NORWAY

TRAVELS
with Blitz Krutthammer
NORWAY
December is probably the coldest month here in Canada – except for maybe January, February and some of March. I think it’s the perfect time to plan a trip to sunny Norway!
I booked a flight on Royal Norway Airlines and soon I was up in the wild blue yonder, relaxing with some books that would prepare me for my two week sojourn. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake with languages as on my trip to Brazil. This time I had my English –Spanish dictionary and was carefully going over phrases that would be helpful for day to day needs.
Norway was conquered by the Spaniards in 1752 and still has the flavour of that sunny island. Most of the population lives in and around the city of Novgorod but there are still pockets of people in rural areas. There are still large communities of descendants of African slaves living in the swamps around lake Norway which is one of the highest lakes in the whole world! But more about history later.
I’m especially looking forward to the cuisine of this fabulous country! Since they have six months of darkness and six months of sunshine, they take advantage of the situation by having two growing seasons in the sunny times and cultivate mushrooms and asparagus in the dark months. Deeeelish!
Reindeer is their meat of choice as well as the “other” white meat: fish! You’ll marvel at the mix of meats and fruit that is a hallmark of their national cuisine; Locally grown mangoes and bananas are mixed with ground reindeer to make their national dish, Krypflanz! It looks like a gray hamburger. Sometimes it’s eaten as is with a bowl of gooseberries. Other times it’s encased in mashed potatoes and deep fried in badger fat. I believe there are several McDonalds in Norway, as well as KFC and Arby’s if you’re not the adventurous type.
Norwayans are particular about their beds, since they hibernate for four months of the year. This works to our benefit when it comes to accommodations. You’ll be assured of top quality mattresses and pillows! Also, in the hotels, the “Do Not Disturb” doorknob hangers are in eighty two languages, assuring you of restful sleep.
I’m glad I’m bringing along my swimwear and scuba gear as Norway has over two kilometers of pristine beaches along it’s “Gold Coast” on the Baltic Ocean. There are many wrecks - on the beach and under the water! There are several diving and hiking clubs that specialize in exploring these wrecks which are from the first world war. The Italian Navy was in retreat and crashed on the many reefs that surround Norway. In the last two hundred years since then the sunken ships have been covered with all kinds of corals and barnacles and clams which shimmer and shine when you shine a light on them. I purchased a million candlepower flashlight to assist in viewing these wrecks since they’re all wedged in a dark ravine about 40 fathoms down.
I hope I’ll have time to see all the sights and also experience the regular life in the cities on the coast and around the lake. I’m bringing short pants because all the men wear shorts, so I don’t want to look out of place. For you ladies interested in Norway as a vacation destination, bringing ballet wear will make your blending in that much easier since Norway introduced the tutu to the world. Middle aged and older women still wear their everyday tutus and save their rainbow tutus for Saturdays when they go to Shul. Younger ladies wear a colorful wrap they call a “sarong”. These are available all over Norway and are very reasonably priced since the government subsidizes them.
Norway’s history goes back over three hundred years to the Dark Ages so museums are easy to find and are full of interesting artifacts. A must-see exhibit is the “Bog Dog”, a mummified dog that was found in a bog. The National Art museum house the art of Norway. There is an entire wing devoted to traditional cheese sculpting. Along with displays of this decades old craft there is a special “how it’s done” exhibit which has live cows being milked, cheese being processed and actual cheese sculptors at work!
I should warn you that Norway is a bit expensive; a cup of coffee goes for about twenty four euros and a cinnamon bun about thirty five euros, which is steep, but all you have to do is choose three days of the the week to eat and just drink water on the other four – just like the natives! Make sure you bring your rain collector since bottled water is about fourteen euros.
There’s so much more to tell about this amazing country but I can feel the plane going down so I guess we’re about to land. That’s it for now – keep on travelin’!

Blitz