June 16, 2010
Our introduction to Harstad continued today with a presentation by our Norwegian friend, Lise Aamot Linaker about her company, Kunnskapsparken. I should start by saying that knowing Lise in Harstad certainly opens doors since Lise is a famous soccer player. In Norway, soccer is not played in high schools and colleges or as a professional (paid) sport. Instead, there is an intramural league with divisions. Lise’s team (her father is the coach, her sister is also on the team) is Division I, which is the second best team. The top two teams in Division I move up to Top Division next year and currently Lise’s team is leading Division I. Needless to say, many people know Lise in Harstad!
Lise and Hilde are co-workers at a company called Kunnskapsparken Nord AS. Kupa, as they refer to it, is a regional industrial incubator working to contribute to the Northern Norway powerhouse for innovation. They do this by working within three areas: industry, entrepreneurship and youth. The goal is to bring attention and with that, people, innovation and ideas, to the Northern Norway region which is suffering from a lack of people to take advantage of the opportunity that lies within the region. Instead, the young people and those seeking professional careers tend to gravitate toward the south, around Oslo. With this company, funded largely by the local big industries including Statoil, Total, Bergen Group and Industri-Inkubator, the team leaders work to develop business ideas, attract talented and qualified professionals to helm projects and instill a sense of pride and loyalty to the northern area in the youth. Within the Dynamic Industry sector, the team works with established businesses to develop their business within the oil and gas, renewable energy and oil spill prevention and control areas. The team works to lead and develop projects, connect different companies with others in particular expertise areas, establish contact with research and obtain capital. Within the Dynamic Entrepreneurship area, the team seeks to create tomorrow’s businesses by connecting with individuals or companies with business ideas in early stages and helping develop business plans and innovative thinking. Within the Dynamic Youth area, the team wants to increase the interest in and knowledge of science and entrepreneurship in young people. They make science fun and interesting through the Newton program so kids can connect the knowledge they learn in the books with the reality of what is happening in their backyard and think about the possibility of growing up and working within the region.
Sitting and listening to these presentations was very interesting, especially keeping in mind that the Harstad area has 23,000 residents and the entire Northern Norway area has about 120,000 residents. I think it is easy for a company like Kupa to exist in a small area where there is no competition and the ability to connect with the individuals is almost on a one-to-one basis. In a country like the United States or a region like the East Coast or even a state like New Jersey, it would be impossible to make those connections because there are just too many people and too may organizations doing some aspect of the same project. There is also too much doubt; the fact that Kupa is funded by big companies working to essentially get more employees in the area for their benefit would be questioned. Although not advertised during our presentation, Kupa also owns a separate entity (Hilde is the CEO) that is strictly an investment group looking to put money into projects or entrepreneurial ideas. At the end of the day, Kupa is a business looking to make money and I think that fact, should it have been better highlighted or openly admitted, would have reduced my skepticism in the presentation. Regardless, whatever the intentions, the end result is that Kupa continues to deliver support to entrepreneurs and youth and that is making for a better Harstad.
After our tour of Kupa, we headed out to the Trondenes Fort for a look at Adofokannon or “Adolf’s Gun.” This area of Harstad was actually occupied by both the Germans and the Allied forces at different times and is referred to as the Atlantic Wall. The Trondenes Fort, which is located at the naval ranger’s base, is home to the world’s largest land-based cannon or the Adolf gun. The gun barrel is 40.6 cm in diameter and has a range of 56 km. It was constructed by the Germans in World War II and was later used by the Norwegians as a defense weapon during the Cold War. While the gun was fired twice for practice by the Germans and the Norwegians, it was never used in war. The last time the gun was fired was in 1957. At the time, the Norwegians had extra ammunition and wanted to dispose of it. However, there was an accident and five men lost their lives. Tore, our tour guide for the trip, remembers being a young boy sitting on a bus waiting to go home when he saw blasts and fires from atop the hill. All the police and ambulance immediately went to the scene and the area was cordoned off and all people in the town of Harstad were asked to stay in because of shooting grenades.
Adolf’s gun is one of four within the same battery on the Trondenes peninsula. The original intention was the deploy these huge cannons on battleships, but instead they were used on the coastal forts of Norway to protect Narvik. Below and next to the canons are bunkers for ammunition, guard quarters, a power station, sanitary installments, hearting/ventilation and an emergency exit. In Trondenes, firing was led from a command post 150 meters north of the cannon. There were 20 people who worked inside of the cannon while 68 total people worked on the general maintenance and operation of the gun. The shells had a weight of 1,020 kg to 600 kg with a recoil power of 580 tons to 635 tons. One shell could be fired per minute at a 20 degree elevation. The gun was decommissioned in 1961, but it wasn’t until 1990, when a group of retired personnel took up the restoration and maintenance of the gun as a monument.
And what better way to end a rainy overcast day then to order pizza and have some drinks with our great friends in Harstad! Hilde hosted an evening in for our team, Lise, Ann and our hosts to toast to our adventures in Northern Norway and to promise a return visit in the near future!
Interesting Observations:
Norwegians are very aware of the legal drinking and driving laws. In Norway, a driver cannot have more than 0.1 miligram blood alcohol content per liter of blood. This means that when we are out to dinner or at somebody's house, the driver will never touch a drink and in fact, non-alcohol beer like Freeze is very popular. The Norwegian penal code for driving and drinking is extremely harsh. First time offenders will lose their license for two years and must pay two month's worth of their salary as a fee. We need stricter laws in the United States!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Future of Journalism Remains a Question Mark
June 15, 2010
Hilde Svenning, our host in Harstad, asked us if we would like anything in particular for breakfast during our stay with her and Nicole and I jumped at the chance to have some cereal! Cheerios for breakfast was such a treat! Our morning was off to a good start when we met up with the rest of the group for a driving tour of Harstad with Tore Lund, a retired Navy captain.
Harstad is the second largest city and municipality by population (23,000 residents) in Troms County and the third largest in Northern Norway. It is located about 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. The municipality is actually split onto two islands: Hinnøya, which is the Norway’s largest island except for Svalbard and houses most of the population and Grytøya, which is the northern part of the county but located on the southern half. The city of Harstad is located on Hinnøya and is popularly referred to as Vågsfjordens perle or Pearl of Vågsfjorden. Harstad celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004. It is a unique city because unlike most cities in Norway, there was no governmental agency that created the city but instead people saw possibilities (rich herring fisheries) and moved here on their own. Today, there is no more fishing on the island (in the 1970s, overfishing caused a demise in herring, and although they are back today, fishing has not been resurrected) but the harbor remains active and Harstad is known as the oil capital of Northern Norway. Several oil rigs are located around the Northern Norway area with Harstad headquartering operations including Statoil.
On April 9, 1940, Norway was attacked by Germans. One of the goals was to occupy the city of Narvik, which is located inland and protected by the waterways of Harstad. The Germans successfully occupied Narvik until the Allied forces counterattacked and reoccupied the city in May 1940. During that time, the Allied forces including the British, Polish and the French worked with the Norwegians in Harstad for what was dubbed the Narvik campaign.
One of the stops during our tour was to the oldest church in the area, located in Trondanes. At the rear of the church, facing out to the ocean, is a memorial for the 800 Russians buried here after World War II. As in Mo I Rana, the Germans came into the area to take all the remains and add them to a mass grave off an island in Nordland County. Unlike Mo I Rana, they were successful and today only a memorial stands to honor the fallen Russians.
Interesting Facts about Harstad:
The cost of a house in Harstad is approximately 2-5 million kroner. The new apartments, although smaller, are significantly more expensive due to the construction costs.
Tine, a dairy factory, is headquartered in Harstad and produces all the consumer milk and sour cream for Northern Norway.
After our morning tour of the town, we spent the afternoon visiting our individual career partners. In Harstad, I was introduced to Bård Borch Michalsen, the editor-in-chief of the Harstad Tidende. Harstad Tidende is the daily regional newspaper and at 123, it is the oldest company in Harstad, outdating the city itself. A daily newspaper in Norway runs Monday-Saturday since it is too expensive to print on Sundays because labor wages are nearly double any other day of the week. Walking through the newspaper offices, operations mimicked the publications back in the United States. A typical workday starts around 8 am with the morning meeting and the printer deadline is 10 pm. In between, reporters work on stories, submit text to a section editor and finally to the copy editor who sends the articles to the design team to lay out the pages and a final copy is sent to the commercial printing press. The Harstad Tidende has a circulation of 13,000 at a price of 2,000 NOK a year versus the newsstand price of 20 NOK a copy. Bård and I had a lengthy conversation on the future of journalism in our respective countries. Even though Norway is one of the top nations of newspaper readers at 1.6 newspapers per household, Bård agrees that the future of print journalism lies in community newspapers. The national and international news happens at a pace that far exceeds the morning paper and will likely be entirely delegated to the Internet. Community newspapers though, still have an appeal for the average parent who wants to see a photograph of their child in the school play or neighbors interested in the new construction project that will affect their morning commute. The Harstad Tidende, like many newspapers back home, has eliminated all national and international news and strictly dedicates its 38 pages to local news with the occasional wire story filling in the gaps. The newspaper has also made a conscious effort to increase its presence on the web, with a full-time web reporter dedicated to adding new and interesting stories to draw in the readership. Approximately 60 percent of the newspaper revenue comes from advertising and the remaining 40 percent comes from subscriptions. In addition to publishing the daily regional newspaper, Harstad Tidende publishes a monthly magazine insert and a quarterly seasonal insert for all of Northern Norway.
My trip to the local newspaper ended at Polaris Trykk, the print house for Harstad Tidende and 15 other local publications. This commercial printer, located about 10 minutes from the downtown area, is a hub of all printing operations in the area and runs two shifts during the daytime and nighttime. This was my first time walking through a printhouse and it was exciting to see the process from start to finish. This particular printhouse uses an Internet-based software that allows the newspaper to upload finished pages and send over a final approval when they are ready. Each of the newspapers has a staggered deadline, so as to not jam up the offset printing towers. Once the pages have been finished or rigged, they are sent over to a CTP machine to be turned into a template. In Norway, all the newspapers are printed in full color and only in a tabloid size. Once the templates are ready, they are transferred over to one of 10 offset printing towers. Each tower can print four pages at a time and are two stories tall. The pages start at the bottom and through each phrase as it moves upward, a new CMYK color is added to the page. The final copy is then picked up by a conveyer belt to be dried and then sent over to the next room to be cut, folded, pressed and packaged by different machines. A separate machine is present to add any inserts, if needed. Norway does not have weekly coupons and advertisements like we do at home. There are occasional company advertisements, particularly grocery stores, but they are not frequent and are not coupons but advertisements about sales and prices. On any given day, 16 or so print jobs are being fulfilled or planned for so the work is truly 24 hours.
It was exciting to see the inside of a print house but it’s true that regardless of where you are, the industry does indeed work similarly and the bottom line is still the same. Even in a country where reading newspapers is a respected culture, print journalism is facing the same problems.
Our night ended with perhaps one of the most exciting activites to date: B&B touring's RIB speedboats. These boats are essentially rafts with seats and are designed to allow the participants to feel the waves and go on a rollercoaster ride through the water. We joined the 20/40 Club of Harstad for tonight's activities. The 20/40 Club is a local organization geared toward professionals between the ages of 20 and 40. Although a relatively young club, the goal is to create a personal and professional network for young individuals so as to create incentive and a structure to stay in the region. After donning our extremely attractive survival suits (this time no fish smell!), a face mask and goggles, we were ready to hit the water. Our stops for the two hour trip included the island of Grytay, where a fence literally divided the island of four houses into two because of fueding heirs to the original inhabitants; Hamnan, home to the Viking chieftain; and Bjarkøy, home to the bird berg of 10,000 migratory krykkjeberget birds. The Krykkjeberget looks like a small seagull and is found in the region only from late February through August 25 where they come to lay and hatch their eggs. The Krykkjeberget berg is an interesting hub of activity. Throughout the day, there are at least a few birds that are circulating the area on the lookout for eagles. The eagles are interested in eating the baby chicks and are therefore, one of the most dangerous hunters during this time. If an eagle is spotted, the Krykkjeberget have a carefully planned and practiced series of actions. The birds all fly in various circles and paths to confuse the eagle, so he leaves the eggs alone. When the chicks hatch, the baby birds are taught this same action to protect themselves when the time comes. The speedboat ride came to an end all too soon!
Food of the Day: Verdens Beste Kake or Kvæfjordkake. A few years ago there was a nationwide contest for the best cake and a local town near Harstad won with what they dubbed the "World's Best Cake." It is a hazelnut infused cake with a cream filling and a flaky spongy cake base. I can't really describe it and I can't say it was my favorite, but it was an interesting local treat! In fact, we are lucky to get to taste the cake since originally a large sheet was ordered but while driving down to Harstad, the driver hit the breaks suddenly and the cake was crushed. Thankfully, they had also ordered a smaller cake which allowed us a taste.
Hilde Svenning, our host in Harstad, asked us if we would like anything in particular for breakfast during our stay with her and Nicole and I jumped at the chance to have some cereal! Cheerios for breakfast was such a treat! Our morning was off to a good start when we met up with the rest of the group for a driving tour of Harstad with Tore Lund, a retired Navy captain.
Harstad is the second largest city and municipality by population (23,000 residents) in Troms County and the third largest in Northern Norway. It is located about 250 km north of the Arctic Circle. The municipality is actually split onto two islands: Hinnøya, which is the Norway’s largest island except for Svalbard and houses most of the population and Grytøya, which is the northern part of the county but located on the southern half. The city of Harstad is located on Hinnøya and is popularly referred to as Vågsfjordens perle or Pearl of Vågsfjorden. Harstad celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004. It is a unique city because unlike most cities in Norway, there was no governmental agency that created the city but instead people saw possibilities (rich herring fisheries) and moved here on their own. Today, there is no more fishing on the island (in the 1970s, overfishing caused a demise in herring, and although they are back today, fishing has not been resurrected) but the harbor remains active and Harstad is known as the oil capital of Northern Norway. Several oil rigs are located around the Northern Norway area with Harstad headquartering operations including Statoil.
On April 9, 1940, Norway was attacked by Germans. One of the goals was to occupy the city of Narvik, which is located inland and protected by the waterways of Harstad. The Germans successfully occupied Narvik until the Allied forces counterattacked and reoccupied the city in May 1940. During that time, the Allied forces including the British, Polish and the French worked with the Norwegians in Harstad for what was dubbed the Narvik campaign.
One of the stops during our tour was to the oldest church in the area, located in Trondanes. At the rear of the church, facing out to the ocean, is a memorial for the 800 Russians buried here after World War II. As in Mo I Rana, the Germans came into the area to take all the remains and add them to a mass grave off an island in Nordland County. Unlike Mo I Rana, they were successful and today only a memorial stands to honor the fallen Russians.
Interesting Facts about Harstad:
The cost of a house in Harstad is approximately 2-5 million kroner. The new apartments, although smaller, are significantly more expensive due to the construction costs.
Tine, a dairy factory, is headquartered in Harstad and produces all the consumer milk and sour cream for Northern Norway.
After our morning tour of the town, we spent the afternoon visiting our individual career partners. In Harstad, I was introduced to Bård Borch Michalsen, the editor-in-chief of the Harstad Tidende. Harstad Tidende is the daily regional newspaper and at 123, it is the oldest company in Harstad, outdating the city itself. A daily newspaper in Norway runs Monday-Saturday since it is too expensive to print on Sundays because labor wages are nearly double any other day of the week. Walking through the newspaper offices, operations mimicked the publications back in the United States. A typical workday starts around 8 am with the morning meeting and the printer deadline is 10 pm. In between, reporters work on stories, submit text to a section editor and finally to the copy editor who sends the articles to the design team to lay out the pages and a final copy is sent to the commercial printing press. The Harstad Tidende has a circulation of 13,000 at a price of 2,000 NOK a year versus the newsstand price of 20 NOK a copy. Bård and I had a lengthy conversation on the future of journalism in our respective countries. Even though Norway is one of the top nations of newspaper readers at 1.6 newspapers per household, Bård agrees that the future of print journalism lies in community newspapers. The national and international news happens at a pace that far exceeds the morning paper and will likely be entirely delegated to the Internet. Community newspapers though, still have an appeal for the average parent who wants to see a photograph of their child in the school play or neighbors interested in the new construction project that will affect their morning commute. The Harstad Tidende, like many newspapers back home, has eliminated all national and international news and strictly dedicates its 38 pages to local news with the occasional wire story filling in the gaps. The newspaper has also made a conscious effort to increase its presence on the web, with a full-time web reporter dedicated to adding new and interesting stories to draw in the readership. Approximately 60 percent of the newspaper revenue comes from advertising and the remaining 40 percent comes from subscriptions. In addition to publishing the daily regional newspaper, Harstad Tidende publishes a monthly magazine insert and a quarterly seasonal insert for all of Northern Norway.
My trip to the local newspaper ended at Polaris Trykk, the print house for Harstad Tidende and 15 other local publications. This commercial printer, located about 10 minutes from the downtown area, is a hub of all printing operations in the area and runs two shifts during the daytime and nighttime. This was my first time walking through a printhouse and it was exciting to see the process from start to finish. This particular printhouse uses an Internet-based software that allows the newspaper to upload finished pages and send over a final approval when they are ready. Each of the newspapers has a staggered deadline, so as to not jam up the offset printing towers. Once the pages have been finished or rigged, they are sent over to a CTP machine to be turned into a template. In Norway, all the newspapers are printed in full color and only in a tabloid size. Once the templates are ready, they are transferred over to one of 10 offset printing towers. Each tower can print four pages at a time and are two stories tall. The pages start at the bottom and through each phrase as it moves upward, a new CMYK color is added to the page. The final copy is then picked up by a conveyer belt to be dried and then sent over to the next room to be cut, folded, pressed and packaged by different machines. A separate machine is present to add any inserts, if needed. Norway does not have weekly coupons and advertisements like we do at home. There are occasional company advertisements, particularly grocery stores, but they are not frequent and are not coupons but advertisements about sales and prices. On any given day, 16 or so print jobs are being fulfilled or planned for so the work is truly 24 hours.
It was exciting to see the inside of a print house but it’s true that regardless of where you are, the industry does indeed work similarly and the bottom line is still the same. Even in a country where reading newspapers is a respected culture, print journalism is facing the same problems.
Our night ended with perhaps one of the most exciting activites to date: B&B touring's RIB speedboats. These boats are essentially rafts with seats and are designed to allow the participants to feel the waves and go on a rollercoaster ride through the water. We joined the 20/40 Club of Harstad for tonight's activities. The 20/40 Club is a local organization geared toward professionals between the ages of 20 and 40. Although a relatively young club, the goal is to create a personal and professional network for young individuals so as to create incentive and a structure to stay in the region. After donning our extremely attractive survival suits (this time no fish smell!), a face mask and goggles, we were ready to hit the water. Our stops for the two hour trip included the island of Grytay, where a fence literally divided the island of four houses into two because of fueding heirs to the original inhabitants; Hamnan, home to the Viking chieftain; and Bjarkøy, home to the bird berg of 10,000 migratory krykkjeberget birds. The Krykkjeberget looks like a small seagull and is found in the region only from late February through August 25 where they come to lay and hatch their eggs. The Krykkjeberget berg is an interesting hub of activity. Throughout the day, there are at least a few birds that are circulating the area on the lookout for eagles. The eagles are interested in eating the baby chicks and are therefore, one of the most dangerous hunters during this time. If an eagle is spotted, the Krykkjeberget have a carefully planned and practiced series of actions. The birds all fly in various circles and paths to confuse the eagle, so he leaves the eggs alone. When the chicks hatch, the baby birds are taught this same action to protect themselves when the time comes. The speedboat ride came to an end all too soon!
Food of the Day: Verdens Beste Kake or Kvæfjordkake. A few years ago there was a nationwide contest for the best cake and a local town near Harstad won with what they dubbed the "World's Best Cake." It is a hazelnut infused cake with a cream filling and a flaky spongy cake base. I can't really describe it and I can't say it was my favorite, but it was an interesting local treat! In fact, we are lucky to get to taste the cake since originally a large sheet was ordered but while driving down to Harstad, the driver hit the breaks suddenly and the cake was crushed. Thankfully, they had also ordered a smaller cake which allowed us a taste.
Lidar, Whales and a Long Drive
June 14, 2010
Our last morning in Sortland started early as we packed our bags and headed out to Andenes, a town of 3,500 on the tip of Sortland about two hours away. Andenes is a picturesque whaling village that until three years ago, survived largely due to the military base. Since the base has closed, Andenes is rethinking its survival strategy and has started tapping into the tourism industry by offering whale and puffin safaris. About ten minutes outside of Andenes is our first stop at ALOMAR, the Arctic Lidar Observatory. ALOMAR is located about 380 meters above elevation and home to six full-time employees and six partner countries housing or operating their machinery in the facility. ALOMAR is also responsible for the ground operations of the Andøya Rocket Range, where rockets are sent out into the atmosphere to collect particles and data to be analyzed by the scientists at ALOMAR. As a lidar optic center, ALOMAR has several lasers in place that send out different wavelengths of light into the atmosphere. The scientists then measure the time it takes for the light to return, the frequency, distance and other characteristics that the electromagnetic waves radiate when interacting with atoms. Currently, the staff at ALOMAR is working around the clock to study noctilucent clouds. These are thin clouds located at 83 km above ground (space is 100 km) that were first noticed in 1885 after a volcanic eruption in the Philippines. These clouds are only visible in the summertime and although located above ALOMAR, cannot be seen from the area due to the Midnight Sun but rather by video footage taken from Trondheim, a city further south. Scientists at ALOMAR first started studying these clouds, visible only from June through August, in the 1980s to learn their qualities and characteristics. Today, more monitoring work is being conducted to continue collecting data. Another type of cloud, the mother of pearl, is also being monitored and studied since they are actually damaging the ozone layer and cannot be reversed. Touring the facility, we saw several visiting scientists working on their individual machines including a scientist from Boulder, CO working on a machine that starts creating the laser beam that will then be processed through the larger machines and sent out into the atmosphere to collect data. While the scientific terms and knowledge were too detailed to understand, the idea of collecting vast amounts of data by sending out a laser was amazing. ALOMAR probably sends out lasers 120 days a year, weather permitting. Generally, the center is operational from 8 am to 8 pm except for special projects which are 24/7. It is a private company but works through collaborations with several nations or universities looking to house their equipment and for technicians to operate the machinery. Our guide, Sandra Blindheim, is the head of ALOMAR and five years into her first job, that is not a bad place to be! Blindheim said that most of the staff does have a physics background and understands the technical side, but there are several people that visit from other backgrounds such as programming. Today, the field is nearing the point of having too much data so Blindheim said that in the next decade or so, scientists need to decide whether to make this into a business and sell data sets or to make them available for general consumption.
After ALOMAR, our next visit was into the town of Andenes for a trip to the whaling museum. Andenes is famous for its whale safaris which are year-round but will kick into high season in the next three weeks. Unfortunately, the whale safari for the day was at 5 pm and since we had to be on the road by 2 pm, we were only able to visit the museum and understand a bit about the famous animals. Standing around the carcass of a sperm whale, we learned that an average male is about 11 to 17 meters long. This particular carcass was discovered by two German researchers in 1996, after the whale washed up on the coast. By looking at the skeleton, we learned the sperm whale first got its name because scientists believed the large head was filled with sperm but in fact, soon learned that it was filled with spermaceti which is a fluid that the whale changes depending on its need. When the whale is looking to fish and dive down to the bottom of the seabed, the spermaceti hardens and makes the head heavier. When the whale is ready to come back up, it loosens and allows for easier swimming. The sperm whale has the largest brain of any animal, but it only makes up 0.2 percent of its body weight compared to 2.5 percent of the human brain to body ratio. The sperm whale makes three different types of clicking sounds: to communicate, as an echo to gauge prey and to paralyze the prey for easy eating. Typically the sperm whale feeds on squid, but also eats several other fish in the sea or up to 1 ton of food per day.
As we moved to the orca, we learned that the killer whale is in fact, not a whale, but a large dolphin. There are two types of killer whales in the waters around Andenes. The first are the residential orcas that mostly follow the schools of herring around the water. The second are the migrating killer whales and they are the most dangerous since they eat anything out in the water including other whales, humans and fish. The female humpback whales, for example, do not migrate into these waters because of fear that the baby humpback whales will be eaten by the migrating killer whales. Instead, the female humpback whales stay in the Caribbean waters year round. The females stay in groups with the families they were born into while the males travel several miles to reach the Norwegian waters where they feed throughout the winter to become bigger and then swim back to the Caribbean to impress the females who only mate with the larger animals. A female typically delivers seven calves a lifetime, starting at the age of seven. Whales typically live for 80 years, though the oldest whale discovered was 220 years. Humpback whales keep their young with them for several years, feeding milk to the whales until they are at least three before teaching them to fish for themselves. Humpback whales fish through a technique called a bubble net where they surround a school of fish with bubbles, confusing the fish who believe they are caught in a net, before coming from below and eating the entire school at once.
The museum visit was not enough to satisfy our curiosity about whales but unfortunately, it would have to do. Following a lunch with our new friends in Andenes, we hit the road once again for a two hour trip back to Sortland before continuing on for another half hour to a ferry and then an hour and half to our new hometown of Harstadt. Dinner tonight was a Norwegian specialty of rømmegrøt or sour cream porridge, topped with cinnamon and sugar to taste. The porridge is served with salted meats, flat bread and potato salad. Yum!
Our last morning in Sortland started early as we packed our bags and headed out to Andenes, a town of 3,500 on the tip of Sortland about two hours away. Andenes is a picturesque whaling village that until three years ago, survived largely due to the military base. Since the base has closed, Andenes is rethinking its survival strategy and has started tapping into the tourism industry by offering whale and puffin safaris. About ten minutes outside of Andenes is our first stop at ALOMAR, the Arctic Lidar Observatory. ALOMAR is located about 380 meters above elevation and home to six full-time employees and six partner countries housing or operating their machinery in the facility. ALOMAR is also responsible for the ground operations of the Andøya Rocket Range, where rockets are sent out into the atmosphere to collect particles and data to be analyzed by the scientists at ALOMAR. As a lidar optic center, ALOMAR has several lasers in place that send out different wavelengths of light into the atmosphere. The scientists then measure the time it takes for the light to return, the frequency, distance and other characteristics that the electromagnetic waves radiate when interacting with atoms. Currently, the staff at ALOMAR is working around the clock to study noctilucent clouds. These are thin clouds located at 83 km above ground (space is 100 km) that were first noticed in 1885 after a volcanic eruption in the Philippines. These clouds are only visible in the summertime and although located above ALOMAR, cannot be seen from the area due to the Midnight Sun but rather by video footage taken from Trondheim, a city further south. Scientists at ALOMAR first started studying these clouds, visible only from June through August, in the 1980s to learn their qualities and characteristics. Today, more monitoring work is being conducted to continue collecting data. Another type of cloud, the mother of pearl, is also being monitored and studied since they are actually damaging the ozone layer and cannot be reversed. Touring the facility, we saw several visiting scientists working on their individual machines including a scientist from Boulder, CO working on a machine that starts creating the laser beam that will then be processed through the larger machines and sent out into the atmosphere to collect data. While the scientific terms and knowledge were too detailed to understand, the idea of collecting vast amounts of data by sending out a laser was amazing. ALOMAR probably sends out lasers 120 days a year, weather permitting. Generally, the center is operational from 8 am to 8 pm except for special projects which are 24/7. It is a private company but works through collaborations with several nations or universities looking to house their equipment and for technicians to operate the machinery. Our guide, Sandra Blindheim, is the head of ALOMAR and five years into her first job, that is not a bad place to be! Blindheim said that most of the staff does have a physics background and understands the technical side, but there are several people that visit from other backgrounds such as programming. Today, the field is nearing the point of having too much data so Blindheim said that in the next decade or so, scientists need to decide whether to make this into a business and sell data sets or to make them available for general consumption.
After ALOMAR, our next visit was into the town of Andenes for a trip to the whaling museum. Andenes is famous for its whale safaris which are year-round but will kick into high season in the next three weeks. Unfortunately, the whale safari for the day was at 5 pm and since we had to be on the road by 2 pm, we were only able to visit the museum and understand a bit about the famous animals. Standing around the carcass of a sperm whale, we learned that an average male is about 11 to 17 meters long. This particular carcass was discovered by two German researchers in 1996, after the whale washed up on the coast. By looking at the skeleton, we learned the sperm whale first got its name because scientists believed the large head was filled with sperm but in fact, soon learned that it was filled with spermaceti which is a fluid that the whale changes depending on its need. When the whale is looking to fish and dive down to the bottom of the seabed, the spermaceti hardens and makes the head heavier. When the whale is ready to come back up, it loosens and allows for easier swimming. The sperm whale has the largest brain of any animal, but it only makes up 0.2 percent of its body weight compared to 2.5 percent of the human brain to body ratio. The sperm whale makes three different types of clicking sounds: to communicate, as an echo to gauge prey and to paralyze the prey for easy eating. Typically the sperm whale feeds on squid, but also eats several other fish in the sea or up to 1 ton of food per day.
As we moved to the orca, we learned that the killer whale is in fact, not a whale, but a large dolphin. There are two types of killer whales in the waters around Andenes. The first are the residential orcas that mostly follow the schools of herring around the water. The second are the migrating killer whales and they are the most dangerous since they eat anything out in the water including other whales, humans and fish. The female humpback whales, for example, do not migrate into these waters because of fear that the baby humpback whales will be eaten by the migrating killer whales. Instead, the female humpback whales stay in the Caribbean waters year round. The females stay in groups with the families they were born into while the males travel several miles to reach the Norwegian waters where they feed throughout the winter to become bigger and then swim back to the Caribbean to impress the females who only mate with the larger animals. A female typically delivers seven calves a lifetime, starting at the age of seven. Whales typically live for 80 years, though the oldest whale discovered was 220 years. Humpback whales keep their young with them for several years, feeding milk to the whales until they are at least three before teaching them to fish for themselves. Humpback whales fish through a technique called a bubble net where they surround a school of fish with bubbles, confusing the fish who believe they are caught in a net, before coming from below and eating the entire school at once.
The museum visit was not enough to satisfy our curiosity about whales but unfortunately, it would have to do. Following a lunch with our new friends in Andenes, we hit the road once again for a two hour trip back to Sortland before continuing on for another half hour to a ferry and then an hour and half to our new hometown of Harstadt. Dinner tonight was a Norwegian specialty of rømmegrøt or sour cream porridge, topped with cinnamon and sugar to taste. The porridge is served with salted meats, flat bread and potato salad. Yum!
Sunday drive to Nyksund
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.
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.
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!
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