Norway's constitution day

The flag-waving, the bizarre national costumes, the drunkenness: just what is Norway celebrating on 17th May, and what does it all mean? An anthropologist gives his view.

Beer prices hit new record

The Norwegian tradition of sipping a beer outdoors (utepils) has become even more expensive as the high summer season begins, with beer prices setting another record in Oslo. Locals and visitors alike now need to shell out NOK 99 (USD 17) for the traditional half-liter glass of beer at two eating and drinking spots in the capital Oslo.. It's too expensive..

The serving spots blame high rental rates along the waterfront, along with Norway’s high taxes on alcoholic beverages and high prices in general. Most of the bars and restaurants have nonetheless been packed on recent sunny days, so customers seem to literally be swallowing the higher beer prices.

Before you.....

Before you speak….Listen
Before you write….Think
Before you spend….Earn
Before you criticize…Wait
Before you pray….Forgive
Before you quit…Try

WHATEVER you give a WOMAN, she will MAKE it GREATER.

Give her SPERM, she will give you a BABY. Give her a HOUSE, she will give you a HOME. Give her GROCERIES, she will give you a MEAL. Give her LOVE, and she will give you her HEART! ♥ She MULTIPLIES and ENLARGES what she is GIVEN.
So, if you GIVE her CRAP, be PREPARED to RECEIVE a ton of SHIT!

Another rainy day

Stupid Americans- or Swede...

A Swede made a trip to New York and while standing in front of the Empire State building, he started to count all the floors. A policeman came by and thought to himself: "That one must be Swedish" and decided to take advantage of him. He went up to him and said: "Do you know that it's illegal to count the floors on buildings in the United States?" The Swede replied: "No sir, I did not." The police officer then said: "I'm afraid I'll have to charge you $10.00 per floor you counted." The Swede then said: "Oh, I counted 50 floors sir." The police officer left, very happy. Then, a Swedish comrad came along and asked what had just happened. His friend replied: "My, how these Americans are stupid! I told him that I had counted 50 floors when I had really counted 51!

Rainy days

When it’s raining, do you ever feel like it’s never going to stop? But while the sun is out, it feels like you really have to take advantage of it because the sun might go away any moment? I feel the same way about “rainy” emotions. When I’m sad it feels like I’m going to stay sad forever. And that everything is wrong and it’s raining all over.

Rainy season

After a long and extremly cold winter, most parts of Norway get visited by a rainy season..And it's still cold..

According to the Met Office, last summer was the wettest since the national and regional rainfall series began..

Just two years ago, April was the warmest in history. This year, it’s so cold that flora is struggling to blossom.

Snowdrops have struggles to make their presence felt so far this year, thanks in large to the coldest April in 25 years.

Aquavit, a favourite tipple

Aquavit is the traditional Scandinavian tipple. Related to but distinctly different from vodka and gin, it’s flavoured with spices and most often is taken straight.

That said the Scandinavian aquavits differ from each other. Norwegian aquavit (termed akevitt) differs from its Danish, Swedish and Northern German cousins. It is made from potato spirits, aged only in wood, flavoured with caraway or dill.
Norway’s largest producer and supplier of wine and spirits Arcus makes about 2.5 million litres of aquavit a year, of which about half goes for export. Aquavit is in fourth place by volume sold each year in the country’s Vinmonopolet shops behind vodka, brandy and whisky.
Aquavit plays a prominent role in Norwegian drinking culture. It’s a favoured drink on festive occasions such as Christmas, Constitution Day (17 May) and weddings. By tradition, it’s served with dishes of smoked, salted or cured meats or fish, often as a chaser along with beer. But it can be drunk alone, from shot glasses or tulip-shaped glasses.
Nobody knows when aquavit was first drunk in Norway. Distillation of alcoholic drink came in with Christianity in the eleventh century, so the first aquavit could have appeared anytime thereafter.

Norwegian Jokes - movies

A Norwegian and a Swede were at the movie theatre, and the Norwegian bet that the hero would die during the movie. The Swede didn't believe him, and they ended up betting 100 Kroner (17USD) on it. When the movie was over and the hero was dead, the Swede began to give the money to the Norwegian, but the Norwegian interrupted him "I already saw the movie, so I knew he was going to die. Keep the money." The Swede replied, "oh, I also saw the movie before, but I didn't think he would be tricked twice."

Sunday Photo

Still snow in the forrest..

Pensioners charged over Iron Maiden revenge

An 81-year-old man and his 71-year-old wife grew so tired of the noises emanating from their neighbour that they took revenge by booming Iron Maiden at top volume.

The couple now face a charge of harassment for their late night heavy metal music habits.
The noisy dispute continued throughout the winter with the pensioners booming music from their terraced house  until as late as 4am.

The police were moved to act and arrived at the house to find that the elderly couple had placed a music system on the balcony, pointed at the neighbour and playing Iron Maiden's "Afraid to shoot strangers" at top volume.

The police furthermore found another music system in the cellar directed towards the neighbour's bedroom wall.

The elderly couple are reported to have taken revenge on their neighbours, who had only recently moved in, due to a 'whistling sound' coming from their property.

The Vikings have returned … unfortunately

It seems like the popular new television series ‘Vikings’ coincides with the rise of a neo-Viking movement
that is taking the world by storm. While rape and pillaging may have not returned into favour, the brutish behaviour of Norwegians abroad seems to be very much back in style. The Vikings have indeed returned!

Late last year, an intoxicated Viking landed in legal trouble for groping a waitress at a Dubai beach club. In February, a horde of 5,000 plus Viking youths descended on Prague, laying waste to their hotel rooms, vexing local authorities with booze-fuelled rampaging that even saw some turn on each other in a pair of stabbings.

There seem to be more and more stories of young Norwegian behaving poorly abroad, disrespecting local customs and laws, and generally sullying Norway’s long-enjoyed reputation as a peace-loving, law-abiding torchbearer of tolerance.

But then again, why would Norwegian youths show anything but contempt for their hosts on their travels, when their supposed leaders and role models display similar traits of mono-cultural buffoonery?

Still snow and ice

Spring is officially around the corner in Southern Norway

Believe it or not, spring is on the way to Norway according to meteorologists, who have pointed to sunny skies and temperatures up towards 15C this week.

 The chill that's had Norway in a stranglehold since late last year won't loosen its grip until the end of the week. The long-running high-pressure system that has been responsible for snow in April and ice-cold nights nationwide is finally about to head off.