Section 2 of 2 - Prev - Next

            in active use), etc. to show how Norwegian people lived.
            There are tours available. Employees wear authentic cultural
            dress.
       
   Back in Oslo:
     * Vigeland Statue Park. This is a 20-acre or so park with 250
       statues by Mr. Vigeland, a famous Norwegian sculptor. It's best to
       get a guidebook of some kind, as the park has a theme to its
       organization. As I understand it, Vigeland statues are not found
       outside of Norway.
     * Historical churches. Olso has been around for a long time, and
       there are interesting old churches all over town.
     * The Royal Palace. Norway has a royal family, although the
       parliament is the governing body. The palace has a military guard
       that changes regularly.
     * Downtown shopping. The downtown area of Oslo is really quite small
       and easily explored by walking. The main street, Karl Johansgate,
       starts right in front of the Royal Palace and proceeds straight
       into the downtown area. About halfway or so the street becomes
       closed to traffic, and thus turns into a large walking mall. The
       street life is fascinating, with the usual contingent of street
       musicians and other entertainers. In the harbour is the new
       shopping complex, Akersbryggen; gleaming modern architecture,
       restaurants, etc.
       
   Other general tips:
     * In Norway (as well as other Scandinavian countries) you can obtain
       a "Tourist Card". You can get them for one, two, or three days,
       and you buy them at the city hall (Rådhuset). This card gives you:
          + Free transport on busses, trams, and subways.
          + Discount admission to most museums.
          + Discounts at some restaurants.
       Among other advantages. I considered it worth the expense. With
       the three-day card, you can get discounts on railroad fare to
       other places in Norway, but you have to purchase tickets *before
       coming to Norway* (which apparently means that you can obtain a
       tourist card through a travel agency or perhaps through a
       Norwegian consulate).
     * Restaurants seem to be rather rare around Oslo. I like eating out,
       and I had a rather hard time finding restaurants around town.
     * Alcohol is strictly controlled. Beer costs $6-$7 for a pint glass.
       Drunk driving laws are strictly enforced with heavy penalties, and
       foreigners cannot claim ignorance as an excuse.
     * Oslo seems to be a safe place. I never felt in danger of physical
       harm at any time. Virtually everyone there (natives, that is)
       speaks English (it is a requirement in the school system).
       
   
   
  6.4.3 Trondheim
  
   Trondheim, a city on the west central coast of Norway, is situated
   about 400 km north of Oslo. The city is the site of the Technical
   University of Norway (1900) and the Royal Norwegian Society of
   Sciences (1760). Histoical landmarks include the impressive Nidaros
   Cathedral (started in 1075, finished c. 1320, burned badly six times,
   restauration started in 1869), where several Norse kings and Kings of
   independent Norway have been crowned. The cathedral, built from
   Norwegian blue soapstone and white marble, contains the tomb of St.
   King Olaf II (Saint Olaf), which made it an important centre of
   pilgrimage in the middle ages.
   
   Founded as Kaupangr by King Olav Tryggvason in 997, Trondheim was an
   archbishopric from 1152 until the Reformation (1537). The city was an
   important administrative and commercial center during the 12th and
   13th centuries, but its importance later diminished.
   
   Erkebispegården, the archbishop's house by the cathedral survives from
   the middle ages. Stiftsgården is a long wooden building with a rococo
   interior. Folkemuseum has a collection of traditional houses and a
   stave church. The fortified island of Munkholmen just off the city can
   be reached by a boat.
   
   
   
  6.4.4 Hurtigruta
  
   Anne Lise Falck  wrote:
   
   I have one particular thing in mind: you should take the time to
   travel with `Hurtigruta` or Coastal Line as they say in English. It is
   a beautiful boatride from Bergen to Kirkenes by the Russian border in
   the north. You have the possibility of stopping in different cities
   along the coast if you want to, and I believe that the whole trip
   takes about a week or two.
   
   Mike Jittlov adds:
   
   IMHO, it's the finest boat cruise in the world. You might consider a
   variety of travel (it seems to invite adventure and wonderful
   meetings): take the train from Oslo toward Bergen, but just before
   that switch trains at Myrdal, winding down the steep gorge to Flåm,
   and take the ferry through the spectacular fjord (either to Bergen, or
   a bus to the city); treat yourself to a day or two in Bergen
   (wonderful fish & rolls at the harborside market), then board the
   Hurtigruten northbound; the route through the Lofoten Islands is
   breathtaking, and incredibly healing for spirit and body (weather
   permitting, the steamer takes a sidetrip into the Trollfjord, and
   plays Grieg's "Hall of the Mountain King" over loudspeakers); continue
   to Tromsø, then to Nordkapp (incredibly touristy at the northernmost
   point of Europe - but the contrast can be wild), every village and
   stop along the way enticing you to stop and explore and learn and
   enjoy; take the plane to Trondheim, and then the train back to Oslo
   (with a sidetrip to Hell, a beautiful fjord-town with a unique stamp
   for your passport ;) -- check out postcards and the free tourist
   brochures for places that excite your interest. Ask for directions and
   advice -- everyone is helpful, gracious, and honest; most speak
   English, and will help you with your Norwegian.
   
   The Hurtigruta has also a home page on WWW (both in English and
   Norwegian): .


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
  http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq64.html ]

   
   



------------------------------

Subject: 6.5 Norwegian literature

   The earliest Norwegian literature, the Poetic Edda, was composed in
   Norway but written down on Iceland in the early middle ages by the
   descendendants of Norwegian settlers of Iceland. A more ornate and
   technically complicated poetry was composed by court poets, or skalds,
   mainly in praise of the battle exploits of various chieftains.
   
   From the 16th through the 18th century, Norwegian literature was
   written in Danish, mostly by priests and civil servants educated in
   Denmark. The two principal literary figures were Petter Dass in the
   17th century and Ludvig, Baron Holberg in the 18th. Dass has given a
   marvelously vivid picture of life in the north of Norway in his
   topographical poem, The Trumpet of Nordland (1739; Eng. trans., 1954);
   Holberg was the first professional author in Dano-Norwegian
   literature. A highly learned person, he wrote in a variety of genres;
   his comedies in particular have remained popular.
   
   Norways newly won independence from Denmark in 1814 inspired authors
   to regard themselves as the creators of a national literature and
   national identity. Henrik Arnold Wergeland, considered by some the
   Norwegian national poet, enthralled his countrymen with e.g his
   monumental cosmological poem, Skabelsen, mennesket, og messias
   (Creation, Man, and Messiah, 1830). The conservative poet and critic
   Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven, however, reproached Wergeland
   for his refusal to recognize the existence of a shared Dano-Norwegian
   cultural heritage. But he little effect on either Wergeland or oesther
   contemporaries, such as Peter Christen Asbørnsen and Jørgen
   Engebretsen Møe, who were enthusiastically rediscovering Norway's
   great past. Asbjørnsen and Møe published their celebrated Norske
   folkeeventyr (Norwegian Folk Tales) in 1842-44. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson,
   a great Norwegian patriot, also used folklore in his novels describing
   peasant life.
   
   The dramatist Henrik Ibsen is Norway's most famous literary figure;
   some of his plays are considered to rank with the works of
   Shakespeare. In the 20th century, three Norwegian novelists have won
   Nobel Prizes: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1903, Knut Hamsun, most famous
   for Growth of the Soil (1917; English translation 1920), and Sigrid
   Undset, author of the epic novel Kristin Lavransdåtter (1920-22;
   English translation 1923-27). Other important writers of this century
   include the novelist John Bøjer, the poet Olaf Bull, novelist Olav
   Duun, playwright and novelist Nordahl Grieg, and novelist Terje
   Vesaas. More recent authors of note are short-story writer Terje
   Stigen, novelist Jens Bjørnboe, poet Stein Mehren, the feminist writer
   Bjørg Vik, and Jostein Gaarder, a former school teacher whose novel on
   the history of western philosophy (Sophie's World, 1991) has had
   tremendous success all over the world.
   
   For electronic versions of some of the works of Nordic literature, see
   the collection of Project Runeberg:
     * Icelandic Literature
     * Literature from the Viking Age
     * Medieval Nordic Literature
     * Danish Literature
     * Norwegian Literature
     * Literature of Finland
     * Literature from the Age of Liberty [ in Sweden and Finland
       (1719-1772) ]
       

[ the sections above are available at the www-page
  http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq65.html ]

   
   



------------------------------

Subject: 6.6 Sons of Norway





   (Ruth, if you'd like to write a more comprehensive intro I won't say
   no. :)
   In recent years, Sons of Norway has been actively reaching out to the
   "younger" community of Norwegian-Americans. The Viking magazine has
   many interesting articles that cover subjects on modern Norway. There
   are also specific pages for children each month that look at various
   cultural and historical subjects.
   
   Sons of Norway also has special membership categories for children and
   young people. Children (up to age 15) who are the children *and/or*
   grandchildren of Sons of Norway adult members can be FREE "Heritage"
   Members in Sons of Norway. This entitles them to a number of benefits,
   including a quarterly newsletter geared specifically for that age
   group. The newsletter often carries penpal requests from American and
   Norwegian children. Young people - (about ages 15-22) can join SoN at
   a reduced membership rate and receive a newsletter geared toward their
   age group.
   
   SoN also sponsors summer camps where children can go to get an
   introduction to Norwegian language and culture. They also offer
   scholarships to study at "Camp Norway" - a 6 week summer language camp
   in Sandane, Norway - and the University of Oslo's International Summer
   School.
   
   There are a number of active SoN lodges in the San Francisco area.
   Indeed, anyone looking for Sons of Norway can usually find them
   organizing the local Syttende Mai events. :-)
   
   Sons of Norway has a Heritage Books department (run out of a store
   called "Tomten") that offers books in Norwegian and English that deal
   with the subjects listed above (and many others). They can be reached
   at:
   Heritage Books
   7616 Lyndale Avenue South
   Minneapolis, MN 55423
   
   tlf: 1-800-468-2424 or 1-612-866-3636
   fax: 1-612-866-3580
   
   Ruth - Vice-President of Midnattsolen Lodge #6-156 in Orange County
   ;-)


[ the sections above are available at the www-page
  http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq66.html ]

   
   



------------------------------

Subject: 6.7 Dictionaries and study-material

   Nynorskorboka (Det Norske Samlaget) and Bokmålsordboka
   (Universitetsforlaget) form the official standard of the the two forms
   of written Norwegian, "nynorsk" and "bokmål".
   
   Nynorskordboka and Bokmålsordboka are available on the huge web of the
   world at this location:  This page
   is entirely in Norwegian, though, so a minimal knowledge of Norwegian
   (or Swedish or Danish) is necessary.
   
   In addition, the following dictionaries can be mentioned:
     * W. A. Kirkeby. Norsk-engelsk ordbok (Kunnskapsforlaget).
       Especially good for Norwegian-speakers looking for the idiomatic
       way to say something in English.
     * Aschehoug og Gyldendals Store norske orbok ("moderat bokmål og
       riksmål")
     * W. A. Kirkeby. Engelsk-norsk ordbok
     * Einar Haugen. Norsk-engelsk ordbok. Universitetsforlaget. OR the
       American edition, Norwegian-English Dictionary (not sure of
       publisher). Especially useful to English-speakers learning
       Norwegian; includes both Bokm}l and Nynorsk words.
     * The latest, most up-to-date version of Guttu's dictionary is Norsk
       illustrert ordbok. Moderat bokmål og riksmål (Oslo 1993, 1009
       pages). The format is now almost exactly like that of
       Bokmålsordboka (17cm x 25.5cm). Both are excellent dictionaries,
       which can be recommended. However, Norsk illustrert ordbok has a
       layout that makes it easier to find what you are looking for in
       big articles.
       
   Dave Golber writes:
   
   (1) Get Einar Haugen's Norwegian-English dictionary. It's great.
   (Also, it's got a introductory section that describes Nyn-Bokm.) It's
   written in English in the sense that the explanations, extended
   descriptions, etc, are in English, not Norwegian.
   
   For English-Norwegian, I don't have any strong opinion. I have and use
   Kirkeby's Dictionary, and it's good.
   
   The Haugen you should be able to order from your local bookstore. The
   Kirkeby might be harder. I can get you the particulars (publisher,
   ISBN number, etc). You might have to order it from Norway, but that
   isn't as hard as you think. Perhaps someone else in the group here
   will have suggestions.
   
   (2) I started using the tapes "Norsk for Utlendingar" (Norwegian for
   Foreigners). This is used in Norway for teaching Norwegian to
   immigrants. I think it's great. I wish I'd started using it long ago.
   It's available in the USA from Audio Forum, with the Norwegian texts
   that go with it, plus an American supplement. For an outrageous price.
   But it's worth it.
   

[ the sections above are available at the www-page
  http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq67.html ]


 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- END OF PART 6 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

   © Copyright 1994-98 by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson.
   You are free to quote this page as long as you mention the URL for the
   original archive (as: ),
   where the most recent version of this document can be found.
--
  e-mail: jmo@lysator.liu.se
  s-mail: Majeldsvägen 8a, 587 31  LINKÖPING, Sweden
  www:    http://www.lysator.liu.se/~jmo/

Section 2 of 2 - Prev - Next

© allanswers.org | Terms of use