Today at Daily Scandinavian, we have a story and a picture from Baard Loeken and his book Hjemlandet – The Homeland.
NORWAY: Atlantic Road
“The Atlantic road is physically out in the sea. I’m driving on the coastal road from Vevang towards Averoya. Stone, islets, islands and eight bridges spread over an equal number of kilometers. It’s just one of the dramatic roads in norway.
“The conditions on the islets were the very best for salting and drying of cod, and for this reason a lot of people chose to live here on these windswept islands. Today fish is dried indoors and people live elsewhere.
“A hundred years ago the politicians planned to build a railway here, but the plans were abandoned in the 1930s. The idea to build a road instead was born.
“Construction work started in the 1980s. Twelve storms later, in 1989, the road was officially opened.
“Hustadvika and the Norwegian sea sparkle in the west. People like me, without a boat license, can still go out on the sea. We don’t even need tide water tables or learn to bind knots to make fast a vessel. There are parking lots along the road, and people are fishing from the bare rock-face and the bridges. At Myrbaerholmen Bridge, there are two fishing bridges, which mean sports fishermen can haul in cod without being a hindrance to traffic.
“The bare rock-faces are calling. The swells come rolling in from the big sea, the waves are broken and thrown up in the air. It’s a dramatic picture, even on a day with sunshine. When mother nature really shows off her strength, the waves beat over the bridges and the asphalt is torn off the road, while the cod swim along the barriers.”
This is how the Norwegian photographer Baard Loeken decribes the Atlantic Road in his new book Hjemlandet (The Homeland). It’s one of many of his pictures of “places that are Norway”. Loeken takes us around his country, from stone art of the far north in Alta to Lindesnes lighthouse down south.
He loves the morning light, and the words accompanying his pictures depict the different places as personal experiences. And it’s certainly a Christmas present for people who know and love Norway.
Getting to the Atlantic Road:
You can get to the Atlantic Road from Kristiansund, through the Atlantic Ocean Tunnel (a toll road), and Molde.
Few people have had more influence on Norwegian tourism than Per-Arne Tuftin, the head of Innovation Norway’s travel division, “Mr. Tourism” himself.
Per-Arne Tuftin. Photo: Tor Kjølberg
Mr. Tuftin, 53, has been involved in Norwegian tourism for 21 years. This involvement started way back in 1992 when the official bureau of tourism in Norway was named Nortra, later the Norwegian Tourist Board and in January 2003, Innovation Norway, division of Tourism.
The four organizations that formed this new unit are The Norwegian Tourist Board, The Norwegian Trade Council, The Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Fund (SND) and the Government Consultative Office for Inventors (SVO).
Innovation Norway’s nationwide aim is to promote industrial development profitable to both Norway’s business economy and national economy, and to help release the potential of different districts and regions by contributing towards innovation, internationalization and promotion.
Mr. Tuftin is a busy man and still a bachelor and in his spare time loves outdoor activities like hiking and biking. He explains to Daily Scandinavian that his division’s main task is to cooperate with domestic tourism businesses, listening to their challenges and offering advice, including advice on product development. The common denominator is to put Norway on the world map and present what Norway has to offer. “We have a long way to go,” he admits. “We inform international media and international tour operators about activities, destinations and possibilities in Norway. Lately we have seen increased interest from international tourists searching for the northern lights. Many British and German tourists board the Hurtigruten in midwinter, enjoying delicious Norwegian food, visiting interesting ports and if they’re lucky seeing the exceptionally fascinating northern lights.”
– Why should people choose Norway as their travel destination?
“I am tempted to say our breathtaking nature. I know, however, that there are many countries around the world, which have both fjords, mountains, beaches, lakes, woods and wonderful wildlife and scenery. On the other hand, my honest opinion is that Norway has outstanding and contrasting landscapes, which differ from region to region, like no other country. In addition we serve local food made from fresh domestic ingredients and have a rich cultural life. Norway’s cuisine has received international attention in recent years. Food is important, and the Norwegian fishing and agriculture councils have made impressing efforts both to improve and promote the art of Norwegian cuisine.
Another important element is our country’s law called allferdsretten, which states that our natural resources are open to everyone. Compare that to, let’s say, Germany and Great Britain. I know that neighbors of Prince Charles’ woods have the privilege of having their own keys to enter the woods, whereas the public in general does not. In that respect our country is ideal for hiking and biking.”
– Do you see any results from your efforts?
“It is difficult to measure but 162 countries have watched the video Edvard Munch’s Scream. (See also our article on the Ekeberg Park in Oslo).
Ten years ago one million people visited our Internet portal annually. Today we have between 22 and 23 million visitors. And when television crews come to Norway and cover places and attractions, it increases people’s awareness and interest, like when BBC made a documentary on northern light with Joanna Langley.
Neither Denmark nor Sweden have similar organizations such as ours.
– What would you recommend visitors to see when coming to Norway?
The Opera House in Oslo
This is a really difficult question. We have so much to offer. But dare I say that our capital, Oslo comes to mind. Oslo is a small capital but with a special charm. So much has happened in Oslo lately both when it comes to city development, architecture, culinary aspects and entertainment. Two new icon buildings, the Opera and the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art at Tjuvholmen, in addition to the new harbor development, the Barcode, have had positive reviews in international media. In addition Oslo is a city with lots of open space, and you may visit woods, lakes and shores, even downhill skiing slopes, just minutes by tramcar from the city center.
The Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo
I must not forget the west coast of Norway with Bergen, the birth town of Edvard Grieg, and the fjords. The sight of the steep mountains diving right into the water where a cruise liner occasionally passing by is breathtaking.
Bergen
Farther north you have the coast of Helgoland. Helgeland Coast National Tourist Route in the county of Nordland runs between Holm and Godøystraumen and is 416 kilometers long.
Also farther north the Vega Islands are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Seven Sisters north of Alstahaug and Torghatten south of Brønnøysund are well known natural attractions along this stretch of road. The Seven Sisters is a range of seven mountains, all more than 1,000 meters above sea level. The 160-metre-long hole through the Torghatten Mountain was created by the ice age.
Reine in Lofoten
In the north of Norway the road winds along coast and sea, mountains and glaciers crossing the Arctic Circle towards the midnight sun during summertime and the-round-the clock darkness of winter. This route provides an alternative to the E6 to the west of the Svartisen Glacier, with a view of ocean and islands.
Midnight Sun
Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Helgeland’s nature is rich and fertile. The sea-lanes along this coast were once the Norway’s main thoroughfare for north-south travel. The Svartisen Glacier is easily seen from the road, a 350 square kilometer demonstration of frozen power. An arm of the glacier, the Engabreen Glacier, reaches down from 1,200 meters above sea level and almost to the fjord itself.
Mountain biking in Norway
Then I would also point to the inland of Norway. It’s an adventure land for people enjoying hiking, biking, fishing and folklore – not a deserted area as in many other countries’ vacated areas. Due to our country’s district politics, people actually live and work there, as people have for generations. Some areas appear to be living museums.”
It has taken very little time to fall in love with Gotland, a mysterious sea-swept island in the middle of the stony grey Baltic, off the southeast coast of Stockholm.
The largest of Sweden’s islands, 78 miles long, it is definitely not typically Swedish, although it officially became part of the nation in 1679. Once a strategic hub of Hanseatic trade in the Baltic Sea, Gotland today offers serenity and a landscape of lush meadows that are tapestries of orchids, thirty-five different varieties thrive here, poppies and wildflowers. You’ll also find desolate moorlands, stone walls, close up to 100 unspoiled medieval country churches, and pristine farmlands that date back to the 6th century. This is really a swedish island retreat in medieval history.
Vikings, nowhere else in Sweden have so many Viking or medieval treasures been discovered. Dramatic stone pillars, the island’s monumental “sea stacks” carved out of soft limestone by the wind and waves, dot a coastland marked by long empty beaches, tiny fishing villages, and steep cliffs.
Gotland’s highlight is the once prominent Hanseatic town of Visby, a living shrine to the island’s 14th century heyday when it was a country all its own and Visby boasted sixteen churches. Its defensive walls, more than two miles long with forty-four lookout towers, are some of the best preserved in Europe, often compared to those in Avila, Spain, and Carcassonne, France.
During the summer, festivals come thick and fast, and Gotland finds itself at the forefront of Sweden’s artistic and cultural life. Ingmar Bergman lived and filmed here, on Gotland’s ancillary island of Farö in the north.
Book much in advance, preferably into the restored 19th century Wisby Hotel, the nicest place on the island, located in the historic center, for August annual Medieval Week, when the townspeople go about their business in colorful gowns and velvet doublets, and minstrels and street theatre bring the city back to the Hanseatic trading days when it was as vibrant, rich and powerful as London or Paris.
Wisby Hotel is 60 miles from the mainland. The nearest port from Stockholm is Nynäshamn, a five hour ferry trip to Visby. There are daily 40 minute flights as well.
Visby can be crowded though the countryside remains relatively empty during the short summer season.
Nearly three million cruise tourists visited Norway and makes Norway Europe’s fourth biggest cruise destination.
Last season 2,187 cruise ships found their way to Cruise Norway’s 41 membership ports with 2,982,594 day visitors. This is an increase of 6% compared to 2012 and 18% for number of visits.
Next year will be more cruise tourists in Norway, and in the next ten years we expect 50% growth, says Cruise Norway managing director Georg Angell-Hansen.
– It seems that we get more of the cruise market because we’re in a quiet corner of the world. In addition, cruise lines make more money on this destination than anywhere else in the world, says Angell-Hansen.
Oslo and Northern Norway show the sharpest increases in cruise traffic. Bergen is still Norway’s largest cruise port and is expected to reach 212 arrivals this year – also a new record.
Only the US have more cruise ports than Norway – which has 35 along the coast, says Angell-Hansen. He thinks Norway in the long run could operate as many as 50 cruise ports.
Here is our take on where to stay and what to do after hours in Copenhagen
Nørrebro Bryghus Ryesgade 3, Nørrebro
Copenhagen 2200
Beer is the local specialty, but there’s much more to it than Carlsberg or Tuborg. Head to Nørrebro Bryghus, one of Copenhagen’s most popular brewpubs. It boasts Denmark’s first carbon-neutral beer, which you can of course sample while also touring the brewery to see how it’s made.
Hamlet Country Kronborg Castle
Take in Hamlet country (he was Prince of Denmark, remember). First get the train (45 minutes) to Helsingor (Shakespeare’s Elsinore), then cross to Helsinborg (Sweden) by ferry (20 minutes) for fantastic views of Kronborg Castle—Hamlet’s home—across the sea. Denmark’s most imposing castle, Kronborg is a 10-minute walk from Helsinger.
Royal Library Søren Kierkgaards Plads 1
Copenhagen 1016
+45 33 474 747, kb.dk
Visit not for books, but for the superb modern architecture, secluded gardens and great restaurant (Søren K; See Where to Eat). You’ll see at once why this waterfront landmark is known as the Black Diamond—its façade is entirely covered in Zimbabwean granite. Take bus 1, 6 or 10.
Where to Eat
Noma Strandgade 93
Copenhagen 1401
If you can get a table, try Noma—voted the world’s best restaurant for two years running now. The food is new Nordic, featuring fine local ingredients and fresh, clean flavors. The location in Copenhagen harbor is superb, too.
Sankt Gertruds Kloster Hauser Plads 32
Copenhagen 1127
Once a medieval monastery, now a French restaurant that’s popular with a professional crowd. Good for a business lunch or dinner.
Søren K Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1
Royal Danish Library
Copenhagen 1221
Modern and minimalist, with great harbor views and a contemporary Scandinavian menu, this eatery is a great reason to visit the Royal Library.
Stay
Copenhagen Marriott Hotel Kalvebod Brygge 5, Centrum
Copenhagen 1560 Efficient but stylish business hotel near Copenhagen Central Station, with great canal and harbor views. Good conference and business facilities, wireless throughout.
Radisson Blu SAS Royal Hammerichsgade 1
Copenhagen 1611
Designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1960, the SAS has been gracefully restored as a showcase of the great designer’s work. Close to the Tivoli Gardens. Good business facilities, close to metro, free broadband.
Phoenix Hotel Bredgade 37
Copenhagen 1260
Located in the financial district, this elegant 17th-century hotel is a beautiful location for a conference or business meeting—or just to stay in. While the D’Angleterre is closed for renovations (until 2012), this is possibly the city’s most gracious hotel. Wireless throughout, five minutes from the metro.
Airport
Kastrup, Copenhagen’s airport, offers that rare thing—an enjoyable airport experience. Shops and facilities are excellent, and everything in the three-terminal complex benefits from the Danish design touch. There are plenty of quiet places to work, too (free wireless). The easiest way to get into town is with the metro (15 minutes). Ticket machines are everywhere but take only chip cards (not U.S. credit cards), or you can buy a ticket at the DSB sales counter in terminal 3.
Here’s our take on where to stay in Stockholm, Sweden.
Built on an archipelago of 14 islands, Stockholm, is divided into several neighborhoods, including its vibrant Old Town, which is located on the island of Stadsholmen where most of the sights can be found. The following ‘where to stay’ options were chosen with their proximity to the Old Town in mind. Priority was also given to hotels offering free WiFi. Beginning with 5-star hotels and ending with two budget hotels, these ‘where to stay’ recommendations provide a comprehensive selection of Stockholm’s hotels. Note that Stockholm is an expensive city, and inexpensive accommodations are few and far between.
5-Star Hotels in Stockholm
Sheraton Stockholm Hotel
Located within sight of the Old Town, the hotel features modern décor, and the staff is as professional as one would expect from a Sheraton-run hotel. The 465 rooms, which include 28 suites and one Presidential suite, each come with internet access, air conditioning, Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds, coffee and tea making appliances, and an ironing board with iron. Free WiFi is provided in the lobby. Amenities and service include a fitness facility, spa with a wide range of treatments, laundry service, and the Sheraton Threesixty° restaurant, which serves international cuisine. An extensive breakfast buffet is offered for an additional charge.
Grand Hotel Stockholm
Opened in 1874, the hotel has one of the best locations in town— on the waterfront near the Old Town. Room rates include complimentary WiFi, and most rooms are individually decorated. The staff will help you make the most of your stay. On-site you’ll find three restaurants: the Veranda, known for its smorgasbord; Mathias Dahlgren, which has a Michelin star; and the Cadier Bar, which also serves food. Amenities also include a spa and fitness center. For those looking for the quickest spa access, note that the spa is located in the new portion of the hotel.
4-Star Hotels in Stockholm
Hotel Rival
This hotel stands out for its friendly staff and unique character: It was fashioned out of an old theater and provides a festive décor and atmosphere. Each of the rooms has free WiFi, an iron and ironing board, a minibar, hair dryer, beds with Egyptian cotton sheets, and a teddy bear. A café, bar, and a bistro serving traditional Swedish fare are each located on the premises. A breakfast buffet with made to order eggs, pancakes, and more is offered for an additional charge. Bands and movies are still featured in the theater, and the Old Town can be reached in 10 minutes by foot.
Elite Eden Park Hotel
Located near the Stureplan area, the hotel is surrounded by upscale nightclubs, restaurants, and shopping. Its 124 rooms feature timeless décor and each comes with complimentary WiFi, a work station, minibar, iron and ironing board, and hairdryer. Amenities and services include a private parking garage, gym, sauna, gastropub, and the Miss Voon restaurant. This hotel is modern, and professionally operated.
Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel
Located in proximity to the train station, nearby attractions include the World Trade Center. There are also many cafes, bars and restaurants located in the area adjacent to the hotel. Most rooms are several stories up, and many come with excellent views of the city. Each room has modern furnishings, complimentary WiFi, coffee and tea provisions, iron and ironing board, and minibar. Amenities include on-site garage parking, a lobby bar, and the casual RBG Bar & Grill. The breakfast buffet is above average.
3-Star Hotels in Stockholm
Freys Hotel Lilla Rådmannen
About a 20-minute walk from the Old Town, the hotel is within easy access of restaurants, public transportation, and the Drottninggatan shopping street. Offering 36 stylishly decorated rooms, each of which comes with tea and coffee making facilities, a minibar, and iron and ironing board, the hotel has a very hospitable staff as well as a bar that serves light meals. Free internet access is offered in the lobby. This hotel is a good place for those looking to see a different side of Stockholm.
Adlon Hotel
This boutique hotel, housed inside a 19thcentury building, is just a short walk from the main train station and a 10 to 15-minute walk from the Old Town. As the website says, “the accommodation at Adlon Hotel is characterized by the old and beautiful building,” and the hotel also exudes a personalized atmosphere. For example, guests can choose between a small or a large single room for different rates. The rooms come with free WiFi, hairdryers, and toiletries. For the quietest night’s sleep, request a room away from the street. The complimentary buffet breakfast is plentiful and organic.
Columbus Hotel
A 10-minute walk from the Old Town, this hotel is located inside a charming 18th century building and comes at a good value. The 36 rooms each have complimentary internet, a hair dryer, and wood flooring. The least expensive rooms have shared bathrooms. A substantial continental breakfast is included in the price, and complimentary tea and cookies are offered each afternoon in reception. Note that there isn’t an elevator and some rooms are located on the third floor of the building.
Budget Hotels in Stockholm
Interhostel
This hostel, which claims to have the cheapest bed offer in Stockholm, is a 10-minute walk from the main train station and a 10 to 15-minute walk from the Old Town. The prices are indeed hard to beat, and a wide variety of rooms are offered, from 14-bed dorms to private singles. A kitchen is available for use by the guests, and restaurants, bars, shopping options, and a cheap supermarket are in the immediate area. Free, spotty WiFi is available throughout the hostel. Note that linens and towels cost extra.
Lodge32
Roughly a 10-minute walk from the main train station and a 15 to 20-minute walk to the Old Town, the hostel offers several types of rooms, from four-bed dorms to private singles. Rooms come with free WiFi, but towels and linens cost extra. There’s a communal kitchen with complimentary tea and coffee and there is no lock-out time.
– and one of the 50 best overnight accommodations and restaurants in the Nordic region.
Text and photos: Tor Kjølberg
The Walaker Hotel is not only situated in beautiful surroundings, it is considered to be one of the fifty best overnight accommodations and restaurants in the Nordic region. Last summer we visited the small community of Solvorn and found both the Walaker Hotel and its surroundings to be breathtaking.
Ther Walaker family
Driving along the roads on the west coast of Norway is like traveling in a postcard. You may have seen pictures from the area – high mountains, often with snow on the peaks, steeply diving into the narrow fjords, consisting of a blend of deep green and blue water. A waterfall spreads its fingers along the mountainside, keeping its hand over flowering fruit trees, almost like an illusion.
Solvorn, Luster
This is however, real life. To be honest, we must admit that there are challenges as well. Driving in some of the long, dark tunnels is like moving in a dark empty room, when you enter into them from the bright sunlight outside. It appears like a daring deed if you don’t slow down. There are roads that are so narrow that it is almost unbelievable that they are registered as county roads.
If you have not yet been to the west coast of Norway by car take the challenge and experience this beautiful part of Norway.
Between Sogndal and Gaupne, off route 55, there is a small road down to the Lustrafjord. This small road winds down through a fairy tale landscape to the emerald green Sognefjord between high mountains and dramatic waterfalls. Suddenly you arrive at a blind end. You have come to the small village of Solvorn, which for a moment may remind us of a small town at the south coast of Norway with small white painted wooden houses and only one main street, but you are in fact still in Sogn, and have arrived at our planned destination, the Walaker Hotel.
Ole Henrik with Gro Anita Røneid (left) and Andrea Lomheim (right)
Walaker Hotel Christian Nitter took over the trading partnership at Vollaaker in 1690. The Walaker Hotel has been in business as an inn since 1640, probably much longer, and is the oldest hotel in Norway. In the early years it functioned as the local court. Today, more than 300 years later, the Nitter family is still carrying on the tradition.
Guestroom 23
Ninth generation Ole Henrik Nitter Walaker, is managing the hotel. He tells us that the old inn building was rebuilt in 1930 to make it functional for modern hotel operation. The hotel consists of several buildings, which have been restored. In front of the hotel is a large lush garden behind a white wooden picket fence and a charming abour among lilacs, roses and fruit trees. The guests may enjoy their breakfast there on a sunny summer morning, or a glass of wine in the afternoon or evening.
The dining room
Behind the hotel’s charming veranda you have the feeling that this is more a great house than a hotel. When you enter you find the reception area and the intimate restaurant to the right. The original wallpapers are still in place together with several pieces of art. To the left you find the living room and a small separate dining room, also decorated with antiques, pieces of art and a piano. Ole Henrik says he plays the piano on special occasions.
The garden at Walaker
We stayed in one of the historical rooms on the first floor with view to the garden, the private beach and Urnes on the south side of the fiord. On the same floor there is an extensive library, but the most interesting reading is probably to be found among the comments in the guest book in the reception area.
The reception
The old courtroom next to the main building is presently used for accommodation and meetings.
Guestroom 22
In 1964 a new building in old style was erected in the garden beside the old “Courtroom”.
From the library
The old cowshed, which actually housed pigs, originates from 1882. When it was officially proclaimed that the old churches were too small, the 300 year old local beautiful timber church was torn down and the materials were sold to the inn for 420 kroner. Thus it is probably the only cowshed in the world with inside rose paintings on the timber walls. You may actually still smell the vapor of animal household from the timber walls. Today the building functions as Gallery Walaker, which displays works by domestic and national artists.
Walaker Hotel and Gallery is open from May through October.
Culinary pleasures In the cozy dining room so called “short travelled food” is served. Walaker Hotel is actually situated in the middle of a dish, with crawfish in the fjord, wild deer in the mountains and local production of berries as well as cheese.
The authors Espen Grønlie, Ole Peder Juve and Hans Petter Smeby have travelled all over Scandinavia searching for comfortable dining and overnight stops. They have selected what they call the 50 best, and Walaker Hotel is mentioned in their book ”50 beste spise- og overnattingssteder i Skandinavia” (Intermekanika 2010).
Monkfish
Personally we enjoyed our two dinners, skillfully prepared by Chef Steffen Andreas Lundli from Vesterålen in the North of Norway. The first dinner consisted of creamy onion soup with croutons with bronze fennel from the kitchen garden. Smoked cured ham from Flåm was served with herb salad, spruce shots syrup and horseradish cream as a side dish, deliciously juicy and tender. The main dish was lemon baked cod with glazed celery sticks, salt baked radish and carrots with potato purée and red wine sauce. Dessert was chocolate pave with stewed strawberries and rhubarb with homemade vanilla ice.
Onion soupSmoked hamCod
For the starter and side dish we chose a white wine, Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling GG 2005, Shäfer-Frölich, and for the main dish a red wine, Savigny les Beaune 2008, Pavelot.
The next day’s dinner delight consisted of a creamy cauliflower soup with chorizo and parsley for starters. The side dish was deliciously tender smoked thin cut slices of minke whale with a fresh salad and ramsons crème freche. The evening’s main dish was grilled anglerfish with baked turnips, sautéed summer cabbage and oyster mushrooms. Our side dish was pommes lyonaise and sauce from mussels. It was a peasant delight to be served a typical old Norwegian dessert, Walaker’s ‘Vailed farm girls’.
For the starter and side dish we chose Chateau Couhins-Lurtoin 2005, Andre Lurton white wine, and to accompany our main dish our choice was an Albariño 2011, Pazo Señorans.
A family story Ole Henrik Nitter Walaker tells us that he has always enjoyed his work. The hotel has been a family business for nine generations. He took its management about 15 years ago. – a sliding takeover, he says. He doesn’t like to call himself hotel manager. – titles are unimportant. I am owner and manager, he concludes.
It is all about managing, to manage the hotel and make it a little better from generation to generation. It is important that the guests get the feeling of quality. Ole Henrik’s son, five year old Theodor, will probably follow in his father’s footsteps when it’s time for a change. He has already realized that this is the perfect job, probably because he occasionally is allowed to shoot the guests with his water pistol.
“It would be a shame to break the succession,” Ole Henrik points out.
Seventy percent of the guests at Walaker are Norwegian. Some Americans and tourists from other parts of Europe find their way here too. People travelling for business are used to busy city hotels. Walaker Hotel with its peaceful beautiful surroundings is also popular with business travelers tired of busy city hotels. There isn’t even a television to intrude on the perfect idyll here.
How the guests find their way to the beautiful Solvorn and Walaker hotel is not at all a mystery. The hotel is so special that it is often written about in the media, on the internet and recommended by friends and family.
Many celebrities have visited the hotel throughout the ages. Ole Henrik is very careful when mentioning names, but is content to mention Edvard Grieg. “Nosy guests may study the guest book, – but celebrity hysteria is not our theme,” says Ole Henrik.
In his tenure as manager Ole Henrik has striven to raise standards, not least when it comes to the buildings, and first of all to improve the domestic infrastructure. “It is important to look ahead, but at the same time be true to old qualities,” is his motto. “When thinking about the food traditions,” he smiles. “One thing is for sure,” he tells us “we are not going to be bigger, at least not in the next ten years. It is more important for us to embellish the gardens, and perhaps stretch the season by accommodating conference guests after the tourist season.”
What does a manager of a seasonal hotel do in the wintertime?
“There is a lot to do here even when the hotel is closed. Repairs, planning and quality time with my dear Astrid and Theodor. In October we are going to France for our holiday.”
Ole Henrik is very proud of his employees. “They are clever, and they are thriving”, he says. “Many of them come back season after season. The most faithful have been here for nine summers. We experience a lot together, and a private party now and then in the evening is a welcomed activity.” Ole Henrik’s staff philosophy is the importance of having fun at work.
No days are equal. Sometimes surprising events occur.
A huge American luxury yacht with helicopter on deck and Russian guests on board anchored just outside our hotel. They were celebrating a birthday and entered the hotel in the middle of the night to buy fresh party food to be delivered on board, no price asked. Such an honorable visit would be good promotion for the hotel, they believed. After some negotiations they had their food, but when the yacht arrived again some weeks later, they were told that the hullabaloo was more an annoyance to the hotel guests than promotion for the hotel.
Ole Henrik Nitter Walaker (41) is a long time planner. “I will run this hotel for another 27 years,” he says.
We get the point, since by that time he will be managing a historic hotel which has been continuously operated for 400 years. Theodor will then decide if he wants to be part of the “team”
“Then it will be party time,” he concludes. “Champagne from morning to evening all through the summer.”
Daily tours Between abundant breakfast buffets and four course dinners there are several exciting things to do in Luster.
Detail from Urnes stave church
You must take the trip across the fjord to Urnes. A small car ferry departs from the quay just outside the hotel and takes only fifteen minutes to cross the fjord. Another fifteen minutes walking time, or a short car drive passing small berry and fruit farms and a deer farm, you reach Urnes stave church which appears on UNESCO’s 1979 world heritage list. The church originates from around 1100 and has an entrance portal from another and even older church. The wood carvings on the older parts of the church are typically from Urnes.
The Munte house, Urnes
Muntehuset (The House of Munte) is also a place to visit. This was an important meeting point for artists and intellectuals during the romantic area in the 1800s. People like Flintoe, J. C. Dahl, Fearnley, Tiedeman and Gude have been here.
The Luster fjord
Feigumfossen (The Feigum Waterfall) with its 218 meter is Norway’s highest waterfall. A well marked path leads to a viewpoint to the waterfall.
If you feel for a lazy day in the small community, then the little pearl of Solvorn is the right place for both walking and reflection. Take some time to walk among the small white wooden houses, which once were inhabited by so called strand possessors (poor people who subsisted by what they found alongside the fjord). The small houses could accomodate families of more than 12 people. Today these small white wooden houses are primarily used as summer vacation houses.
The oldest hotel in Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg
A huge success in Norway first as a book, then as a TV series, Maria Parr’s warm, witty and engaging children’s story is published for the first time in English this autumn by celebrated children’s publisher Walker Books, translated by Guy Puzey, and with illustrations by Kate Forrester.
I read it in a single sitting late at night, and on Tuesday, I dropped everything and read the entire novel to the kids, over breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t know that I’ve ever read a novel twice in under 24 hours, but this book is very, very special, and one I want to shout about from the rooftops.
Perfect for fans of Pippi Longstocking, Waffle Hearts (translated by Guy Puzey, with illustrations by Kate Forrester) is a heartbreaking, heartmaking, hilariously funny tale in true Scandanavian style. Complete with unruly pigtails, a lovable horse, an honest, sensitive exploration of death, loss and grief, and tremendously warm-hearted, solid, reassuring (though far from conventional) families, Waffle Hearts is both bold and brilliant.
Maria Parr
Two young friends in a small Norwegian fjord-side village have the of freedom to play outside and explore things for themselves, learning about love, friendship and loyalty as well as the fire-extinguishing properties of cow-muck, the advantages of looking young and cute when busking on the recorder, and the benefits of having (repeated) concussion! It opens dramatically with a high wire act that immediately grabs your attention, and within just a few sentences you’re laughing out loud; I don’t know if books which also cause you to sob are eligible for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, but I if I had anything to do with it I’d certainly be submitting this joyous, raucous, very, very funny story for consideration.
My love affair with this book started the second I first saw it. It is so beautifully produced; a clothbound hardback, with stylish silhouette illustrations (at the start of each chapter). You just know from the cover, it’s going to be one of those books which also smells very good.
Then there’s the authentic and touching, sometimes complicated, sometimes so easy and natural friendship between the children which forms the core of this story. Young listeners everywhere will be able to identify with the struggles and delight friendship can bring. Indeed, I think this would make an excellent class read-aloud for 7-9 year olds in particular.
The smattering of Norwegian culture is interesting and lovely. Kids will certainly learn a little bit about Norway, but they will ultimately feel Mathildewick Cove, the setting for most of Waffle Hearts, is somewhere they too could live (indeed M, J and I want to move there right now). Guy Puzey has created an excellent translation, utterly idiomatic, smooth and melodious, with some very clever solutions to linguistic problems.
This really is a tremendous book, with everything I could hope for in a book to share with my children; beauty, wit, wisdom, joy, thoughtfulness and a lot of fun. It’s won awards in Norway and the Netherlands, and it deserves to win many more. I do hope Parr’s second novel, ‘Tonje Glimmerdal’ gets translated too.
Whilst I read to the children, they spontaneously started acting out the story. First they made a witch to go on the midsummer bonfire (a Norwegian tradition around which an early chapter revolves).
Later on there’s a wickedly funny episode where the children in Mathildewick Cove try to emulate Noah and his ark, by seeing how many animals they can fit on a boat. M’s bed doubled up as our ark, and soon it was stuffed with all the animals we could find.
I’ve never before read an entire novel to my girls in one day, but it was a magical experience for us all. We ended our journey to Norway with hot chocolate (although coffee would have been more authentically Norwegian) and waffles (admittedly of the Dutch variety, rather than Norske vafler), and with a feeling of great treasure inside us now, thanks to Parr, Puzey and Forrester.
Waffle Hearts has been such a success in its native Norway that it has been turned into a TV program. Once you’ve read the book, you can really enjoy the trailer (no need for any understanding of Norwegian!) here.
You might also be tempted to have a stab at making your own Norwegian waffles. Here’s a variety of recipes, but you’ll need a waffle iron like these.
If, having read the book, you and the kids want some Norwegian crafts, you could try wheat weaving, or making paper hearts, though both seem to be made all over Scandinavian, not just in Norway.
What’s REALLY EXCITING is that you can meet Maria Parr on 16 November in London at Kings Place. where she will be talking about Waffle Hearts. Find out more here.
So, don’t delay – get Waffle Hearts today! It might just be for you, like I’m pretty certain it will be for us, a childhood defining book.
Written by a mom of two young girls, 8 and 5. She is English, living with her Dutch husband and the girls in UK. See her blog playingbythebook.net
If anything, they have succeeded with the marketing. When the museum opened its doors last summer everywhere, in and around Stockholm, there was a lot of noice about the new attraction, ABBA – The Museum.
Rental bikes, cars branded with the museum’s logo had been seen in the city for weeks before the opening. Some of the band’s costumes had even been on display at Arlanda airport to promote the new attraction. Of course we had to pay it a visit to see what the hype was all about, and the first week of opening a group of Daily Scandinavians spent an evening in the world of Agnetha, Björn, Benny, and Anni-Frid.
To be honest we experienced a lot of improvement potential, especially when it comes to execution. Although, we are sure that in due time this will be a great place for fans and tourists to indulge in a full ABBA experience.
Let’s focus on the good stuff, the ambition and the ideas. ABBA – The Museum makes us happy because they involve us as users in creating our experience. They invite us to take part and challenge us to become the fifth member of the group, trying on costumes, recording in the Polar Studio and performing on stage with the rest of the group. By scanning the entry ticket at each interactive station we can record our experience and pick it up later at the museum’s webpage.
We who live and breathe experiential learning every day had a fun time at the museum. We strongly believe that by involving the user in creating the experience you enhance learning and the effect of communication. Taking the inspiration from our evening with ABBA and mixing it with our own experiences and beliefs, we will press forward to give more user involvement in all our feature stories on Scandinavia.
Ghouls of Legoland Beware: Enter Lego land at your own risk because creatures of the night awaits you! Between 12th to 20th October you will enter a world of ghosts, goblins, witches and vampires on the loose in the park. Help us hunt ghosts or monsters in Miniland or make your own pumpkin lanterns at the Halloween workshop. If you love the mysteries of illusions and tricks an amazing magician’s show will take your breath away. Read more.
Tivoli Garden of Horror As you pass the gates of Tivoli Garden in Copenhagen the spellbinding glow of 20,000 pumpkins lights up the amusement park all through Halloween (11th through 27th October), including the very largest pumpkin in Denmark. Caution: only brave children of 12 yrs or more may visit the “Scary Zone” and the “Haunted House”, a creepy 1940’s hotel, filled with creepy surprises. Read more.
Djurs Witches and Ghouls Darker times of fall have attracted witches and goblins to Djurs Summerland. Ghosts and ghouls wait for you in darkness in the Haunted House. The wicked school of witchcraft and wizardry need new children and students to learn the magic and spells of real witches. Read more.
Harry Potter’s Spell on Odense, 18.-19. October 2013 Fyn the mystical center of Odense Library opens to Harry Potter Festival. Dress up in your magical Harry Potter uniforms of Hogwarts and become part of Fairytale garden, or explore the Chamber of Secrets. Read more.
Tivoli Friheden (Freedom) of Fright in Aarhus Tivoli Friheden dares you to walk “Scary street” or sit on our rides where monsters lurk at every dark corner. Or you can sit by the camp fire roasting marshmallows with darkness to your back listening to scary stories about ghouls and witches. Read more.
This is how the Norwegian photographer Baard Loeken decribes the Atlantic Road in his new book Hjemlandet (The Homeland). It’s one of many of his pictures of “places that are Norway”. Loeken takes us around his country, from stone art of the far north in Alta to Lindesnes lighthouse down south.
