Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for norway
A Festival of Lights in Norway
By Linda Tancs
While the United States celebrates Thanksgiving today (and the start of the holiday season), Bergen, Norway, is gearing up for its own start to holiday cheer with the Festival of Lights. Taking place in the city center at Festplassen and Lille Lungegardsvann on 30 November, the event features fireworks and torchlight processions, one last chance to be bathed in light before the onset of December, the darkest month of the year. While you’re in town, don’t miss Gingerbread Town, the world’s biggest gingerbread city with miniature houses, trains, cars and ships made from real gingerbread.
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Arctic Summer Fest
By Linda Tancs
One of the most anticipated international indigenous festivals in Europe, Riddu Riđđu is held during the arctic summer each year in the Sea Sami village of Olmmáivággi in Norway. Taking place today through 14 July, the festival promotes Sami art and culture through music, film, handiworks, seminars and workshops.
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Almost Seventy Degrees North
By Linda Tancs
The city of Tromsø, Norway lies inside the Arctic Circle at nearly 70 degrees north. Home to the northernmost university, botanical garden and planetarium, its top of the world location gives rise to the phenomenon of the midnight sun in summer. So what better place to hold a midnight sun marathon! On 22 June runners from over 50 countries will compete under the evening’s sunny skies. The marathon is the northernmost AIMS-certified running event in the world.
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Behind the Falls
By Linda Tancs
Plenty of countries stake their claim as the land of a thousand waterfalls, but Norway’s falls sport some of the most unusual attributes. Consider, for instance, Steinsdalsfossen. Located in Norheimsund in western Norway, its nearly 300,000 visitors are attracted to the path behind it where you can observe its 50 meter tumble from the backside–a behind-the-scenes view, if you will.
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International Jazz in Norway
By Linda Tancs
One of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe, the Molde International Jazz Festival takes place each year in July in the town of Molde, located by the Romadalsfjord on the northwest coast of Norway. An hour’s flight away from Oslo, Trondheim or Bergen, this year’s festival (today through 21 July) features artists like Norah Jones, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Wayne Shorter Quartet, The John Scofield Hollowbody Band and artist-in-residence John Balke.
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Happy Ingvald Day
By Linda Tancs
A unique aspect of Scandinavian culture is the celebration of Name Days. Originally derived from the names of saints and martyrs from the Middle Ages, the custom today is to assign two contemporary names to each day of the year except 1 January, 29 February and 25 December. Some names are assigned to dates connected to historical figures with the name. For example, Snorre is assigned to 23 September, the birth date of Icelandic saga scholar Snorre Sturlasson, and 22 June is assigned to Håkon and Maud, the date of the coronation of King Håkon VII and Queen Maud in 1906. Today Ingvald and Ingveig take top honors.
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Nordic World Cup
By Linda Tancs
Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic is an annual ski event since 1892 in Norway. Taking place in beautiful Holmenkollen, the event attracts tens of thousands of ski enthusiasts eager to cheer on their favorites in ski jumping and cross-country. The event takes place between 9 and 11 March this year, culminating on “Holmenkollen Sunday” with the men’s competitions. The Holmenkollen ski jump is a landmark in the Western Aker borough of Oslo.
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Ski Flying Championship in Norway
By Linda Tancs
The Ski Flying World Championship takes place now through Sunday in Vikersund, Norway. Qualifying rounds begin today; the event ends with team competition and the prize ceremony on Sunday. Getting there is easy. Both Oslo Airport Gardermoen and Sandefjor Airport Torp are located approximately 90 minutes from Vikersund.
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Skating Race in Norway
By Linda Tancs
The Norwegian Skating Festival is a long distance skating race on Lake Mjøsa in Moelv, between Lillehammer and Hamar. Taking place on 18 February this year, the competition is open in all classes from 8-80 years over distances of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 km. For those prefering a more leisurely pace, the festival also offers a celebration of all things ice, including figure skating, curling and ice fishing. Moelv is reachable in approximately 25 minutes by train; the closest airport is Oslo.
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Northern Lights Festival
By Linda Tancs
Nordlysfestivalen (The Northern Lights Music Festival) begins in Tromsø, Norway tomorrow through 5 February. About 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the annual event is known for musical performances in various genres. This year is no exception. One of the festival’s highlights is the performance of The State Hermitage Orchestra from St. Petersburg, slated to perform Russian music and to host the Opera Gala, a concert introducing two of the finest young singers from the Mariinsky Theatre in a collaboration with singers from the Norwegian Opera. Later in the festival, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will visit Norway for the first time ever. And, of course, there are those northern lights–aurora borealis–presiding over it all.
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