in New Jersey, we were all convinced he lived a rural lifestyle in the middle of nowhere living off the land. Instead, he lives right in the city but still has a chicken hatch in the backyard for his four hens. While we were visiting, his three little girls ran outside to the backyard to pick out some fresh rhubarb which they ate raw, dipping the end into a glass of sugar. Rhubarb and sugar is a Norwegian treat all our friends seem to remember enjoying while growing up but nowadays, if you were to buy rhubarb at the grocery store in the United States, it comes with a warning not to eat it raw!
Our evening started with some homemade pizza! Homemade pizza is definitely different in Norway, the crust is thick and the pie is either entirely topped with meats or veggies. All pizza is served with a garlic pizza sauce which is very similar to tzatziki. The Norwegians typically top their pizza with the sauce and don’t use any other toppings like oregano, crushed red pepper or garlic. The taste in all Norwegian food tends to run towards the bland side but I haven’t tasted the meats which are likely marinated and thus, flavorful. Karl Erik started a mini-barbeque (a foil pan with some charcoal) to make whale and reindeer kebabs. After dinner was our first night out with Norwegian friends, starting with a party at Ann Lisebeth’s house where she invited a lot of her other friends. Here we were introduced to two Norwegian drinking traditions… First, Karsk. You get a mug with a clear bottom and place a coin either inside the mug or underneath. Poor coffee in the mug until you can’t see the coin any longer. Then, you grab the vodka and pour it in until you can see the coin again. (Hint: The coffee is still in there, so you’ll never dilute it enough to be able to see the coin again). Second, a Turkish shot. Not good. A Turkish shot is essentially a homemade shot, combining vodka with a Turkish bean that tastes like black licorice. The liquor mixture is given a couple days to set, which intensifies the taste. Norwegians love this shot or black licorice in particular… on the other hand, Americans do not love the taste of black licorice. Yuck!
Our night continued with a taste of the local nightlife at Stedet. A famous local cover band, Topcoat, was playing in town so we decided to hear their 80s music. The nightlife in Norway is pretty similar to going out in a small town at home. The drinks were expensive, but that has been our experience the entire time. The bar also had a disco attached to the back with a dj and a dance floor. That was a little different only because the music was unfamiliar, mostly Europop with techno beats. But all in all, it was a fun night and we had a great time with our friends in Sortland. On a side note and perhaps of interest, there are no strip clubs in Norway. In fact, Norwegian men don’t understand the concept of paying to see somebody take their clothes off. Ha.
Interesting Observations:
Norwegians are incredibly adept at using their utensils. Sitting at the dinner table with any Norwegian means you will feel inferior in your own eating abilities. The Norwegians eat with both hands, a fork in their left hand and a knife in their right. Without ever touching the food with their hands, they are able to scoop up every last morsel from the plate including gravy, rice and bread. Everything is cut into little bites and eaten including the open faced sandwiches for lunch. On the other hand, and somewhat embarrassingly, us Americans use our right hand to cut with the knife, then place the knife down and switch utensils so the right hand is now picking up the fork to put the bite of food in our mouth. Very inefficient!
Speaking of food, I have yet to get used to the typical Norwegian spread. Breakfast usually consists of a piece of bread, topped with mayonnaise, caviar, cheese or hard-boiled eggs. There is also usually a Wasa bread/cracker and then jams, butter, brown cheese and of course, fish. A typical breakfast starts with a piece of bread with several toppings, eaten with a fork and knife. The lunch spread is very similar to the breakfast spread, with bread and Wasa crackers, a spread of fish, mayonnaise, caviar, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, brown cheese, paprika red peppers and cucumber. Norwegians typically start with two to three slices of bread, with toppings to make an open-faced sandwich, eaten with fork and knife. Dinner varies from fish to meats to more traditional Norwegian meals like fish balls, sheep’s head, reindeer or whale. I haven’t had any problems finding vegetarian food, a salad at least, but the variety has been limited.
Today is our formal introduction to Sortland and who better to meet and greet with than Mayor Svein Roar Jacobsen and Commander Steve Olsen, head of the Kystvakten (Norwegian Coast Guard). Sortland, or “the blue town,” as it is often nicknamed because of the number of blue buildings in the downtown area, is a town of about 5,000 residents. The town is located on the island of Langøya and is the largest town and commercial center in Vesterålen. The municipality is named after the old Sortland farm, since the first church was built there. As one of our hosts, Jan Christensen explained to us, the name of a town can tell you a lot about its history. In this case, “Svorta” is a river name and “land” means land or farm. The river name is derived from the word “svartr” or black, hence the town being named “the black one.”
Commander Steve Olsen is the current head of the Norwegian Coast Guard but will be promoted in August to be an admiral in the Royal Norwegian Navy. The Norwegian Coast Guard is technically a branch of the Navy, so he will be moving out of the Coast Guard and into the Navy. The Coast Guard was established on April 1, 1977 and works on several different safety and security issues at sea. It currently consists of 21 vessels, 6 helicopters, 2 aircraft and 800 personnel. There are less than 10 people living on the base at any given time. The ships generally come into dock on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and stay at the base for 24 hours while the new crew takes their orders. Each crew is out to sea for three weeks and then on land for three weeks. The Coast Guard Law gives the authority to enforce all relevant rules and regulations at sea and to assist in emergency or distress situations. The operational area includes territorial waters and the continental shelf and any other international areas where Norway has commitments. It will also carry out military tasks including force protection if needed. The basic philosophy of the Coast Guard is to be present and maintain control.
After the presentations, we decided to have a low key afternoon and evening in Sortland. Three of our Norwegian friends, Ann Lisebeth, Marianne and Karl Erik, are all from Sortland and wanted to show us the everyday life in town. Nicole and I started the afternoon taking in the downtown Sortland area in search of some affordable Norwegian souvenirs. Sadly, the task was impossible. We did however get to walk around the two downtown malls, which have about six stores in each including a grocery store and the equivalent of a dollar store (but more than a dollar!). The one thing I did notice is that Norway as a whole and Sortland in particular does not offer anywhere close to the number of options we have at home. The only area where there are options is in the grocery store selection, because there are at least four chains in each town. Between the two malls, there are only three to four clothing stores, a couple flower stores, two pharmacy chains, nille (the dollar store equivalent), a toy store and an electronic boutique. Marianne said this was typical and enough for them. Between the sheer number of options and the value of the Norwegian kroner versus the U.S. dollar, it’s no wonder the Norwegian team went crazy shopping when they visited us!
After shopping or rather window shopping, we visited Karl Erik’s house to meet his famed hens! After meeting Karl Erik in New Jersey, we were all convinced he lived a rural lifestyle in the middle of nowhere living off the land. Instead, he lives right in the city but still has a chicken hatch in the backyard for his four hens. While we were visiting, his three little girls ran outside to the backyard to pick out some fresh rhubarb which they ate raw, dipping the end into a glass of sugar. Rhubarb and sugar is a Norwegian treat all our friends seem to remember enjoying while growing up but nowadays, if you were to buy rhubarb at the grocery store in the United States, it comes with a warning not to eat it raw!
Our evening started with some homemade pizza! Homemade pizza is definitely different in Norway, the crust is thick and the pie is either entirely topped with meats or veggies. All pizza is served with a garlic pizza sauce which is very similar to tzatziki. The Norwegians typically top their pizza with the sauce and don’t use any other toppings like oregano, crushed red pepper or garlic. The taste in all Norwegian food tends to run towards the bland side but I haven’t tasted the meats which are likely marinated and thus, flavorful. Karl Erik started a mini-barbeque (a foil pan with some charcoal) to make whale and reindeer kebabs. After dinner was our first night out with Norwegian friends, starting with a party at Ann Lisebeth’s house where she invited a lot of her other friends. Here we were introduced to two Norwegian drinking traditions… First, Karsk. You get a mug with a clear bottom and place a coin either inside the mug or underneath. Poor coffee in the mug until you can’t see the coin any longer. Then, you grab the vodka and pour it in until you can see the coin again. (Hint: The coffee is still in there, so you’ll never dilute it enough to be able to see the coin again). Second, a Turkish shot. Not good. A Turkish shot is essentially a homemade shot, combining vodka with a Turkish bean that tastes like black licorice. The liquor mixture is given a couple days to set, which intensifies the taste. Norwegians love this shot or black licorice in particular… on the other hand, Americans do not love the taste of black licorice. Yuck!
Our night continued with a taste of the local nightlife at Stedet. A famous local cover band, Topcoat, was playing in town so we decided to hear their 80s music. The nightlife in Norway is pretty similar to going out in a small town at home. The drinks were expensive, but that has been our experience the entire time. The bar also had a disco attached to the back with a dj and a dance floor. That was a little different only because the music was unfamiliar, mostly Europop with techno beats. But all in all, it was a fun night and we had a great time with our friends in Sortland. On a side note and perhaps of interest, there are no strip clubs in Norway. In fact, Norwegian men don’t understand the concept of paying to see somebody take their clothes off. Ha.
Interesting Observations:
Norwegians are incredibly adept at using their utensils. Sitting at the dinner table with any Norwegian means you will feel inferior in your own eating abilities. The Norwegians eat with both hands, a fork in their left hand and a knife in their right. Without ever touching the food with their hands, they are able to scoop up every last morsel from the plate including gravy, rice and bread. Everything is cut into little bites and eaten including the open faced sandwiches for lunch. On the other hand, and somewhat embarrassingly, us Americans use our right hand to cut with the knife, then place the knife down and switch utensils so the right hand is now picking up the fork to put the bite of food in our mouth. Very inefficient!
Speaking of food, I have yet to get used to the typical Norwegian spread. Breakfast usually consists of a piece of bread, topped with mayonnaise, caviar, cheese or hard-boiled eggs. There is also usually a Wasa bread/cracker and then jams, butter, brown cheese and of course, fish. A typical breakfast starts with a piece of bread with several toppings, eaten with a fork and knife. The lunch spread is very similar to the breakfast spread, with bread and Wasa crackers, a spread of fish, mayonnaise, caviar, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, brown cheese, paprika red peppers and cucumber. Norwegians typically start with two to three slices of bread, with toppings to make an open-faced sandwich, eaten with fork and knife. Dinner varies from fish to meats to more traditional Norwegian meals like fish balls, sheep’s head, reindeer or whale. I haven’t had any problems finding vegetarian food, a salad at least, but the variety has been limited.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
We're famous!
June 11, 2010
An early morning interview with Vesterålen Bladett kicked off our first full day in Sortland. Our hosts for the day were the Stokmarknes Rotary Club, so we left Sortland for the 45 minute drive to the nearby island of Hadsel. Our first stop this morning was to the salmon fish farm and slaughterhouse, Nordlaks. This particular salmon factory is extremely high tech, reducing the labor force to only 26 employees on the floor and several motorized robots to read barcodes and move heavy boxes to the right conveyer belt. We started our visit checking out the salmon tanks where 30,000 mature fish swim in each pier. Today, about 50,000 were scheduled to be processed so a large vacuum tube was sucking the fish from the water into the plant where they would be electrocuted to paralyze the body and then either sliced for filet or processed as needed. The salmon are approximately five kilos in weight and 2.5 years old when they are mature and ready for processing. In general, Nordlaks prefers to work with fresh fish, however depending on the market price and the demand, they can also make frozen fish for grocery stores. Thankfully, I was able to opt out of the walking tour for this fish factory though I did hear it was much cleaner than the cod factory we visited in Lofoten. Smelly!
After a quick lunch, our next visit in Stokmarknes was to Trollfjord Kraft. Trollfjord Kraft, aptly named after a mountain range near the fjord where the powerhouse is located, was first created in 1907 to provide electricity to the local area. Trollfjord Kraft produces about 15 percent of the electricity needed in Stokmarknes and acts as a medium, purchasing and supplying the remaining energy needs of the area. The company has also expanded to offer other services including installation, technical support and broadband internet, to name a few. With 36 employees, the company’s gross revenue for the year is 100 million NOK or a profit of 9 million NOK after taxes.
Our final visit in Stokmarknes this evening was a trip to the Hurtigruten Museum with a former captain of the ship, Sten Engen. After having taken a ride on the ship, it was interesting to learn the history of the boat including its maiden voyage and the number of ships that have been built and added to the line. It was perhaps most fascinating to see how excited Sten was as he remembered his time aboard various vessels. Before heading back to Sortland for the night, we had dinner at the Isqueen (Ice Queen) boat/restaurant with the Hadsel Rotary Club. After reading my bio, the president of the club surprised me with a shot glass to add to my collection at home!
Interesting Observations:
The people of Norway, while taxed at least 40 percent of their earnings, are much more appreciative of the government than the people of the United States. Perhaps it is because they came from being the poorest country in Europe in the recent past, but there seems to be more of confidence in the government and its ability to make the right decisions for the people. Rather than complain, Norwegians are content paying the taxes because they believe they have it good and are willing to pay the taxes in order to enjoy the lifestyle they share. For that matter, it seems like there is less of push to get the better job or the better salary. Norwegians, in general, seem to be content with where they work and tend to stay in the same job for longer periods of time rather than bouncing around to make earn a better title or pay raise.
An early morning interview with Vesterålen Bladett kicked off our first full day in Sortland. Our hosts for the day were the Stokmarknes Rotary Club, so we left Sortland for the 45 minute drive to the nearby island of Hadsel. Our first stop this morning was to the salmon fish farm and slaughterhouse, Nordlaks. This particular salmon factory is extremely high tech, reducing the labor force to only 26 employees on the floor and several motorized robots to read barcodes and move heavy boxes to the right conveyer belt. We started our visit checking out the salmon tanks where 30,000 mature fish swim in each pier. Today, about 50,000 were scheduled to be processed so a large vacuum tube was sucking the fish from the water into the plant where they would be electrocuted to paralyze the body and then either sliced for filet or processed as needed. The salmon are approximately five kilos in weight and 2.5 years old when they are mature and ready for processing. In general, Nordlaks prefers to work with fresh fish, however depending on the market price and the demand, they can also make frozen fish for grocery stores. Thankfully, I was able to opt out of the walking tour for this fish factory though I did hear it was much cleaner than the cod factory we visited in Lofoten. Smelly!
After a quick lunch, our next visit in Stokmarknes was to Trollfjord Kraft. Trollfjord Kraft, aptly named after a mountain range near the fjord where the powerhouse is located, was first created in 1907 to provide electricity to the local area. Trollfjord Kraft produces about 15 percent of the electricity needed in Stokmarknes and acts as a medium, purchasing and supplying the remaining energy needs of the area. The company has also expanded to offer other services including installation, technical support and broadband internet, to name a few. With 36 employees, the company’s gross revenue for the year is 100 million NOK or a profit of 9 million NOK after taxes.
Our final visit in Stokmarknes this evening was a trip to the Hurtigruten Museum with a former captain of the ship, Sten Engen. After having taken a ride on the ship, it was interesting to learn the history of the boat including its maiden voyage and the number of ships that have been built and added to the line. It was perhaps most fascinating to see how excited Sten was as he remembered his time aboard various vessels. Before heading back to Sortland for the night, we had dinner at the Isqueen (Ice Queen) boat/restaurant with the Hadsel Rotary Club. After reading my bio, the president of the club surprised me with a shot glass to add to my collection at home!
Interesting Observations:
The people of Norway, while taxed at least 40 percent of their earnings, are much more appreciative of the government than the people of the United States. Perhaps it is because they came from being the poorest country in Europe in the recent past, but there seems to be more of confidence in the government and its ability to make the right decisions for the people. Rather than complain, Norwegians are content paying the taxes because they believe they have it good and are willing to pay the taxes in order to enjoy the lifestyle they share. For that matter, it seems like there is less of push to get the better job or the better salary. Norwegians, in general, seem to be content with where they work and tend to stay in the same job for longer periods of time rather than bouncing around to make earn a better title or pay raise.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Mountains, fjords, tunnels and bridges... onto Sortland!
June 10, 2010
Today was our last day in Lofoten, so our hosts decided to leave us with an introduction to their heritage. Our first stop for the day was to Lofotr, the Vikingmuseet. This interactive museum allows guests to walk in the footsteps of the chieftain and see the life of a Viking thousands of years ago. Walking up the hill to the reconstructed chieftain’s house, you can see wooden poles for where the remains of five houses and six graves were found. The discovery of this Viking location was accidental; a farmer in the area came across an amulet, a tiny piece of glass with an etched picture of gullgrubber. The little images of the god Odin and Skade, a giant and a Sami woman, are called “gullgubber.” The Viking and the Sami woman were not considered an acceptable match but their love was so strong that they convinced everybody they were meant to be and thus became the symbol of true love. An amulet depicting the sacred wedding of Odin and Skade was found by the high seat in the Chieftain’s Hall. The amulet in gold was used to tip the priest’s pointer, which was then used to turn the pages of scared scripture.
The chieftain’s house, on what looks like a Viking ship, was 78 feet in length and 5.3 meters at its widest point. Inside, the museum, the house featured several areas including a place for the women to weave. Unlike most weaving set ups where the rows continue downwards, this particular weaver started from the bottom and moved upward indicating that the women were extremely strong to pull the thread upward. There was also a tool area with several versions of popular items today including a saw and chisel. There was an area for cooking (they made bread by mixing barley, water and blood), sleeping including a bed for the chieftain (decorated with horses since they were considered protector animals), playing games (including an older version of chess and tic tac toe), storing food and gathering for meetings and other official duties. An interesting discovery was that women of the time used to keep many things in locked boxes and the more keys the woman carried, the more important she was considered. The location of the house was probably the most important decision in planning to settle. With the natural barrier of a fjord down the hill, the Vikings could see the incoming traffic into the area and could plant several men on both sides of the fjord to offer a first line of defense in case of attack.
After the museum, we were invited to dinner at Terje Johnasen’s house where his son had created a traditional Norwegian dinner. This particular meal, Terje explained, was usually their holiday celebration set up and is largely influenced by how his parents and his wife’s parents used to cook their food. The menu included avocado shells with a blue cheese and fish mixture, topped with peeled shrimp; potato salad; a tray of deli meats including ox; a tray of seafood including shrimp, salmon and cod; bread; homemade sour cream; and, honey melon, which is tastes like a yellow watermelon. We piled back into our rented van for our next stop for the day to Henningsvær.
Henningsvær is the cutest and most picturesque seaside village nestled between mountains. On our drive into the area, we came across our first single-lane bridges. In order to save money, the bridges were built with one lane instead of two and bookmarked with traffic lights. The cars on one end wait until they have a green light and can cross the bridge to pass the waiting traffic on the other end. This system works well for a country of only 4.5 million residents and an island with less than 3,500 residents. In comparison, the state of New Jersey alone has 9 million residents! Henningsvær is home to an art gallery showcasing the art of Gunnar Berg and photographs of Frank Jessen. The photo slideshow showcased images of Lofoten and the beauty of the Norwegian coastline.
From Hennginsvær, we headed to Fiskebøl to switch cars and say goodbye to our Lofoten hosts and hello to our Vesteralen hosts. Vesteralen is a large municipality, so for the first two days we were spending time with the Stokmarknes hosts although we will be based at the Coast Guard headquarters in Sortland. On our way to Sortland, we made one last stop to visit the offices of NorLense AS, a company that makes offshore booms, oil containment equipment, harbor safety equipment and inflatable tents. NorLense makes 95 percent of Norwegian’s booms and considering the presence of oil in this country, that is a significant amount. The booms are made in a large open warehouse and are generally made in 25 meter sections for a maximum length of 400 meters. The booms are 3 meters in height, about 1.5 meters go above the water and another 1.5 meters below as a skirt with a chain to keep the boom in place. Perhaps the most interesting technology of NorLense booms versus other companies is their ability to create flexible technology so the boom can withstand the waves and other natural obstacles in the water. NorLense is also proud of their rapid technology, making it so that only one person is need to guide the boom out into place and allowing the offshore deployment of a 400 meter boom in only 15 minutes and the coastal deployment of the same boom in only 5 minutes. A custom boom can be ordered and created in one man year or approximately a fortnight.
An hour and half later, we finally reached our home for the next four nights at the Coast Guard headquarters in Sortland. We had another delicious Norwegian meal at a local restaurant and reunited with Marianne and Ann Lisebeth, two of the Norwegian team members that visited us in the United States. Dinner, drinks and good company… a perfect ending to our first night in Sortland!
Today was our last day in Lofoten, so our hosts decided to leave us with an introduction to their heritage. Our first stop for the day was to Lofotr, the Vikingmuseet. This interactive museum allows guests to walk in the footsteps of the chieftain and see the life of a Viking thousands of years ago. Walking up the hill to the reconstructed chieftain’s house, you can see wooden poles for where the remains of five houses and six graves were found. The discovery of this Viking location was accidental; a farmer in the area came across an amulet, a tiny piece of glass with an etched picture of gullgrubber. The little images of the god Odin and Skade, a giant and a Sami woman, are called “gullgubber.” The Viking and the Sami woman were not considered an acceptable match but their love was so strong that they convinced everybody they were meant to be and thus became the symbol of true love. An amulet depicting the sacred wedding of Odin and Skade was found by the high seat in the Chieftain’s Hall. The amulet in gold was used to tip the priest’s pointer, which was then used to turn the pages of scared scripture.
The chieftain’s house, on what looks like a Viking ship, was 78 feet in length and 5.3 meters at its widest point. Inside, the museum, the house featured several areas including a place for the women to weave. Unlike most weaving set ups where the rows continue downwards, this particular weaver started from the bottom and moved upward indicating that the women were extremely strong to pull the thread upward. There was also a tool area with several versions of popular items today including a saw and chisel. There was an area for cooking (they made bread by mixing barley, water and blood), sleeping including a bed for the chieftain (decorated with horses since they were considered protector animals), playing games (including an older version of chess and tic tac toe), storing food and gathering for meetings and other official duties. An interesting discovery was that women of the time used to keep many things in locked boxes and the more keys the woman carried, the more important she was considered. The location of the house was probably the most important decision in planning to settle. With the natural barrier of a fjord down the hill, the Vikings could see the incoming traffic into the area and could plant several men on both sides of the fjord to offer a first line of defense in case of attack.
After the museum, we were invited to dinner at Terje Johnasen’s house where his son had created a traditional Norwegian dinner. This particular meal, Terje explained, was usually their holiday celebration set up and is largely influenced by how his parents and his wife’s parents used to cook their food. The menu included avocado shells with a blue cheese and fish mixture, topped with peeled shrimp; potato salad; a tray of deli meats including ox; a tray of seafood including shrimp, salmon and cod; bread; homemade sour cream; and, honey melon, which is tastes like a yellow watermelon. We piled back into our rented van for our next stop for the day to Henningsvær.
Henningsvær is the cutest and most picturesque seaside village nestled between mountains. On our drive into the area, we came across our first single-lane bridges. In order to save money, the bridges were built with one lane instead of two and bookmarked with traffic lights. The cars on one end wait until they have a green light and can cross the bridge to pass the waiting traffic on the other end. This system works well for a country of only 4.5 million residents and an island with less than 3,500 residents. In comparison, the state of New Jersey alone has 9 million residents! Henningsvær is home to an art gallery showcasing the art of Gunnar Berg and photographs of Frank Jessen. The photo slideshow showcased images of Lofoten and the beauty of the Norwegian coastline.
From Hennginsvær, we headed to Fiskebøl to switch cars and say goodbye to our Lofoten hosts and hello to our Vesteralen hosts. Vesteralen is a large municipality, so for the first two days we were spending time with the Stokmarknes hosts although we will be based at the Coast Guard headquarters in Sortland. On our way to Sortland, we made one last stop to visit the offices of NorLense AS, a company that makes offshore booms, oil containment equipment, harbor safety equipment and inflatable tents. NorLense makes 95 percent of Norwegian’s booms and considering the presence of oil in this country, that is a significant amount. The booms are made in a large open warehouse and are generally made in 25 meter sections for a maximum length of 400 meters. The booms are 3 meters in height, about 1.5 meters go above the water and another 1.5 meters below as a skirt with a chain to keep the boom in place. Perhaps the most interesting technology of NorLense booms versus other companies is their ability to create flexible technology so the boom can withstand the waves and other natural obstacles in the water. NorLense is also proud of their rapid technology, making it so that only one person is need to guide the boom out into place and allowing the offshore deployment of a 400 meter boom in only 15 minutes and the coastal deployment of the same boom in only 5 minutes. A custom boom can be ordered and created in one man year or approximately a fortnight.
An hour and half later, we finally reached our home for the next four nights at the Coast Guard headquarters in Sortland. We had another delicious Norwegian meal at a local restaurant and reunited with Marianne and Ann Lisebeth, two of the Norwegian team members that visited us in the United States. Dinner, drinks and good company… a perfect ending to our first night in Sortland!
Smelly Fish!
June 9, 2010
We survived our first night in the old fisherman’s cabin and joined our host for the day, Anders Paulsen, for a view into life in Lofoten. Although it is unseasonably cold, Lofoten is packed because this is the start of the busy summer season. The theme for today is fish, which is fitting since fishing is the main industry of the island from farming to packaging to tourism. Our first stop today is Nic. Haug AS, a storkfish factory. Here, storkfish are washed, dried, packaged and sorted. After the fish are dried, they are about 33 percent of what they weighed originally. The salted fish are exported to Italy, Portugal and Spain while the fresh fish are exported to Germany, England, Holland and France. Typically, the factory hangs the storkfish in February to dry and they remain on the drying racks through May. The quality of the fish is largely dependent on the weather conditions; need temperatures that are not too warm or freezing cold and a little wind. After the storkfish has been processed, a customer can buy it dried and soak it in water for four days to prepare it for consumption.
After a quick drive by past the local fish oil factory, our next stop in Lofoten was a visit to the Lofoten Maritime College/Vest Lofoten Upper Secondary School. Headmaster Søren Fredrik Voie introduced the college of 648 students and 160 employees. The school is located on the island of Vestvågøy, Lofoten, about 180 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Loften sees mild winters because of the Gulf Stream, allowing students training to be fishermen and seamen to take advantage of the ocean year round. One of the college’s greatest teaching tools is Poseidon, a computer-based simulator showcasing how to operate ships in different conditions. Poseidon, run under the direction of Captain Svein Arne, a mariner master with 366 months at sea under his belt, features 30 different ships in numerous ports across the world allowing students plan routes and then simulate the journey including rough weather conditions and docking.
After a delicious lunch, our next stop was to Aker Seafoods, a worldwide seafood distributor. At Aker, we were asked to dress in booties, a lab coat and hair net before entering the fishing plant. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, I learned more than I ever needed to know about the packaging of cod fish while stepping over fish guts and gagging from the stench of raw fish! It was interesting to see fish preparation from raw catch to final product on grocery store shelves. When a fishing shipment first arrives, the factory pulls out 10 percent of the total cargo to be measured for weight and length. The quality of the fish will determine the price to be paid to the fishermen. The fish is then cleaned and sent to the next machine via conveyer belt to be sliced as filets. The next step is the weighing where each worker is assigned to machine and required to weigh and cut the filets into 400 gram pieces. The workers’ pay correlates directly to the speed and accuracy of each cut, with starting pay at 140 NOK per hour to a max of 300 NOK per hour. If all the fresh fish is not needed, the rest is sent to be packaged as frozen food. Three pieces of the filet are packaged by hand into a plastic container and then placed in cardboard boxes. The boxes are sent into the freezer for about an hour to be frozen and then packaged into container freights. Aker Seafoods has about 90 total employees with 60 working on the floor. The workers generally start at 6:30 am and work until they have finished processing the fish or roughly 3:30 pm. The cleaning crew of five then come in and spends about seven hours wiping down and sanitizing all the equipment. After cleaning up, but still smelling like fish, we thanked our guides who sent us home with a package of frozen cod fish that Torgunn served for dinner later that evening.
Our last stop on the afternoon fish tour was a visit to LofiLabs, a fish farm. Our guide Espen showed us the process of harvesting fish which started with the parent fish that are kept in cages in the sea for most of the year. In February, the male and female fish are brought into a large tub where they spend two months mating while the fish farmers collect the eggs by spinning the water so all the eggs eventually land in the container. Those eggs are then taken into several individual tubs where fresh water is circulated throughout the day. Once a day, the y spin the water and the eggs that sink to the bottom are removed while the ones floating are still alive and continue to grow. There are nearly half a million eggs collected and transferred into the process. After three weeks, the eggs are now turning into larvae and the egg shells are collected while the fish are moved to the next step of large tubs. Here they are fed a specially cultivated microorganism until they are large enough to ingest dry feed. The larvae are monitored for another three weeks before they are big enough to take out to the sea. Here they are placed in large mesh bags to be hung underneath the jetty so as to allow the sea water to help them grow while they are fed dry feed. The fish are kept at this farm for about a year before they are sent to a sister company to be kept for another year until they are mature enough to be processed and sold. During the best year, 1.2 million fish were produced while the worst year produced only 200,000 fish. This year, Espen said the issue isn’t the quantity produced but the lack of buyers for the cod they do have.
After a fish filled afternoon, we arrived back to Kræmmervika Rorbuer for a quick dinner before getting dressed in our survival suits to head out on the boat to test our own fishing skills. Anders and Peter were doubling as our fishing instructors for the evening as we set sail around 8 pm. The speedboat took us into the middle of the water and surrounded by mountains and the midnight sun, the setting was absolutely picturesque. Our fishing adventure started early with Tim reeling in the first medium-sized cod fish and Peters bringing out his knife to release the fish and then slice the skin. For my first time on a fishing boat, I was horrified with the fish blood that splattered the boat and then watching the fish wiggling around as it bled out in the plastic container. Fishing was not for me, but I did capture the moment since this would probably be my only time aboard a fishing boat! Mason won the prize for the largest catch of the evening with a large cod fish. Other catches included haddak and sait (which was too small, so throw back into the water). The survival suit did a good job of keeping us warm but also retaining more of the fish smell. Never was I so excited to shower and so in need of laundry services!
We survived our first night in the old fisherman’s cabin and joined our host for the day, Anders Paulsen, for a view into life in Lofoten. Although it is unseasonably cold, Lofoten is packed because this is the start of the busy summer season. The theme for today is fish, which is fitting since fishing is the main industry of the island from farming to packaging to tourism. Our first stop today is Nic. Haug AS, a storkfish factory. Here, storkfish are washed, dried, packaged and sorted. After the fish are dried, they are about 33 percent of what they weighed originally. The salted fish are exported to Italy, Portugal and Spain while the fresh fish are exported to Germany, England, Holland and France. Typically, the factory hangs the storkfish in February to dry and they remain on the drying racks through May. The quality of the fish is largely dependent on the weather conditions; need temperatures that are not too warm or freezing cold and a little wind. After the storkfish has been processed, a customer can buy it dried and soak it in water for four days to prepare it for consumption.
After a quick drive by past the local fish oil factory, our next stop in Lofoten was a visit to the Lofoten Maritime College/Vest Lofoten Upper Secondary School. Headmaster Søren Fredrik Voie introduced the college of 648 students and 160 employees. The school is located on the island of Vestvågøy, Lofoten, about 180 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Loften sees mild winters because of the Gulf Stream, allowing students training to be fishermen and seamen to take advantage of the ocean year round. One of the college’s greatest teaching tools is Poseidon, a computer-based simulator showcasing how to operate ships in different conditions. Poseidon, run under the direction of Captain Svein Arne, a mariner master with 366 months at sea under his belt, features 30 different ships in numerous ports across the world allowing students plan routes and then simulate the journey including rough weather conditions and docking.
After a delicious lunch, our next stop was to Aker Seafoods, a worldwide seafood distributor. At Aker, we were asked to dress in booties, a lab coat and hair net before entering the fishing plant. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, I learned more than I ever needed to know about the packaging of cod fish while stepping over fish guts and gagging from the stench of raw fish! It was interesting to see fish preparation from raw catch to final product on grocery store shelves. When a fishing shipment first arrives, the factory pulls out 10 percent of the total cargo to be measured for weight and length. The quality of the fish will determine the price to be paid to the fishermen. The fish is then cleaned and sent to the next machine via conveyer belt to be sliced as filets. The next step is the weighing where each worker is assigned to machine and required to weigh and cut the filets into 400 gram pieces. The workers’ pay correlates directly to the speed and accuracy of each cut, with starting pay at 140 NOK per hour to a max of 300 NOK per hour. If all the fresh fish is not needed, the rest is sent to be packaged as frozen food. Three pieces of the filet are packaged by hand into a plastic container and then placed in cardboard boxes. The boxes are sent into the freezer for about an hour to be frozen and then packaged into container freights. Aker Seafoods has about 90 total employees with 60 working on the floor. The workers generally start at 6:30 am and work until they have finished processing the fish or roughly 3:30 pm. The cleaning crew of five then come in and spends about seven hours wiping down and sanitizing all the equipment. After cleaning up, but still smelling like fish, we thanked our guides who sent us home with a package of frozen cod fish that Torgunn served for dinner later that evening.
Our last stop on the afternoon fish tour was a visit to LofiLabs, a fish farm. Our guide Espen showed us the process of harvesting fish which started with the parent fish that are kept in cages in the sea for most of the year. In February, the male and female fish are brought into a large tub where they spend two months mating while the fish farmers collect the eggs by spinning the water so all the eggs eventually land in the container. Those eggs are then taken into several individual tubs where fresh water is circulated throughout the day. Once a day, the y spin the water and the eggs that sink to the bottom are removed while the ones floating are still alive and continue to grow. There are nearly half a million eggs collected and transferred into the process. After three weeks, the eggs are now turning into larvae and the egg shells are collected while the fish are moved to the next step of large tubs. Here they are fed a specially cultivated microorganism until they are large enough to ingest dry feed. The larvae are monitored for another three weeks before they are big enough to take out to the sea. Here they are placed in large mesh bags to be hung underneath the jetty so as to allow the sea water to help them grow while they are fed dry feed. The fish are kept at this farm for about a year before they are sent to a sister company to be kept for another year until they are mature enough to be processed and sold. During the best year, 1.2 million fish were produced while the worst year produced only 200,000 fish. This year, Espen said the issue isn’t the quantity produced but the lack of buyers for the cod they do have.
After a fish filled afternoon, we arrived back to Kræmmervika Rorbuer for a quick dinner before getting dressed in our survival suits to head out on the boat to test our own fishing skills. Anders and Peter were doubling as our fishing instructors for the evening as we set sail around 8 pm. The speedboat took us into the middle of the water and surrounded by mountains and the midnight sun, the setting was absolutely picturesque. Our fishing adventure started early with Tim reeling in the first medium-sized cod fish and Peters bringing out his knife to release the fish and then slice the skin. For my first time on a fishing boat, I was horrified with the fish blood that splattered the boat and then watching the fish wiggling around as it bled out in the plastic container. Fishing was not for me, but I did capture the moment since this would probably be my only time aboard a fishing boat! Mason won the prize for the largest catch of the evening with a large cod fish. Other catches included haddak and sait (which was too small, so throw back into the water). The survival suit did a good job of keeping us warm but also retaining more of the fish smell. Never was I so excited to shower and so in need of laundry services!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Lofoten, here we come!
June 8, 2010
An early wake-up call at 5 am got our day started as we spent the day traveling to the Lofoten islands. The first leg of our journey was an hour car ride from Mo i Rana to Nesna to board a speed boat for Bodø. The speed boat is a three hour journey with several stops at islands along the way. Watching the sun reflect off the water as we pass mountain ranges and island homes is really an amazing sight and a great visual picture of Northern Norway! After a short lunch with our old friends in Bodø, we headed off to board the Hurtigruten. We’ve been hearing how amazing this trip is going to be and the weather seems to be cooperating with us today!
Hurtigruten or “Express Route” is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway’s western and northern coast. The ship sails almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11 days, and is often referred to as the “World’s Most Beautiful Sea Voyage.” For our trip, we would board in Bodø and disembark at the next port of Stamsund on the Lofoten Islands. Hurtigruten is over 100 years old, created in 1893 to improve communications along the Norway coastline. The inside of the MS Nordkamp is similar to a low-end cruise ship with seven decks, lounges, a restaurant and cabins for those on a longer journey. Our view from the seventh floor faced the islands and about half way through our trip, we were able to see the Lofoten Islands in its entirety.
After spending the day traveling, we were happy to see our residence for the next two nights. We were going to be staying in the fisherman village of Ballstad. Located in the Vestvågøy municipality of Lofoten, the town has a population of 956. Our stay in Ballstad will be Kræmmervika Rorbuer, otherwise known as the old Fisherman’s cabins. It is a cluster of 34 historical buildings from the 1850s. Today, Kræmmervika Rorbuer features 250 beds and is owned by Torgunn Rist, the 34-year old daughter of the previous owner. Torgunn bought Kræmmervika Rorbuer from her father three years ago and together with her husband has been working to renovate the cabins and expand the marketing plan to draw in new tourists and highlight Lofoten fishing.
Kræmmervika Rorbuer has been a port for fishermen through the centuries. The islands of Lofoten were considered the access point to the “gold of the ocean,” so fishermen would come to this area to stay for long periods of time while they fished and earned their keep. In fact, Torgunn said her grandmother used to be a doctor on the island and was often called in to visit and take care of the sick fishermen. Since the fishermen were several to a cabin and had their personal and professional lives in the same room, diseases were often rampant. However, the fishermen had the highest regard for the doctors so they would often bathe the sick men before the doctor came in which would make it nearly impossible for the doctor to properly diagnose the sickness! Torgunn’s own history with the island goes back several generations. Her grandmother was a doctor on the island, tending to the sick fishermen, while her grandfather owned one of the local fisheries. Her father then bought Kræmmervika Rorbuer in the 1990s and now it is hers. The name, Kræmmervika Rorbuer, however, outdates the family and is in fact 500 years old!
An early wake-up call at 5 am got our day started as we spent the day traveling to the Lofoten islands. The first leg of our journey was an hour car ride from Mo i Rana to Nesna to board a speed boat for Bodø. The speed boat is a three hour journey with several stops at islands along the way. Watching the sun reflect off the water as we pass mountain ranges and island homes is really an amazing sight and a great visual picture of Northern Norway! After a short lunch with our old friends in Bodø, we headed off to board the Hurtigruten. We’ve been hearing how amazing this trip is going to be and the weather seems to be cooperating with us today!
Hurtigruten or “Express Route” is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway’s western and northern coast. The ship sails almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11 days, and is often referred to as the “World’s Most Beautiful Sea Voyage.” For our trip, we would board in Bodø and disembark at the next port of Stamsund on the Lofoten Islands. Hurtigruten is over 100 years old, created in 1893 to improve communications along the Norway coastline. The inside of the MS Nordkamp is similar to a low-end cruise ship with seven decks, lounges, a restaurant and cabins for those on a longer journey. Our view from the seventh floor faced the islands and about half way through our trip, we were able to see the Lofoten Islands in its entirety.
After spending the day traveling, we were happy to see our residence for the next two nights. We were going to be staying in the fisherman village of Ballstad. Located in the Vestvågøy municipality of Lofoten, the town has a population of 956. Our stay in Ballstad will be Kræmmervika Rorbuer, otherwise known as the old Fisherman’s cabins. It is a cluster of 34 historical buildings from the 1850s. Today, Kræmmervika Rorbuer features 250 beds and is owned by Torgunn Rist, the 34-year old daughter of the previous owner. Torgunn bought Kræmmervika Rorbuer from her father three years ago and together with her husband has been working to renovate the cabins and expand the marketing plan to draw in new tourists and highlight Lofoten fishing.
Kræmmervika Rorbuer has been a port for fishermen through the centuries. The islands of Lofoten were considered the access point to the “gold of the ocean,” so fishermen would come to this area to stay for long periods of time while they fished and earned their keep. In fact, Torgunn said her grandmother used to be a doctor on the island and was often called in to visit and take care of the sick fishermen. Since the fishermen were several to a cabin and had their personal and professional lives in the same room, diseases were often rampant. However, the fishermen had the highest regard for the doctors so they would often bathe the sick men before the doctor came in which would make it nearly impossible for the doctor to properly diagnose the sickness! Torgunn’s own history with the island goes back several generations. Her grandmother was a doctor on the island, tending to the sick fishermen, while her grandfather owned one of the local fisheries. Her father then bought Kræmmervika Rorbuer in the 1990s and now it is hers. The name, Kræmmervika Rorbuer, however, outdates the family and is in fact 500 years old!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Havmannen Welcomes You
June 7, 2010
Monday was our formal introduction to Mo i Rana and included visits to the local newspaper, industrial park and National Library. Our guide for the day was Steiner Høgaas, a retired Parliamentarian , former Secretary of State, former head of the local business collective and currently a board member for several prominent organizations in Mo i Rana. To introduce our group to Mo i Rana, we started the morning at the local newspaper, Rana Blad. The Ansvarlig Redaktør (Editor in Chief and Managing Director), Kirsti Nielsen met with us at 9 am to give us a brief overview of the publication. With a six day a week circulation, the newspaper is picked up by 10,535 subscribers. This paper, like most in Norway, has chosen to skip printing on Sundays since it is too expensive with additional costs to have anybody work on a Sunday. Norwegians are second only to the Japanese for newspaper consumption and a typical Norwegian reads 1.6 newspapers. Rana Blad has a daily readership of 28,000 with 9,000 daily visits to the website. It also hosts a mobile edition and a social network. The 300+ newspapers in Norway are typically owned by one of the five big media companies. Rana Blad is owned by A-Pressen. There is a conglomerate rule in Norway, limiting any on company from owning more than 33 percent of all the media.
Rana Blad is a 30 page publication with 46 employees and 60 paperboys on staff. The company offices include three branches: Rana Blad for the reporting and writing; Mediebyraaet for advertising, public relations and design; and Helgeland for the distribution. The yearly income for the company is around 60-65 million kroners with 60 percent of the income coming in from advertising and 40 percent from subscriptions. A one year subscription to the newspaper would cost 2,000 NOK while a single newsstand issue sells for 20 NOK.
After walking through the newspaper offices, we headed around the corner to Mo Industripark AS. This industrial park has been the major employer in the city of Mo i Rana for years. In 1945, when the industrial park first opened, there were 8,400 residents in Mo i Rana and five years later, there were 25,000 residents. In square mileage, the industrial park is equal to the entire downtown town center area. The processing industry at Mo Industrial Park convert raw materials and local hyrdo-power into products that are in demand worldwide. The six processing enterprises in the park have an annual revenue of 3 billion NOK or the same revenue as the fish and aquaculture in the whole of Nordland County. The park is also home to Norway’s only steelworks and Scandinavia’s only rolling mill for the production of reinforcing steel. This movement to produce steel started in the 1970s, after the oil crisis, when Norway realized that they needed to start producing their own steel rather than being dependent on the fluctuating prices of imported steel to survive. This park started with ore, iron and steel and today the 2.7 sq. km. industrial park is home to the process industry, the business sector including the engineering industry, IT businesses and national IT-based service providers and two fish-farming facilities. There are currently 2,200 employees working at the park but there are plans to double the steel industry thanks to the large demand from India and China.
Perhaps the most interesting stop of the day was to the Nasjonalbiblioteket (National Library). In the 1980s, there was a decline of industry in Mo i Rana. In 1989, the government passed the legal act to deposit archives which was the nation’s law to collect and archive every piece of distributed information (print, broadcast or online) to save for future generations. The archives found a home in Mo i Rana and several of the unemployed were trained in specialized skills to help maintain the archives. There are currently 210 employees in Mo i Rana and another 160 employees in Oslo. The goal of the archives is to make every document ever generated available. It is the individual or the company’s responsibility to drop off a copy of these documents to the National Library to be archived. Since the conception of the National Library, the government is seeking to make this the first entirely digitalized library. The original documents are archived in a vault in the mountain that is 42 km deep (length of a marathon). There is also a separate digital repository inside the mountain. Why inside the mountain? The first and most important reason is temperature control. The vault is a stable 8˚ Celsius, which is ideal for preservation. It is also protected from any outside climate changes, warfare or flooding. Finally, there is endless room and in fact, there is currently renovation for another expansion. Outside the mountain is a nitrate film vault; nitrate cannot be placed inside the vault since the chemicals can start a fire inside the mountain.
Following the rules for making a deposit into the national archives is a lengthy process. For example, seven copies of any book need to be delivered and according to the law, one copy would go into the mountain archives, one would go to Oslo, four copies would be sent to the four major universities and one copy would be placed in the national public library for requests. Newspapers must send two copies of each edition, one to be placed in the vault and one to be digitalized. The national archives has several separate sections including a cleaning area to process and restore old books, an audio/visual section to digitalize all broadcast and audio recordings including the daily NRK Nordland tapes and a film section to restore old films. The archives also hold any items that were sent out as bonuses when buying a document. For example, the library has a pair of pink Barbie flip flops, a bonus item when buying a magazine. The library cannot discriminate and keeps a record of anything printed whether it is news, comics, erotica or anything controversial. The goal is to preserve history today so others can learn from us in the future.
One of the most interesting aspects of the National Library is the cutting edge technology. We visited the daily use records, a section designed to fulfill requests for information. Here, nearly one million publications are randomly placed in bins and a computerized robot can retrieve any requested book. No humans are allowed into the stacks and would not even know how to find the requested material if they tried since it is not filed in any particular order. In another section of the library, two newly purchased digital scanners automatically flip pages and scan entire newspapers. Since Norway is a small country and has a limited number of literature through the years, the idea of digitalizing everything is not as daunting as some other countries. There are currently about one million pieces of literature in the archives.
Our day ended with a visit to Havmannen or “The Man from the Sea” statue. Situated in the water and facing outward to greet incoming ships, this granite stone statue was designed by famed English artist Anthony Gormley and is 11 meters (36 ft) tall and 60 tons in weight. The artist originally imagined the statue in steel, since steel was one of the pillars of the industrial Mo i Rana. It was placed in this city to symbolize the sharp contrast between nature and industry. Unfortunately, the steel industry was suffering at the time so this because Gormley’s first stone structure. The making of Havmannen became a controversial topic within Mo i Rana and was heavily discussed in Rana Blad, the local newspaper, for two reasons: whether it was appropriate use of public money and the lack of male genitalia. Nowadays, the town takes pride in the statue and even celebrates an annual festival, Havmanndagene, every May. Our host, Vigleik, explained that Havmannen faces outward, toward the sea, to welcome the ships coming into the harbor and help encourage prosperity and business in the community.
Monday was our formal introduction to Mo i Rana and included visits to the local newspaper, industrial park and National Library. Our guide for the day was Steiner Høgaas, a retired Parliamentarian , former Secretary of State, former head of the local business collective and currently a board member for several prominent organizations in Mo i Rana. To introduce our group to Mo i Rana, we started the morning at the local newspaper, Rana Blad. The Ansvarlig Redaktør (Editor in Chief and Managing Director), Kirsti Nielsen met with us at 9 am to give us a brief overview of the publication. With a six day a week circulation, the newspaper is picked up by 10,535 subscribers. This paper, like most in Norway, has chosen to skip printing on Sundays since it is too expensive with additional costs to have anybody work on a Sunday. Norwegians are second only to the Japanese for newspaper consumption and a typical Norwegian reads 1.6 newspapers. Rana Blad has a daily readership of 28,000 with 9,000 daily visits to the website. It also hosts a mobile edition and a social network. The 300+ newspapers in Norway are typically owned by one of the five big media companies. Rana Blad is owned by A-Pressen. There is a conglomerate rule in Norway, limiting any on company from owning more than 33 percent of all the media.
Rana Blad is a 30 page publication with 46 employees and 60 paperboys on staff. The company offices include three branches: Rana Blad for the reporting and writing; Mediebyraaet for advertising, public relations and design; and Helgeland for the distribution. The yearly income for the company is around 60-65 million kroners with 60 percent of the income coming in from advertising and 40 percent from subscriptions. A one year subscription to the newspaper would cost 2,000 NOK while a single newsstand issue sells for 20 NOK.
After walking through the newspaper offices, we headed around the corner to Mo Industripark AS. This industrial park has been the major employer in the city of Mo i Rana for years. In 1945, when the industrial park first opened, there were 8,400 residents in Mo i Rana and five years later, there were 25,000 residents. In square mileage, the industrial park is equal to the entire downtown town center area. The processing industry at Mo Industrial Park convert raw materials and local hyrdo-power into products that are in demand worldwide. The six processing enterprises in the park have an annual revenue of 3 billion NOK or the same revenue as the fish and aquaculture in the whole of Nordland County. The park is also home to Norway’s only steelworks and Scandinavia’s only rolling mill for the production of reinforcing steel. This movement to produce steel started in the 1970s, after the oil crisis, when Norway realized that they needed to start producing their own steel rather than being dependent on the fluctuating prices of imported steel to survive. This park started with ore, iron and steel and today the 2.7 sq. km. industrial park is home to the process industry, the business sector including the engineering industry, IT businesses and national IT-based service providers and two fish-farming facilities. There are currently 2,200 employees working at the park but there are plans to double the steel industry thanks to the large demand from India and China.
Perhaps the most interesting stop of the day was to the Nasjonalbiblioteket (National Library). In the 1980s, there was a decline of industry in Mo i Rana. In 1989, the government passed the legal act to deposit archives which was the nation’s law to collect and archive every piece of distributed information (print, broadcast or online) to save for future generations. The archives found a home in Mo i Rana and several of the unemployed were trained in specialized skills to help maintain the archives. There are currently 210 employees in Mo i Rana and another 160 employees in Oslo. The goal of the archives is to make every document ever generated available. It is the individual or the company’s responsibility to drop off a copy of these documents to the National Library to be archived. Since the conception of the National Library, the government is seeking to make this the first entirely digitalized library. The original documents are archived in a vault in the mountain that is 42 km deep (length of a marathon). There is also a separate digital repository inside the mountain. Why inside the mountain? The first and most important reason is temperature control. The vault is a stable 8˚ Celsius, which is ideal for preservation. It is also protected from any outside climate changes, warfare or flooding. Finally, there is endless room and in fact, there is currently renovation for another expansion. Outside the mountain is a nitrate film vault; nitrate cannot be placed inside the vault since the chemicals can start a fire inside the mountain.
Following the rules for making a deposit into the national archives is a lengthy process. For example, seven copies of any book need to be delivered and according to the law, one copy would go into the mountain archives, one would go to Oslo, four copies would be sent to the four major universities and one copy would be placed in the national public library for requests. Newspapers must send two copies of each edition, one to be placed in the vault and one to be digitalized. The national archives has several separate sections including a cleaning area to process and restore old books, an audio/visual section to digitalize all broadcast and audio recordings including the daily NRK Nordland tapes and a film section to restore old films. The archives also hold any items that were sent out as bonuses when buying a document. For example, the library has a pair of pink Barbie flip flops, a bonus item when buying a magazine. The library cannot discriminate and keeps a record of anything printed whether it is news, comics, erotica or anything controversial. The goal is to preserve history today so others can learn from us in the future.
One of the most interesting aspects of the National Library is the cutting edge technology. We visited the daily use records, a section designed to fulfill requests for information. Here, nearly one million publications are randomly placed in bins and a computerized robot can retrieve any requested book. No humans are allowed into the stacks and would not even know how to find the requested material if they tried since it is not filed in any particular order. In another section of the library, two newly purchased digital scanners automatically flip pages and scan entire newspapers. Since Norway is a small country and has a limited number of literature through the years, the idea of digitalizing everything is not as daunting as some other countries. There are currently about one million pieces of literature in the archives.
Our day ended with a visit to Havmannen or “The Man from the Sea” statue. Situated in the water and facing outward to greet incoming ships, this granite stone statue was designed by famed English artist Anthony Gormley and is 11 meters (36 ft) tall and 60 tons in weight. The artist originally imagined the statue in steel, since steel was one of the pillars of the industrial Mo i Rana. It was placed in this city to symbolize the sharp contrast between nature and industry. Unfortunately, the steel industry was suffering at the time so this because Gormley’s first stone structure. The making of Havmannen became a controversial topic within Mo i Rana and was heavily discussed in Rana Blad, the local newspaper, for two reasons: whether it was appropriate use of public money and the lack of male genitalia. Nowadays, the town takes pride in the statue and even celebrates an annual festival, Havmanndagene, every May. Our host, Vigleik, explained that Havmannen faces outward, toward the sea, to welcome the ships coming into the harbor and help encourage prosperity and business in the community.
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