Happy Birthday Bergen!

the

NORWEGIAN

american Volume 131, #18 • October 23, 2020

Inside this issue:

Seattle celebrates Bergen’s 950th story on pages B1-2

Est. May 17, 1889 • Formerly Norwegian American Weekly, Western Viking & Nordisk Tidende

$4 USD

Happy Birthday, Bergen!

A salute to the city of the seven mountains

Story on pages B3-4

«

Jeg hilser deg, du stolte by blandt fjelde, du Kyrres gamle minnerike Stad! Du by med duft fra Norges sagavelde, deg vier jeg mitt enkle hylningskvad!

Photo: Marianne Skjelbred Bergen artist Marianne Skjelbred paints her hometown in a bold palette of colors. She sells her work at her gallery near the Fløien funicular and ships them worldwide.

»

- Henrik Jansen

A special greeting from Bergen

Norwegian Rain

Bergen and beyond

page 4

pages 8-9

pages 12-13

A walk down memory lane

Fløibanen, then and now

Bergen’s totem pole

pages B6-7

pages B8-9

page B10-11

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Travel Bergen

Alt har gått bra med kong Harald etter hjerteoperasjonen

En ny koronatest som gir svar etter 18 minutter, lanseres denne høsten. Testen må utføres av helsepersonell.

Den nye testen skal tas fra nesen eller svelget. Den kan brukes hos pasient­ er med symptomer for covid­19 eller de som har vært i nærkontakt med noen som er smittet.

Det er medisinprodusenten Roche som lanserer den nye laboratorietesten for påvisning av antigen til SARS­CoV­2.

Den gir et klart ja eller nei på om viruset er i pasienten.

Ifølge selskapet kan laboratorie­ prøver sjekkes på standardutstyret hos 91 norske sykehus. Og det er her i labora­ toriene at resultatene på testene kommer etter 18 minutter.

(NTB)

m.h. larsen og anders r. Christensen NTB

Kronprins Haakon sier at alt har gått bra med kong Harald etter hjerteoperasjonen, og at faren ikke har signalisert at han vil jobbe mindre framover.

— Det har jeg ikke hørt noe om, sa kron­ prinsen og lo godt da han fikk spørsmål om 83­årige kong Harald har vurdert å trappe noe ned etter forrige ukes hjerteoperasjon.

— Men det er klart at han hele tiden må justere litt ut ifra hva han kan gjøre, la han til.

Kongen er sykmeldt ut måneden, og dermed er Haakon kronprinsregent og gjør kongens oppgaver. Han synes vikarjobben går greit.

— Men først og fremst synes jeg det er hyggelig når kongen er ved god helse og i «operativ drift».

Norske elever sliter med kildekritikk

De fleste norske 15-åringer vet ikke hvor­ dan de kan undersøke om kilder er til å stole på, og de vet mindre om kildekritikk enn andre nordiske elever. Det viser en ny analyse om leseferdigheter som for­ skere ved Universitetet i Oslo har gjort.

I undersøkelsen har forskerne fun­ net at flertallet av norske 8.-klassinger verken gjør reelle vurderinger av teksters troverdighet, eller begrunner sine syns­ punkter.

Sammenlignet med de nordiske landene har norske elever mindre kjenn­ skap til slike strategier enn danske, finske og svenske elever, mens islandske elever kjenner minst til egnede strategier.

(NTB)

Foto: Dronning Sonja / Kagge forlag / NTB scanpix Kong Harald og kronprins Haakon i et foto fra kongens nye bok Kongen forteller.

— En lettelse Kronprinsen møtte pressen i forbindelse med en visning av filmen «Den største forbry­ telsen» på Filmens hus i Oslo. Han benyttet anledningen til å skryte av legene som oper­ erte faren.

Se > KONGEN, side 14 English synopsis: Crown Prince Haakon reports that King Harald’s recent heart surgery went well and that his father has no plans to step down from the throne.

Russland sto bak IT-angrep — Dette aksepterer vi ikke, sier statsminister Solberg til Putin Kristian sKårdalsmo og Johan Falnes

Solberg støtter boikott av Wizz Air

27.NAW.Vangsgutane.CMYK.13Oct2017.qxp_Layout 1

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Kongen vil ikke trappe ned

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Statsminister Erna Solberg (H) gjør det klart at Wizz Air ikke kan nekte ansatte å organisere seg. Hun støtter boikotten av selskapet.

— Jeg kommer ikke til å fly med et selskap som nekter arbeidere å organisere seg, sa Solberg i spørretimen i Stortinget onsdag.

— På samme måte som jeg aldri har fløyet med Ryanair. Fordi jeg for ti år siden sa at det var uakseptabelt for meg å reise med flyselskaper som ikke har ordentlige og ryddige arbeidsforhold for sine ansatte, fortsatte hun.

Solberg gjorde det klart at Wizz Air etter norsk lov ikke kan nekte de ansatte å fagorganisere seg.

(NTB)

Features

ntB

Norges tydelige reaksjon overfor Russ­ land viser at vi ikke lar oss plukke på, under­ streker statsminister Erna Solberg (H).

Utenriksdepartementet gikk 14. oktober på kvelden ut og sa at Norge mener Russland sto bak IT­angrepet mot Stortinget nylig.

— Det er viktig for regjeringen å gi en tydelig beskjed til russerne om at dette ak­ septerer vi ikke. Det er derfor vi også tydelig navngir, det som kalles en attribusjon, at det er de som har stått bak dette innbruddet, sier Solberg til NTB 15. oktober.

— At norske stortingspolitikere og det norske Storting blir angrepet gjennom et cy­ berangrep, er uakseptabelt. Det må påtales, legger hun til.

I slutten av august oppdaget Stortinget at ukjente 2:05 hackere hadde1 klart å komme seg inn 10/13/17 PM Page på epostkontoene til enkelte stortingsrepre­

Foto: Erland Aas / NTB scanpix Kreml og Moskvaelven i Moskva.

sentanter og ansatte. Saken ble offentlig kjent 1. september.

Etterretningsbevis Solberg understreker at Norge nå har kommet med en diplomatisk reaksjon.

— Det er en tydelig adresse og en tydelig beskjed, som forhåpentlig også høyner ter­ skelen for at de holder på sånn, sier hun.

Norske myndigheter ikke planlagt å gå offentlig ut med bevisene som ligger til grunn for vurderingen om at Russland står bak. Stortinget er likevel blitt orientert i noe større detalj om saken.

Vurderingen hos norske myndigheter har vært at det å gå ut med beviser både kan gi andre aktører uheldige hint om hvordan slike digitale angrep kan gjennomføres, og avsløre for mye om hvordan Norge etterforsker slike hendelser.

— Hvilke beviser har dere for dette?

— Bevisene er basert på det etterretnings­ kildene våre har gitt oss. Det er ikke ting vi kommer til å gå ut med. Dette har regjeringen basert på det vi har fått lagt fram, sier Solberg.

Hun sier etterforskningen videre foregår i Politiets sikkerhetstjeneste (PST).

Se > RUSSLAND, side 14 English synopsis: Prime Minister Erna Solberg is tak­ ing a hard stance against Russia for the cyberattacks against the Norwegian parliament in August.

The Boys From Vangen: • Bilingual English & Norwegian text • For all ages on both sides of the Atlantic • Full colored & illustrated, Smyth sewn • 6″x 9″, hardcover, 176 pages • = $9.95 plus $4.95 shipping in USA Vangsgutane has been a classic series in Norway since 1941. Right after WWII, Vangsgutane was used as curriculum material in Norwegian schools, as the series had easy-to-read text with pictures.

Honest and quick-thinking, the boys become role models for Norwegian children through their numerous ventures and narrow escapes. Made in America!

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Fishing Vessels in the North Pacific and Bering Sea

Passenger Vessels from Puget Sound to Southeast Alaska

Sh ips h ape & S e awo rth y www.pacificfishermen.com

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Defender of children’s rights Mayerlín Vergara Pérez of Colombia awarded Nansen Refugee Award

Birgitte Iversen NTB

Microsoft will collaborate with Equinor in a CO2 storage effort under the North Sea. It will be an important component of the company’s strategy to become climate-negative by 2030.

On Oct. 14, Equinor signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Microsoft for the collaboration, which is called the Northern Lights Project.

The project is part of the Norwegian carbon sequestration and storage project called “Langskip,” or “Longship.” The plan is to capture CO2 from Norcem’s cement factory at Brevik in the Porsgrunn municipality.

From there, liquid CO2 will be shipped by sea to a receiving terminal in Øygarden to then be pumped by pipeline to a storage tank under the sea floor on the Norwegian continental shelf.

The project is a cooperation between Equinor, Shell, and Total.

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Marit Fosse Geneva

Carbon-negative goal Microsoft has set a goal to become carbon-negative by 2030. The company is therefore exploring several possibilities to help reach this goal, including the Northern Lights project in Norway, according to a press release.

“Microsoft is excited about and committed to supporting promising carbon capture

October is the month when the world gets to know the winner of the Nansen Refugee Award, granted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This year, the highly prestigious award was given to Mayerlín Vergara Pérez of Colombia for her longstanding work against sexual and gender-based violence and her persistent efforts to protect children and young people, many of them refugees.

The crisis in Venezuela in recent years has led to thousands of minors crossing the border into Colombia, and many have been sexually abused. Mayerlín Vergara Pérez has worked with com-

See > MICROSOFT, page 4

See > NANSEN AWARD, page 4

Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB scanpix Norcem, Norway’s only cement factory in Brevik.

Julebord discouraged in Oslo Businesses urged to cancel Christmas parties this year The Local The Oslo city government has extended local coronavirus restrictions and advised businesses not to go ahead with their traditional “julebord” Christmas parties.

Eighty people tested positive for COVID-19 in Oslo on Oct. 7, and 69 the following day, according to municipal figures.

Daily case totals in the capital have generally remained between 40 and 50 since late September.

The city introduced local measures at the end of last month to reduce infections. This means Oslo already has stricter rules than the rest of the country, including a ban on public gatherings of over 10 people. The national rules stipulate a maximum of 20 people for such gatherings.

Measures put in place by local authorities will take precedence over the national rules. That means the end of the ban on bars serving alcohol after midnight will not apply in Oslo. The restrictions in the capital are now to be extended until further notice.

“Thirty percent of infections in Oslo are of unknown origin. That makes it risky to al-

Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB Scanpix There is always an abundance of good food and drink at norsk julebord—as well as close contact.

low more people to go out and meet,” Mayor Raymond Johansen said. “We have evaluated the [national] easing of restrictions thoroughly against our local infections situation. The conclusion is clear: we must have stricter rules in Oslo than the rest of the country, at the moment.”

“Although Prime Minister Erna Solberg has encouraged businesses to go ahead with the traditional julebord for staff, that advice can not apply to Oslo with the current infection situation,” said the mayor.

Norwegians traditionally attend julebord Christmas parties organized every year to celebrate that the holidays are approaching. Most workplaces throw a julebord for their staff,

&

and these events are notoriously packed with what later becomes office gossip, but friends and families also organize them in private.

The popular and often chaotic Christmas festivity involves eating lots of traditional Norwegian Christmas food and getting drunk on liquors, such as akevitt, a few weeks before Christmas Day. Julebord normally take place in early December, although any time during the month is fine, while November is considered too early.

“We must not bend the rules and gather as many people as possible within the allowed limit. When we introduced the rule limiting

See > JULEBORD, page 4

This issue’s news from Norway is brought to you through partnerships with: The Norwegian News Agency

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This week in brief Hurtigruten to sail only between Bodø and Kirkenes

On Oct. 12, the Ministry of Transport requested that, going forward, the two remaining Hurtigruten ships in service on the coastal route sail only the segment between Bodø and Kirkenes.

“Hurtigruten is important for the local communities along the coast, especially farthest north in the country. This is not desirable for either party, and I wish we could see a way to continue with normal operation on the coastal route with daily harbor stops between Bergen and Kirkenes. Unfortunately, we now have a challenging situation that makes changes in the route necessary,” said Minister of Transport Knut Arild Hareide in a press release.

He added that the government has opted to prioritize areas with limited alternatives for transport of goods and distance passengers, as well as to ensure more frequent stops at the northernmost harbors.

(NTB / Translated by Andy Meyer)

Norway to make COVID-19 vaccine free

Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s government hopes that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready to be offered to the population early in 2021, according to a government statement released on Oct. 13.

Costs to local authorities and hospitals connected to a vaccination program will all be covered by the state, according to the statement.

“We want as many people as possible to be offered a safe and effective vaccine.

That’s why the vaccination will be free,” Solberg said.

“The primary objective of the government in its work with the vaccine is to be able to offer early vaccination to the entire adult population to reduce serious illness and death and prevent transmission of infections,” the prime minister added.

“When as many people as possible get vaccinated, that will also reduce the societal and social consequences of the pandemic,” she said.

(The Local)

Norway supports EU sanctions against Russia in chemical poisoning case

Norway is supporting a proposal drafted by the foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) to impose sanctions on Russia following the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an attempt to assassinate him.

On Oct. 14, EU countries decided to impose sanctions on six Russians as a result of the poisoning.

On the morning of Oct. 15, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) told NRK that Norway is aligning itself with the EU in this case. Søreide points out that Norway has condemned the attack on Navalny and that tests carried out in Germany, Sweden, and France confirmed that the Russian was poisoned with a variant of Novichok, a rare Soviet-era nerve agent.

“This goes against the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits any use of chemical weapons. We have politically supported the EU’s proposed action regarding the use of chemical weapons. We also support the EU’s new sanctions,” said Søreide.

(NTB / Translated by Lori Ann Reinhall)

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approaches. Our goal is not only to contribute our technology and know-how, but explore how new solutions like the Northern Lights project can help us meet our own carbon-negative goals by 2030,” said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft.

“One of the world’s imperatives is the need to develop new ways to capture, transport, and permanently store carbon. This will require enormous investment and innovation, including a huge amount of computing power and data,” Smith said.

Norway as a spearhead Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tina Bru were present when the agreement was signed in Oslo on Oct. 14.

“Langskip is the largest climate project ever in Norwegian industry and a large and

< NANSEN AWARD From page 3

munities in Uribia, Maicao, and Riohacha near the Venezuelan border to help children and young people in the region.

“People like Maye represent the best of us. Her bravery and selfless pursuit to rescue and protect some of the world’s most vulnerable children is nothing short of heroic,” declared Filippo Grandi, the current UNHCR. “She embodies the essence of this award.

Her unwavering dedication has saved the lives of hundreds of refugee children and restored their hopes for a better future,” he added.

Norwegian State Secretary Marianne Hagen said, “I would like to thank Mayerlín Vergara Pérez for her unique efforts for children and young people in the fight against sexual violence. Her work shows the difficult circumstances for some of the most vulnerable people who have been driven to flee.”

For Norway, prevention of and protection against sexual and gender-based violence in humanitarian crises is a priority, and it is urgent to put it on the international agenda.

“This year’s award focuses on an important and difficult topic. It is crucial to have people like Maye in the front line to ensure protection and psychosocial benefits

< JULEBORD From page 3

gatherings to 10 people a lot of people asked, ‘could my gathering be okay?’” he said.

“We have to change the way we think

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important technology project. Today’s signing shows the broad engagement in industry for CO2-treatment,” said Solberg.

The Bellona Foundation, a Norwegian non-profit organization seeking climate solutions, applauded the news. “This is great. First, the government in Norway decides to lead the world in CO2-sequestration and storage by launching the Langskip project. Then comes a globally leading company, Microsoft, which wants to get on board for the trip,” said Bellona founder Frederic Hauge.

“Norway should be the spearhead in a coalition of nations, industrial actors, and investors who wish to incorporate CO2 capture and storage technology right away,” said Hauge. “The Storting must ensure that the Norwegian Langskip project gets the greatest possible value as an exhibit to the world,” he said.

(Translated by Andy Meyer) for survivors,” Hagen said.

The Nansen Refugee Award honors outstanding service to people who have been forcibly displaced. Over the years, 82 individuals, groups, or organizations have received the award for their unwavering dedication to refugees and outstanding work on behalf of forcibly displaced or stateless people.

Norway established the Nansen Prize in 1954 with Switzerland. It is named after the first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations, Fridtjof Nansen. The award is an important part of Nansen’s humanitarian legacy. It includes a commemorative medal and $150,000. In close consultation with the UNHCR, the laureate uses the monetary prize to fund a project that complements work already underway.

The Nansen Refugee Award Program is funded in partnership with the Swiss government, the Norwegian government, the State Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, the Administrative Council of the City of Geneva, and the IKEA Foundation.

The 2020 Nansen Refugee Award Ceremony took place virtually on Oct. 5 due to COVID-19 restrictions. about people,” the mayor said.

“That means as few private gatherings possible, as few children’s birthday parties as possible. I know it’s hard, but we want to avoid closing daycare facilities and schools at all costs,” he said.

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Travel Bergen

An opinion column about current issues in On the EDGE Norway and the United States Join the conversation!

A special greeting from Mayor Marte Mjøs Persen Marte Mjøs Persen Mayor of Bergen

For this special edition of The Norwegian American, Mayor Marte Mjøs Person of Bergen brings a special message, celebrating her city’s sister city relationship with Seattle, a message of shared values, ideas, change, and hope.

Dear friends in Seattle and readers of The Norwegian American, We are living in extraordinary times.

We are worried about our loved ones. Our sons and daughters have lost their jobs.

We are worried about the economy and our safety. More than a million people have lost their lives worldwide.

It is time for us to come together.

At the same time, here in Bergen we are celebrating the city’s 950th anniversary this year. Our city is founded on our close connection to the sea. As Bergensers, we have always had our horizon open to the world. We have, from the earliest time of history, traded fish to the rest of Europe and the world, bringing other goods back to our coast. But also other ideas, influences, and values. This has made us proud of our history and traditions, but at the same time, we work hard to adjust to new economic times.

We have always lived by, with, and of what the ocean has to offer, and we will continue to do so in the future as well.

For a long time, Seattle and Bergen have been sister cities. Our two cities are closely connected: we exchange ideas; we exchange art, music, and culture.

Photo: Hans Jørgen Brun / Bergenkommune Marte Mjøs Persen (Arbeiderpartiet) was re-elected mayor of Bergen for the period 2019– 2023. Previously, she served as Bergen’s mayor for the period 2015–2019.

Nowadays we can’t visit each other, but we are still here, as friends. We just need to find other ways of meeting one another, other ways of working together, other ways to hold together.

Last, but not least, I, on behalf of the City of Bergen, want to thank the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association for their gift to Bergen on our 950th anniversary, the virtual concert recorded at the National Nordic Museum in Ballard. We will keep this gift in our hearts and are forever grateful for our friendship.

The opinions expressed by opinion writers featured in “On the Edge” are not necessarily those of The Norwegian American, and our publication of those views is not an endorsement of them. Comments, suggestions, and complaints about the opinions expressed by the paper’s editorials should be directed to the editor.

Letters to the Editor

Something on your mind?

Write to us at The Norwegian American, Letter to the Editor, P.O. Box 30863, Seattle, WA 98113, or email us at naw@na-weekly.com, subject line Letter to the Editor.

Letters may be edited for style, clarity, or length.

Hello!

Dear Editor,

I loved your Sept. 4 issue! I am going to try to make the bread as shown in “Taste of Norway” and am so excited about all of the education information! While my husband and I have not been to Norway, we can’t wait to send our son to educational opportunities when he’s older! My husband’s family has ties to Norway, and I always strive to bring more of his heritage to life for our kids so they know where they come from. Thank you for helping us remember our roots and to live them out in our day to day!

Thank you so much for publishing the article about the history of Valkyrien Lodge. I had the privilege of editing the material for this article from the historical papers that were researched and written

by Karin Gorud Scovill. She shared her notes with me, so I want to underline that she deserves full credit for the content.

Her commitment to collecting our Valkyrien history represents a great deal of time, effort, and commitment, for which we are very grateful.

Christina Vingerud Saint Helens, Ore.

Elaine Greggs Seattle

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A message from Editor-in-chief Lori Ann Reinhall Join the conversation!

A loving salute to Seattle’s sister city in Norway

Dear readers and friends,

By now, it is probably no secret to any of our readers that I really love Bergen. It is my adopted home in Norway, and I can say that it’s been an ongoing love affair for many years now, a love that seems to deepen as time goes on.

The first time I was in Bergen, I was only 18 years old, traveling through Scandinavia with a rail pass on a voyage of discovery. As I left the train and headed toward the center of town, I remember thinking to myself that things felt so familiar. The fresh saltwater air reminded me of Seattle, and when it started to cloud over and rain, I really did feel at home. Already then, I knew Seattle and Bergen were sister cities, and looking at the mountains, water, and forest, I could understand why the pairing made sense.

As a young person traveling alone, I got to experience the city from an innocent perspective. I was naïve and fearless—and in retrospect, I really believe there was nothing to be afraid of. The city had felt so peaceful and safe. I checked into a little hotel up on

23. oktober Sverre Halvorsen Isfjorden Norway James R. Lyng Jr. San Diego CA 24. oktober Kristen Injerd Washington MI Michael Larson Cambridge MN Aaron Swenson Flom MN Arvid Swenson Flom MN 25. oktober Albert Gunderson Spokane WA Carl S. Hoveland Athens GA Eirik Lirhus La Costa CA Caroline Lucas St. Paul MN Jon Vingerud St. Helens OR 26. oktober Virginia Rasmussen Shoreline WA Nora Weltzin Viroqua WI 27. oktober Kim Heitz Pensacola FL Judy Larson Shoreline WA Donovan Quam Naples FL Anna Dahl Shiels Pelham NY 28. oktober Kurt Alfred Andersen Stroudsberg PA Gunnar Jevne Healdsburg CA Kari Khoury Stockton CA Orlin “Swede” Knutson Colorado Springs CO Anna Tweed Northfield MN Jenny Larson Warner Potlatch ID 29. oktober Laurie Loken Benbrook TX 30. oktober Dolores Lee Emrey San Mateo CA Linda Marie Herset Kila MT

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Photo courtesy of Lori Ann Reinhall Editor-in-chief Lori Ann Reinhall visited Bergen’s totem pole in 2016.

the hillside behind the beloved old houses of Bryggen. The woman working the front desk first asked me if I was old enough to be traveling alone and then took it upon herself to make sure I would be happy for my three days there. For the first time, I experienced the openness and friendliness of Bergensers, along with the extraordinary pride they have in sharing their city with its visitors.

An innocent abroad, I had much fun taking in the sights and meeting other young people, both locals and others out on adventures much like my own. My first ride up the Fløien funicular left a deep impression and made me want to see everything. Each morning, I remember jumping out of bed excited to go, and perhaps a little strangely, I remember just how Anita H. Kinberg Clara M. Magnussen Barbara Soderstrom Nancy Tuznik

Erik Molbach

East Islip NY Berkeley CA Brookings OR La Porte IN

31. oktober East Greenbush NY

1. november Richard Bergesen Westchester PA Robert Bergesen Middlebury VT Ralph Berke Park Ridge IL Carol Billings White Plains NY Alvilda Bruvik Salem OR Ruth Davies Manhattan Beach CA Sylvan Andrew Herset Kila MT Barbara Seaman New York NY 2. november Jorlief Andol Huron SD Alfred Braaten San Diego CA Kari Kolseth Eaton Shelton WA Gaylon Greenhill Whitewater WI Joann Herset Kalispell MT Leif Richter Salvesen Plano TX Hans G. Simonson Wilton WI Sidney Helvik

3. november Big Timber MT

4. november Garry Bratland Carstairs AB Canada Else Breistein Granada Hills CA Lisbet Erlandsen Mosjøen Norway Carl Pederson Williamsport MD Freya and Birgitta Sinn Onalaska WI 5. november 6. november Melissa N. Knutsen Toms River NJ Tobo Leivestad Thompson Falls MT Barbara Strandemo Saint Cloud MN Rolf Thoresen Hyattsville MD

much I liked the hotel’s breakfast with its delicious pickled herring. I have associated the taste of good herring with Bergen for many years now, and it is has become a staple of my diet, although never quite the same as in my memory. I always dreamed about going back.

And then my dream came true. Serving as president of the Seattle-Bergen Sister Association since 2016 has allowed me to get to know Bergen on a much more meaningful level, albeit with the same sense of wonderment. Each time I visit the city, I again feel so at home and so welcomed by everyone I meet. The city is always more beautiful than I remember it from the previous time, and there is always more to discover.

With the 950th anniversary of Bergen in 2020, The Norwegian American wants to celebrate with our friends on the other side of the Atlantic at a time when travel is so restricted for us all. And with this special issue, it is our wish that you, too, can experience some of the beauty and wonders of Bergen. Of course, we are only able to offer you a glimpse of what this amazing city has to offer, but we hope our insights will inspire you to dream about Bergen the way I do. I simply can’t wait to go back.

Wishing you joy and a very happy birthday to Bergen!

Lori Ann Reinhall Editor-in-chief, The Norwegian American

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PO Box 30863, Seattle, WA 98113 Tel: (206) 784-4617 • Email: naw@na-weekly.com Publisher Ragnar Meyer-Knutsen

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Contributors Tove Andersson Oslo Patricia Barry

Hopewell Junction, N.Y.

Melinda Bargreen

Everett, Wash.

Terje Birkedal Elizabeth Bourne

Laguna Woods, Calif.

Longyearbyen, Norway

M. Michael Brady

Asker, Norway

Daughters of Norway Members Various Christie Ericson

Anchorage, Alaska

Rasmus Falck

Oslo

Marit Fosse Mary Jo Thorsheim Liv Marit Haakenstad

Geneva Minneapolis, Minn.

Hamar, Norway

7. november Kay McLane Willmar MN Helga Myren Alberta Canada Cynthia Rubin Orlando FL Truls Erik Sønsteby Lake Wallenpaupack PA Finn Sveen Redlands CA Tamia Trulson Hudson WI

Victoria Hofmo

Brooklyn, N.Y.

Ingerid Jordal

Odda, Norway

Ilan Kelman

Agder, Norway

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Ithaca, N.Y.

David Moe

Sun City, Calif.

9. november Inger Engevik Fitjar Norway Karen Everett Cheyenne WY Anne Nordby St. Paul MN Gudrum Ronholm Valley City ND John Sandmo Burnaby BC Canada Gordon Skindelien New London MN Jeff Nooney Yankton SD 10. november Craig R. Carlson Leesburg FL Curtis Eugene Ganung Berkeley CA Timothy James Herset Kila MT Charlotte Jackle Moscow ID Christine Kalke Hyattsville MD Barbara Leblanc North Bend WA Ingvill Montgomery Portland OR Andrea Reitan Horseshoe Bay TX 11. november Aslak Kvaalseth Blair WI Sidney Løberg Edmonds WA Hans O. Sande Rygg Norway John Erik Twedt Minneapolis MN 12. november Karl Johan Lyng Rusåga Norway Jim Johnson Albany OR Emily C. Skaftun Seattle WA Star Audrey Tronsen Laguna Beach CA

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Beth Kollé Seattle Scott Larsen

New Westminster, B.C.

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Los Angeles

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Jo Christian Weldingh Oslo The Norwegian American strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage call (206) 784-4617. • The Norwegian American reserves the right to edit any and all submissions for style, grammar, accuracy, and/ or space, and the right not to print submissions deemed libelous, in poor taste, or not suited for publication in this newspaper. • The opinions expressed by opinion writers and letter writers are not necessarily those of The Norwegian American, and our publication of those views is not an endorsement of them. Comments, suggestions, and complaints about the opinions expressed by the paper’s editorials should be directed to the editor-in-chief.

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“I am everyone’s mayor”

Mayor Marte Mjøs Persen connects with Bergen’s sister city in Seattle Lori Ann Reinhall

The Norwegian American

Editor-in-chief and president of the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association, Lori Ann Reinhall, fondly looks back on Bergen Mayor Marte Mjøs Persen’s visit to Seattle in 2018, when she was pleased to talk to her one-on-one in an exclusive interview.

Mayor Marte Mjøs Persen is a woman with a very busy schedule. Besides sitting at the helm of Norway’s second largest city, she is also the mother of four. Her now grownup son was followed by triplets, still in their preschool years, as she juggles the demands of home and office.

With her busy travel schedule in Norway and Europe, a trip across the Atlantic is not easy to fit in, but when the opportunity to represent Bergen at the opening of Seattle’s new Nordic Museum came up in May 2018, Mjøs Person, or “Mayor Marte” as she is fondly known, felt it was an occasion too important to pass up.

“Seattle and Bergen have been sister cities for many years,” she said, “and there are strong commonalities and connections between the two municipalities: geography, industry, education, research, and cultural life, to name a few. Our cities have much to share and learn from each other.”

The museum exhibits tell the story of Norwegian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest and touch on the influence that Nordic countries have on the region today.

Fortunately for all, Mjøs Persen was able to stay in Seattle for a few days and had the opportunity to explore the city together with the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association.

As we sat in a coffee shop directly across from Bergen Place Park in the heart of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, we had a chance to reminisce on the past as well as assess the present issues our cities face, from LGBTQ rights to opioid harm reduction to public housing.

At the center of her itinerary was a symposium, “Sister Cities Working Together: Tackling the Heroin Crisis,” sponsored by the sister city group and the City of Seattle.

It included participants from Seattle’s municipal government; King County Public Health; Stephen Finlay of Safepoint in Surrey, B.C.; Mayor Mjøs Persen; and Marit Sagen Grung, coordinator for addiction services in Bergen.

Outside of Norway, it is not well known that Bergen at one time was home to the largest open drug scene in Europe and is still grappling with a serious heroin epidemic to this day. It is a problem that many port cities face, including Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. The three cities have taken different approaches to the heroin crisis. Both Vancouver and Bergen have opened safe injection sites as a measure to decrease overdose deaths and increase public health and safety, but in Seattle proposals to do the same have generated a controversial debate.

Statistics from Canada and Norway indicate that the safe injection sites have significantly aided harm reduction and increased

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safety on the streets. In both countries, safe injection sites are an integral part of comprehensive programs that provide housing, counseling, and long-term treatment options to addicts.

Mjøs Persen learned that “there are also a lot of good things happening in Seattle.”

She was impressed by the services offered at the Navigation Center, a flexible “low barrier” housing facility located on the edge of the Little Saigon neighborhood.

With few intake questions asked, street addicts can find shelter there together with their partners and pets. Their drug and alcohol use is not brought into question. The facility offers sound nutrition, a clean warm bed, hot showers, and laundry facilities, along with health care and social services.

However, the Navigation Center is a temporary solution for the homeless—finding permanent housing in the Greater Seattle region is much more challenging.

“Housing is a basic human right,” said the mayor, and “to solve other problems, you must first solve the housing issue.” Much of the success of the opioid treatment program in her city can be attributed to a comprehensive housing initiative that, in theory, does not leave anyone without a roof over their head.

For Mjøs Persen, the numbers of homeless as well as overdose deaths in Seattle are staggering—and visible. She emphasized that most addicts have been severely traumatized and suffer from serious mental health issues. In order to help them, it is necessary to find a way to reach out to them, and a safe place to live is often the first step on a path to stability and possible recovery.

A visit to the Pride Foundation in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood offered the Bergen mayor the chance to meet with local leaders engaged in supporting the LGBTQ community, both in terms of social services and legislative activism.

Of interest were the challenges faced by transgender individuals, something as basic as obtaining a legal ID. The mayor was impressed by the comprehensive LGBTQ services offered. Like Seattle, Bergen is part of the Rainbow City Network, as its city government works to make it a better place to live for everyone regardless of race, creed, religion, or gender.

It is the mayor’s belief that openness, tolerance, and inclusivity are at the core of any healthy society. “Hate speech is not acceptable in any direction,” she remarked.

Unfortunately, even in her hometown, she has seen a backlash of reactionary thoughts.

Some believe that both foreigners and the underprivileged should fend for themselves and especially fail to see why addicts should be supported.

“But no one is free unless everyone is free,” Mjøs Person affirmed.

A trip to Seattle is not complete without some sightseeing, and the sister city association was happy to oblige. Mayor Mjøs Persen and Sagen Grung were impressed by the abundance of trees and luscious greenery of the Emerald City, with the surrounding mountains and water—not so unlike their home in western Norway.

An unexpected highlight for the two Norwegian visitors was a stop for lunch in Seattle’s International District. They were fascinated to find themselves in a popular dim sum restaurant filled with local Chinese Seattleites speaking their native language and enjoying their own authentic native cuisine.

Photo: Lori Ann Reinhall Mayor Marte Mjøs Persen of Bergen visited the Leif Erikson Memorial Plaza at Shilshole Bay on her visit to Seattle for the opening of the National Nordic Museum in 2018.

The mayor was impressed with how naturally ethnic groups seem to co-exist within the greater community. In this context, we spoke of the challenges that the current migrations around the world pose: housing, education, and integration. Again, Mjøs Persen stressed that openness and tolerance are key in helping immigrants build a new, meaningful life.

Mayor Mjøs Persen also found it insightful and enjoyable to meet with members of the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association, to socialize over dinner and talk about programs that would be of mutual benefit to the two cities, including transportation, air pollution, climate change, and arts and culture.

Both cities are hubs of world-class classical music and jazz: Bergen is home to an outstanding youth orchestra and is also the black metal capital of Norway, while Seattle is the uncontested home of grunge music.

The possibilities for exchange across genres and age groups seem almost endless.

The city of Bergen is excited that Seattle is home to the National Nordic Museum, an ideal venue for exchange programs between the two cities. While American and Norwegian societies are fundamentally quite different, the mayor believes that a good relationship between Seattle and Bergen can make the lives of citizens in the two sister cities better.

“I am everyone’s mayor,” said Mjøs Persen, mayor of Bergen, mother of four, and champion of human rights and equality. In Seattle, we were fortunate to share in her compassion and generosity, as we look forward to a continued relationship of cooperation and mutual enrichment.

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Profiles of Norwegian Science

Norway leads on coronavirus vaccines ILAN KELMAN Agder, Norway

Vaccines save huge numbers of lives every year. A thousand years ago, China witnessed inoculation against smallpox, leading to a centuries-long journey ending in 1980 with the eradication of the disease. Meanwhile, progress continues through vaccines for scourges, including rabies, polio, and measles.

Today, the world expects that a principal way out of the current pandemic is vaccines.

Norway has led or been part of various initiatives beginning before COVID-19, showing the importance of science over the long term, not just when a crisis occurs.

In 2017, Norway became one of the founding partners of—and remains one of the largest donors to—the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

It exists “to stimulate and accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases and enable access to these vaccines for people during outbreaks.”

Headquartered in Oslo, CEPI spearheads a triple-pronged approach to vaccines.

First, preparedness recognizes that diseases resurge and re-emerge. Availability of and access to safe and effective vaccines is one way to address outbreaks. Second, in response to outbreaks, CEPI supports new science for and administration of vaccines. Finally, sustainability seeks lasting approaches that will be available to all countries.

These principles are being applied by CEPI to its co-leadership of COVAX “working for global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.” COVAX focuses on finding, producing, and distributing vaccines for the current outbreak.

Over 150 countries, approaching twothirds of the global population, have signed on to COVAX, which hopes to distribute 2 billion doses of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021. By equitably providing tested vaccines as soon as they are available, enough leeway is provided for reopening society and then for ending the pandemic completely.

Norway has donated millions of dollars to COVAX and is closely monitoring progress in developing the vaccines. They undergo extensive, detailed testing and monitoring, which is particularly important for the vaccines using approaches that have not before been used for human beings. Docu-

Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB scanpix Prime Minister Erna Solberg visits the CEPI headquarters in Oslo. Norway became one of the founding partners of the coalition in 2017.

menting progress, safety, and effectiveness in a systematic and verifiable manner shows why vaccines are approved or not.

The extent of these procedures explains why new vaccines require so much time to be available alongside the advantages of joining together for this work. Amalgamating financing for the vaccine and openly sharing all scientific knowledge for collaboration will help reach a useable vaccine more quickly, which is why COVAX is needed.

Another COVAX co-leader is The Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), which started in 2000 with Norway and five other countries as original contributors. Over the past two decades, GAVI has received more than $2 billion from Norway. In recent years, almost 10% of the budget has been the Norwegian contribution.

GAVI seeks to reduce poverty and support health systems through vaccinating children in the least affluent countries. Their latest calculation concludes that the alliance has stopped over 14 million children from dying from preventable diseases. The first

generation to benefit from this initiative is now coming of age and will soon be well-positioned to assume leadership positions in their countries.

Four goals underpin GAVI’s strategy: Equitable vaccine use, improved health systems, sustainable immunization programs, and affordable vaccine markets. The overarching interest is avoiding health crises from emerging.

Prevention and preparation are also hallmarks of the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R). The Research Council of Norway is one of 29 members, while CEPI is one of two observers. GloPID-R aims “to ensure that research capacity and capabilities are in place to support the rapid initiation of scientific research in case of an outbreak.”

The two pillars for achieving this aim are preparedness (including knowledge sharing, training, and horizon scanning) followed by response within which vaccines sit.

To encourage collaboration with GloPID-R members for joining data and analyses, the

Research Council of Norway has issued various COVID-19–related calls for project proposals, which have so far offered, in total, over $8 million for science. Many projects are now underway. Along with vaccine-related parts of projects from other Research Council of Norway funding sources, they involve Norwegian researchers examining diverse topics such as how other vaccines might protect against COVID-19 and CEPI’s effectiveness.

A tenet of dealing with infectious disease is that prevention is better than cure. It is now too late to prevent a pandemic, so a cure is essential and must involve safe and effective vaccines. Norway continues to support science saving millions of lives.

Further reading: CEPI: cepi.net COVAX: www.who.int/initiatives/act-accelerator/covax GAVI: www.gavi.org GLOPID-R: www.glopid-r.org

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Norwegian Rain takes on Bergen “We live in the lab. We live here and it rains two out of three days. Everything we do has to work in Bergen.”

Rasmus Falck Oslo

Norwegian Rain A/S outerwear is inspired by life in the rainiest city of Europe: Bergen, Norway. In 2007, the Bergen-born and raised creative director and manager Alexander Helle met T-Michael, and they decided to start Norwegian Rain. The latter had over 17 years of experience in tailoring. He is strategic director and head designer.

In a video on the Norwegian Rain website, Helle claims it once rained for 80 straight days in Bergen, and rainfall is between 94 inches and 118 inches a year, with the second rainiest city in Europe having 63 inches.

“I was born and raised in Bergen, and that means you’re born into a life in the rain,” said Helle in the video. “When it’s pouring down, it can work on your mood.

How can we change that into ‘I’d love to put on something’ or ‘I do not need to check the weather because I’m independent of that weather?’ That’s when the goal started to be raincoats. We tried everything in Bergen and never found anything suitable. There wasn’t one raincoat that would fit the need in the range. I started thinking, not just about myself, but others living in harsh conditions.

That was the starting point of the raincoats idea, that this is my mission in life.”

Helle grew up only a golf drive from the Norwegian Business School (NHH) in Bergen. He entered the school in 2003 and wanted to get into something creative. While at the Bocconi business school in Milan, Italy, he decided he wanted to develop the best rainwear. Therefore, his graduate work and thesis—he completed it in 2010—was about the startup.

Photo: Darrel Hunter Norwegian Rain Caban Double Breasted “traditional raincoat” in Army Green Hopsack ($743.97). There’s three-layer waterproofing, the jacket is made from recycled materials and has a detachable storm, flat hood, and Icelandic wool shearling collar, with three-layer waterproofing (only available in Army Green).

Photo: Bent René Synnevåg Norwegian Rain’s Strategic Director and Head Designer T-Michael (left) and Creative Director and Manager Alexander Helle in Tokyo.

Seeing it happen was uncertain. “Going back to 2007, ‘how can we succeed with something like that?’” Helle asked. “The world is turning more and more against the great giants out there, the big chains. How can we as a city so far from the fashion world succeed and make a stand? I needed a tailor who could really understand the garment making. I didn’t have that.”

Born and raised as the youngest of five children in Accra, Ghana, Michael Tetteh Nartey, known as T-Michael, moved to London as a teenager. From a young age, he was interested in clothing and the way it was made. At 11, he was adept with the sewing machine, but by 18 or 19, “It was very important to me to look good and I spent frantically money I didn’t have on clothing. It was a fun thing to do but I wasn’t interested in making clothing. I was interested in clothing that was well made.”

When at age 23, he moved to Norway with his wife at the time, he dragged out a sewing machine from her mother. He realized he had forgotten a lot. T-Michael enrolled in the tailoring school and spent nearly four years there.

Ten years later, he had a shop and studio.

“The collection was growing. I was seeing more of ready-to-wear and made-to-measure and less bespoke,” he said. There seemed to be a market for more crafted men’s clothing.

Helle stopped by the store. “You go in there, and there are these strange things, village sculpture, something normal people would never put in a tailoring shop,” he said “It’s not the most commercial thing to do, but, damn, somewhat refreshing. I thought he’s amazing in his tailoring and has a dif-

ferent way of looking at things. That’s a very good combination if we’re going to make something that hasn’t been made before.”

T-Michael was firm. “I don’t do raincoats.” Helle was stubborn, too. “The way he rejected me, I was even more sure he was going to be the guy.” On a third visit, it was, appropriately, pouring. “He said, ‘You just keep coming back. Let’s sit down in the coffee shop across the street and talk this through,’” said Helle.

“I explained to Alex that I don’t do plastics,” recalled T-Michael. “From me wanting to tell him I wouldn’t do this, I ended up in what I normally do, trying to find a solution for something we’re talking about. We started talking we could do this or that. After an hour or so, we realized this is something we should be doing.”

“We understood, despite all our own contrasts, from backgrounds, schools, where we’re from, we had chemistry,” said Helle.

“Life in Bergen was the trigger. Meeting Michael was the thing that executed bringing a simple idea into something of substance.”

The founders’ concept was for the outerwear to be functional, waterproof, and stylish, but it shouldn’t look like regular rainwear. Helle also knew a lot of the all-weather jackets worn for hiking contained bad material. Helle and T-Michael were not well received at fabric fairs.

“We said, ‘We need the most waterproof fabric there is,’” said Helle. ‘“It has to breathe more than anything we’ve tried before and has to be eco-friendly.’ We were kicked out of a lot of fabric booths, because they thought we were rude. We ended up with three suppliers. We tested it. Two didn’t

live up to our high standards. There was one supplier left, from Japan. We didn’t look for Japanese. We looked for the best. We’re big fans that Japan has a respect for all things. It starts with any work. They do it with pride.

They care about what they’re doing. That

See > NORWEGIAN RAIN, page 9

Photo: Darrel Hunter Norwegian Rain Gdansk Women’s coat in Mixed Dark Navy ($937.28). There are hidden chest pockets under the quilted top. The description on the website says: “It’s Shibui at its finest! The seven elements of shibusa are simplicity, implicity, modesty, naturalness, everydayness, imperfection, and silence.” Also available for men.

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< NORWEGIAN RAIN From page 8

kind of excels in making products that are better than the rest of the world.”

At Piazza Tårn or Tårnplass by locals, you’ll find the Bergen flagship store situated on the corner, just up one street from Torgallmenningen at Christian Michelsens Gate. It is filled with odd objects, mid-century Scandi furniture on commission by ModernTribute, T-Michael’s shirts, sharp suits, and leather goods, and of course, Norwegian Rain’s varied garments for Arctic and summer climes, hats, waterproof shoes and boots, rucksacks, and studio bags.

There are 10 unisex varieties of coats, seven for men and four for women ranging from $222.57 to $1,381.25. It is also here where the designs are born. T-Michael’s studio is located in the basement. Everyone is welcome to come and have a look!

In addition to Bergen, the company has flagship stores in Oslo, Paris, and Tokyo. The store in London is moving. They also have stock lists at No Man Walks Alone in Seattle, Carl’s Atelier in Los Angeles, and around the world, including 48 in Japan. The flagship store in Oslo is located at Blom on Karl Johans Gate. Blom was originally a bodega for artists, with a lot of soul. It was established in 1886 as a side business for a wine merchant. The building was torn down in 1895, and the bodega moved around the corner to an old stable. Close to the grand fountain, it was my family’s favorite restaurant and where I got engaged.

The rain project has evolved into a winning design label based on the ancient Norwegian word dugnad (“community project”). There have been collaborations with local creators. They use 100% waterproof eco fabrics from Japan and 70%-100% recycled polyester. Some of the designs are influenced by “the artisanal techniques found in traditional men’s tailoring, Scandinavian functionality and Japanese sensibilities.”

Norwegian Rain was one of seven “Talented Newcomers” in Vogue Italy in 2010. They received the “Distinction for Good Design” from the Norwegian Design Council in 2012.

“I like things that are well-made,” said T-Michael. “When I find a product, whether it’s a camera or boots or jacket or suit or uniform, I like to open them up to find jewels in them. The smaller things in it, the quirks you put in it, the way you cut one thing, the way you turn one thing, changes everything. We live in the lab. We live here and it rains two out of three days. Everything we do has to work in Bergen.

“When we start building a jacket, I will cut it. I’ll make a pattern like any other tailor would do. I will cut it out. We get the shape, form, and movement right.

That’s where the raincoat starts. After that, it’s getting a form to work in the real life, get the functionality back into the piece again. We will stand outside with buckets of water and chuck it on each other to see how the water will fall, which way the water will seep through the fabric to use the information to create a detail that would also be functional. Every detail in our coats must function. If it’s there, there’s a reason for it. We want to transmit the idea that whatever you wear should take you through the day, whether it rains or doesn’t.”

When in Bergen, you are very welcome to visit the store, or check out their website at www.norwegianrain.com.

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Business News & Notes One in five businesses have received economic help in 2020

A boutique winery with Norwegian roots delivers specialty red wines M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway

Dan Odfjell is a man with a preordained mission. Born, raised, and educated in the maritime environs of Bergen, with a degree from the Norwegian Naval Academy there, and business management skills acquired at Harvard, he sought opportunity wherever it arose, at home and afar.

On a voyage in 1982, he discovered the Maipo Valley of Chile, at the north end of the country’s long Central Valley, just south of the capital of Santiago. He fell in love with the scenery and dry climate of the Maipo and decided to put down roots there to realize his lifelong dream of becoming a farmer. He bought a fruit plantation, which in time became the Odfjell Vineyards, which, in 1998, released its first vintage wine.

Today, there are Odfjell Vineyards in the Maipo, Lontué, and Cauquenes Valleys of Chile, in all 284 acres of land between the Coastal Mountain Range to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. They are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carménère, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and old-vine Carignan grape varieties, all handpicked.

Starting in 2012, all the vineyards became organic and biodynamic with annual certifications by Demeter, the oldest (founded 1927) and largest certification organization for organically produced foods, named for the Greek god of agriculture and the harvest. Demeter is now active in more than 50 countries.

Internal transport in the vineyards is handled by a unique gravity flow system designed by Dan’s architect son, Laurence. The apparatus of the winery itself is built into a hillside above the vineyards, with more than 60% of it underground. In the processes of winemaking, pumping is minimal, which diminishes agitation of the wine. This gentle handling helps preserve the subtle grape characteristics from the vineyard to the final bottled wines.

In the lingo of their trade, the Odfjell Vineyards are a “boutique winery.” The word boutique is French for “shop,” and hence, the root word for the equivalent butikk in Norwegian. But in English, it’s a loan word that means a small or fashionable shop. A boutique winery is an artisan enterprise that produces less than a large-scale, commercial wine producer. One of the advantages of being small is that the Odfjell Vineyards specialize by producing only red wine.

Through the three generations it has existed, the surname Odfjell is unique to Dan’s family. It’s a construct devised by Capt. Berent Daniel Olsen (1849-1912), the father of the three brothers who founded the Odfjell shipping company in 1914. Captain Olsen had extracted Odfjell from Oddefjellet (literally “Odde bedrock”), an area and road name in the small port of Loshavn, where his father-in-law grew up in the archipelago off Norway’s southwest coast at Farsund in what now is Agder County in the southern tip of the country.

The staff of the wineries of today reflects the international history of the enter-

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According to new statistics released on Oct. 13 by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries, one in five businesses in Norway have received economic help in 2020. Over 43,000 unique companies have received aid during the coronavirus crisis.

The funds are distributed through a business-directed funding apparatus and the business compensation scheme in the Norwegian Tax Administration.

Additionally, 60,900 businesses have used refund and/or layoff regulations through NAV, the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration. Most of these had never before accepted support from the funding apparatus.

“The numbers show that the private sector has received significant support so far in 2020 and that the government’s measures are covering a major portion of the business sector,” said Minister of Trade and Industry, Iselin Nybø.

(NTB / Translated by Andy Meyer)

Oil Fund sees returns of NOK 412 billion in the third quarter Photo courtesy of Odfjell Vineyards A Fjord Horse roams the Odfjell Vineyard.

prise. Arnaud Herau, from the Bordeaux wine-producing region of France, handles winemaking. Arturo Labbé, a Chilean biodynamic winemaker, supervises viticulture.

Paul Hobbs, an American who owns a winery in Sebastopol, in the Sonoma County of California, is a consultant.

Settling down in the Maipo Valley enabled Dan to practice a hobby permitted by his becoming a farmer, the breeding of Norwegian Fjord Horses. The Fjord Horse, one of the oldest and purest breeds, is believed to have migrated to Norway some 4,000 years ago and to have been selectively bred for more than 2,000 years.

Most Fjord Horses, and all of those at the vineyards, are brown dun (a yellowish tan) in color. They are a small breed, at the withers standing 13.2 to 14.2 hands (52.8 to 56.8 inches), compared to 15.2 hands (60.8 inches) for the average horse.

The Vikings are known to have used Fjord Horses as war mounts that they took on their travels to Iceland, Scotland, and elsewhere. Hence the Fjord Horse is the aspect of Viking culture that triggered the evolution of the Icelandic Horse and the Highland Pony.

And at the vineyards, Fjord Horses, not tractors, provide hauling power, carrying on a proud Viking tradition in the Maipo Valley of Chile to bring consumers around the world delicious high-quality organic and biodynamic Chilean red wine.

Visit the Odfjell Vineyards website at odfjellvineyards.cl/en/home.

Three new F-35 fighter jets helped to lower the trade deficit

Norway exported NOK 8.7 billion less in goods than it imported in September. It was the fifth month in a row that Norway had a trade deficit.

The arrival of three new fighter jets worth NOK 2.3 billion contributed to the increase in imports. In addition, the growth of automobile imports was a factor.

Statistics Norway reported that the value of exports in September 2020 was NOK 60.4 billion, while imports were valued at NOK 68.5 billion.

The value of the krone has also affected the deficit.

(NTB / Translated by Andy Meyer)

8.6157 9.3188 Oslo Børs: Week at a Glance

Exchange Rates (Oct. 19, 2020)

NOK 9.3027 DKK 6.3125 SEK 8.8061 ISK 138.76 CAD 1.3156 EUR 0. 8482

After dropping 3.4% in the first half of 2020, the third quarter was better for the Nowegian Oil Fund. Returns came in at 4.3%, about NOK 412 billion.

“The finance markets were still affected by uncertainty tied to the coronavirus. Nevertheless, the stock markets gave good returns for the quarter. The upturn was especially driven by American tech companies,” said Nicolai Tangen, the head of Norges Bank Investment Management.

In the third quarter, the returns on the fund’s stock investments were at 5.7%.

Investments in unlisted real estate were at 0.9%, while returns on fixed-income investments were at 1.1%.

The exchange rate for the krone strengthened against several of the most important currencies in the third quarter, which contributed to a reduction of NOK 97 billion in the fund’s value. Additionally, NOK 105 billion was withdrawn from the fund during the quarter. As of Sept. 30, the fund had a value of NOK 10.6 trillion.

(NTB / Translated by Andy Meyer)

Winners

Name

Havyard Group Aega Atlantic Petroleum poLight Asetek

NOK Change

9.7 46.53% 2.36 28.96% 4.95 17.86% 72.90 17.58% 89.00 15.43%

Losers Name

NOK Change

Lavo.tv 0.0004 -16.67% Endúr 1.62 -10.99% Arendals Fossekompani 3940.0 -10.05% Wilson 19.60 -9.26% RAK Petroleum 5.38 -8.50%

For detailed information about the Oslo Børs, visit www.dn.no.

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Travel Bergen

Brann Stadion

Where the city of Bergen sets on fire Michael Kleiner

The Norwegian American

“The city is Bergen and the team is Brann The place is a stadium, and everyone sings: Heia Brann, Brann, Brann, Heia Brann!

(Everyone holds up the scarf) La-la-lalalalalalala-la-la-la” Byen er Bergen / The city is Bergen Along Kniksens Plass in Bergen, sits the fiery heart of Bergen, Brann Stadion, home pitch of Brann fotball, or what we know as soccer. Nearly 2 miles from the center of town at the foot of Mount Ulriken, it was originally built in 1919 and is the oldest stadium in Eliteserien. Only a piece of the southern stand from the 1930s remains from the old days.

The final renovation was in 2019, when the Fjordkraft stands were completed. Capacity is 16,750, third largest in Eliteserien, behind Rosenborg’s Lerkendal in Trondheim (21,421), opened in 1947, and Vålerenga’s Intility Arena (17,333) in Oslo, opened in 2017. The national stadium, Ullevål Stadion in Oslo, holds 28,000.

Brann hasn’t been the most successful team—going 44 years between a title and once being nicknamed “The Elevator Team” for bouncing between relegation and promotion. But they have had some of the most passionate fans, often averaging the highest attendance in the league. The stadium lights up Bergen and the seven mountains on Sunday evenings from March to November.

This has been one of the down years.

The Fire is in 10th place as of Oct. 9 and made another managerial change, bringing in former Rosenborg boss Kåre Ingebrigtsen.

This is also the season where few fans are being allowed into the stadium because of coronavirus restrictions.

Bergensers grow up with two things— rain and Brann fotball.

“Personally, I have been a Brann fan since I could walk,” said Alexander Helle, creative director and manager of the Norwegian Rain outerwear store in Bergen. “Sitting on the lap of my father at the stadium every game until I was old enough to have my own seat. We get the Brann players in the store from time to time.”

Morten Telaug is the support coordinator for the Battalion fan club. “The gang that tirelessly and steadfastly works to create the stadium atmosphere Brann and Bergen are known for…The more members the Battalion has, the more they can work to support Brann, organize away trips, create Norway’s best member magazine, create fantastic grandstand events,” says the website. On the website are 48 cheering songs split into categories: Absolute must; Must be known; Latest news from Store Stå; These must be known; These you should be able to and learn while the others are sitting.

At the top of the list is “Nystemten,” the city anthem—and everyone knows it. Even the players sing it before games, Amazingly, the stadium is also home to a Montessori school, kindergarten, conference facilities, and community sports center.

“At the Stadium there’s a lot of space that normally is empty apart from match days,” said Thomas Brakstad, director of media and communications at Brann “Therefore, the school, kindergarten, etc., rents some of the available space.”

The fans’ fervor was evident in 1995,

Photo: Wikimedia Commons Rain didn’t stop Brann fans from coming out in full force in 2007, the year Brann won the gold title, the first one in 44 years.

Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB scanpix Brann Stadion in Bergen is more than a stadium, with its own community sports center and kindergarten.

when right before the start of the season, popular player Trond Egil Soltvedt was released with the only reason being “disloyalty,” and Frank Strandli, Inge Ludvigsen, and Claus Lundekvam were disciplined. Fans protested in the center of the city. Some supported Soltvedt, some the board and manager Hallvar Thoresen. The story was in the national press.

Brann lost the home opener to Molde 6-0, resulting in the whole crowd shouting for the board to resign. Attendance dropped. Halfway through the series, Brann was in last place, Thoresen was replaced by Kjell Tennfjord, who led a Brann surge to the middle of the standings and a place in the Norwegian Cup finals, “sparking immense optimism around the club.” Winning solves everything.

Brann founder Christen K. Gran dreamed of a fotball and sports facility, but his fellow members on the sports field committee for Bergen Municipality weren’t keen to the idea, so he pursued other avenues. He had his eye on Fridalen near the Haukelandsmyren railway. Developers had purchased properties in the area. The club’s NOK 2,500 bid was rejected, and the settlement ended up costing NOK 4,500 per goal. Gran and co-founder Birger Gjestland chipped in NOK 30,000 each. Bergen shipowners and numerous private donors completed the deal.

The official groundbreaking was in 1918. The first game was May 25, 1919, with the Norwegian national team defeating Brann 6-2. According to the Brann 1938 anniversary book, the game was “played in scoop bag splash,” and “the party at the lodge afterwards was just as humid. Anyone who says he came home sober is lying.”

The facility also produced a top-notch track oval attracting athletes from around Norway. Terraces were on each side of the field. The west side, or Clock End, was open.

A donor effort rescued the stadium from debt in 1927. The stadium fell into disrepair during World War II. According to Jan-Erik Larsen’s book, From goal to utmost despair, additions and repairs were made continually as money was available.

In the 1930s, a main stand was erected but didn’t extend the full length of the field.

Each subsequent expansion was done differently, resulting in an odd configuration.

The 1960 glory years brought the crowds.

On Oct. 1, 1961, a Norwegian Cup semifinal against Fredrikstad drew a record 24,800 fans.

In 1962, Brann needed to win its final two games at the stadium to become champions

of what was then known as Tippeligaen. The 4-1 victory over Fredrikstad was witnessed by 24,200 fans, while the 3-0 finale against Eik drew 17,000. In 1963, a draw in the final game against Vålerenga would allow Brann to repeat as champions. Bjørn Oddmar Andersen scored a double, and Leif Amundsen added one goal in a 3-1 win in front of 19,500 Bergensers. Brann averaged a league record 15,486 fans a game, a mark that stood until 2003 when Rosenborg beat it.

Roald “Kniksen” Jensen, Rolf Birger Pedersen, and Roald Paulsen were the stars of those teams. The revenue they generated in those glory years enabled the extension of the first grandstand in 1964 and earned the nickname “Kniksen Grandstand.” A topnotch gym was built under the bleachers.

Lights were added in 1973.

In September 1976, a Brann-Lillestrøm game drew 21,208, and the season finale against Mjøndalen brought 22,358 spectators.

The record for a league game was 23,900 in 1978 against Lillestrøm. Many fans, though, stood around the field, which caused problems. Fans could enter the pitch as well as throw things. The “growing undisciplined behavior among the public” resulted in the construction of 9.8-foot fences behind the goals on both ends and discussions about adding a grandstand on the north side began.

In 1978, the upper tier of the new grandstand was built. The lower part of the bleachers was for Store Stå, the Grand Stand, with standing room for 3,000 of the ardent singing fans. The 2007 season was successful on the pitch—with the first league title in 44 years— and an average of 17,225 fans. This stand was destroyed and replaced with Sparebanken Vest main stands, with 4,354 seats.

Contemporary locker rooms were installed here. Inside were corporate VIP lounges on the fourth floor; Brannbørsen, The Fire Exchange, restaurant on the third; on the first floor, press conference rooms, media workspaces, and interview areas; on the second floor, Brannallmenningen, Brann Commons, the “people’s VIP with a license to serve alcohol.” The Frydenbø bleachers near Inndalsveien, with 3,381 seats, were completed in 1999. Within those were administrative offices, a community sports center, and a kindergarten.

In a unique transaction, the Stor-Bergen Boligbyggelag, Greater Bergen Housing Association, sold its majority share, 51%, in the stadium to Brann for the same amount it pur-

chased them. This gave Brann total control of the facility and revenue.

Some people still refer to the Frydenbø bleachers as Hansa, as the beer company had sponsored the section for many years. Within the bleachers, a 1,000-seat area was established before the 2014 season and hosts the Battalion.

At the east end, a 3,898-seat section, the BOB Grandstand, replaced a standing room area in 2006. It provided offices for club officials, room for The Fire Shop, and in 2016, a medical clinic was added.

Grass from York, England, which was comprised of 99.3% sand and 0.7% soil to enhance growth, was laid in February 2009, along with heating underneath.

These new grandstands featured modern accoutrements, which made the old south end Fjordkraft grandstand vastly outdated and dangerous. From 2017 to 2019, negotiations and construction were undertaken, with the final renovation completed in 2019 in time for the opener against Strømsgodset.

All the renovations closed off the stadium and created an intimate environment. It also includes 300 student apartments.

A statue of Jensen, who died in 1987 at 44, was installed in 1995 in Christie Park outside the stadium, and the square outside Sparebanken Vest stands was named Kniksens Square in 2008.

Wales beat Norway 2-1 in the first international game at the stadium in 1933. It was the first of 17 international games at Brann, with Norway never losing again in Bergen (12-4-1). It’s also been the site of three Norwegian Cup finals in 1922, 1930 and 1947 and the national track and field championships in 1920.

So how does all this fiery excitement translate through American eyes today? Sam Strickland, a transplant from Bergen’s sister city Seattle has made the following observations: “If I were to compare it to the Seattle Seahawks, I would say that I don’t believe that people in Bergen are as crazy for their hometown team as we are in Seattle,” he said. “In Seattle, it seems like everyone is wearing a jersey on game day, and that just doesn’t seem to be the case here.

“That being said, I think it is just a reflection of our respective cultures. Norwegians in general are quieter, and Americans are more expressive. The best way I can describe it is that on game day, in Bergen, you would be forgiven if you thought it was just a normal day if you were to just be in the city center or around town. But if you get close to the stadium, maybe an hour before the game, it is obvious that a game will be played and there is a lot of excitement in the air.”

Especially when the singing begins.

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Travel Bergen

More than a soccer team Sportsklubben Brann is a pillar of Bergen’s identity

Jo Christian Weldingh Oslo

Sportsklubben Brann is a Norwegian soccer team based in Bergen. The club is rarely mentioned as a title contender in Eliteserien, despite winning the Norwegian league three times (1961-62, 1963, 2007) and reaching the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup (now Europa League) in 2007.

The team’s ups and downs, both on and off the field, sometimes dominate the national sports pages due to the club’s cultural significance and enthusiastic fan base.

In Bergen, Brann is more than a soccer team; it is a pillar of Bergen’s identity. When Brann was searching for a new coach last spring, a local journalist wrote: “The coach of Brann is more than a soccer coach. You are coaching an important institution. Brann is more than football. It’s unity, affiliation, and passion.”

Christen K. Gran and Birger Gjestland, who thought the city needed a counterweight to its dominant team at the time, Bergens Fotboldklub, founded the team in 1908.

The origin of the name, which means “fire,” is uncertain. One story has it that the meeting of the founding group was at Johnsens Café, near the old fire station in Bergen. According to Atle Nielsen’s book on the history of the team, the founders settled on the name Ski- og Fodboldklubben Brann after considering some “short, powerful and one-syllable” names, among them Brann (“fire”) and Fart (“speed”).

The club reached the top in record

speed. Their first game was Jan. 1, 1909, a 1-1 draw with Bergens Fotboldklub. They joined a league in 1911 and won the “circuit championship” in 1912. It wasn’t until 1923 that Brann took home their first Norwegian cup trophy, beating Lyn 2-1 in the final after winning 22 of 26 games. They repeated the feat in 1925 with a 3-0 victory over Sarpsborg. Both Norwegian championships came under the captainship of well-known Norwegian player, Finn Berstad, who also led the Norwegian national team to four consecutive Nordic championships from 1929-1932.

In later years, Berstad’s son, Finn Berstad Jr. debuted with the team in 1958, and today Finn Berstad Kiosk can be found on Bergen’s Valkendorfsgate However, the club’s glory days didn’t come until the 1960s with two league titles in 1962 and 1963. Roald “Kniksen” Jensen scored 22 goals, Rolf Birger Pedersen 19, and Roald Paulsen 16 for the 1962 squad (25-6-9), who beat Rosenborg 6-1 and 4-1.

For the final 20-plus minutes, Kniksen and another player played in their socks. Rosenborg’s Nils Arne Eggen never forgot that and when he coached Rosenborg in the 1990s, they beat Brann 9-0 and 10-0.

Brann was in third place at the halfway point in 1963 but took over the lead on Sept.

7 with a 3-1 win over Lyn at Oslo’s Ullevål Stadium. In front of 19,500 fans at the Brann Stadion, two goals by Bjørn Oddmar Andersen and one by Leif Amundsen gave Brann a 3-1 victory over Vålerenga in the final match of the season. Brann finished 26-7-7. Jensen scored 16 goals, Pedersen 13.

The 1980s was full of literal ups and downs for the Bergen team. They got relegated from the top division in 1979, promoted in 1980, and it continued like that, being relegated and promoted every other year,

Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB scanpix Thousands upon thousands of Bergensers came out to sing and celebrate when Brann won 4-1 over Lyn in the 2004 Cup Finals.

until 1986. The team received the nickname “Heislaget,” which translates to “the elevator team.” After 1986, however, the team stayed in the top division until 2014.

The 1990s were characterized by trouble in the boardroom, plagued by varying results and financial recklessness. Brann appointed five different head coaches that decade and at one point the entire board was replaced.

Despite the trouble off the pitch, the team placed fourth (1996), third (1999) and second (1997) in the league.

In 2007, Brann won their first Eliteserien title since 1963 under coach Mons Ivar Mjelde. Mjelde won the title after having

taken Brann to second and third place in the league and a cup triumph in the four preceding seasons. Less than a year later, Mjelde lost his job due to lack of results. Still, he kept the job longer than any other coach after World War II, lasting six years.

The years 2007 to late 2015 were a downward spiral for Brann. The club was on a desperate search for someone to lead the club to success, but they never seemed to find the right fit.

The club was relegated in 2014 while being coached by Swede Rikard Norling, a proven coach that was presented as a savior only a year before. Norling was fired after 10 games the following season when the team seemed to be in danger of being relegated to level three in Norwegian soccer. His replacement, Lars Arne Nilsen, was able to turn things around and secure a promotion.

Nilsen followed up with a second place finish in both 2016 and 2018 but was sacked earlier this year due to a poor start to the season. His replacement, Kåre Ingebrigtsen, has been the head coach at clubs like Ranheim, Bodø/Glimt, Rosenborg, Oostende in Belgium, and APOEL Nikosia in Cyprus, and has an outspoken goal of bringing trophies back to Bergen.

Brann has one of the most passionate fan bases in Norwegian soccer and is among the clubs with the highest average attendance. Fyllingen, from Fyllingsdalen in Bergen, played in the top division in 1990, 1991, and 1993, which increased the local rivalry.

Now, Brann’s biggest rivals are Trondheim’s Rosenborg, Oslo’s Vålerenga, and Lillestrøm (currently not in Eliteserien).

Brann is also the only Norwegian soccer team that has an official American fan club, Brann US. They watch Brann’s games in Legends Barn in Manhattan, N.Y.

Norwegian sports in brief Soccer

Eliteserien Oct. 18: Kristiansund 0, Rosenborg 0; Haugesund 2, Sarpsborg 0; Stabæk 4, Aalesund 0; Strømsgodset 1, Start 1 Oct. 17: Molde 4, Bodø/Glimt 2; Mjøndalen 2, Brann 0 Toppserien Oct.18: Vålerenga 1, Rosenborg 1 (Rosenborg still undefeated, but tied for second); Kolbotn 2, Klepp 2; Lyn 4, Arna-Bjørnar 0 Oct. 17: Sandviken 2, Røa 2 Oct. 16: Avaldsnes 3, Lillestrøm 1 Men’s Soccer: European Championships Nations League B Oct. 14: Norway (3-0-1-9 Group 1) 1, Northern Ireland (0-1-3-1) 0 Oct. 11: Norway 4, Romania (1-1-2-4) 0 Oct. 8: Serbia (Group 3) 2, Norway 1

Handball

REMA-1000 Men’s Handball Oct. 18: Elverum 25, Nærbø 23; Arendal 26, Fjellhammer 26; Drammen 24, Runar 23; Bækkelaget 24, Halden 23; Kolstad 25, Fyllingen 23

Oct. 14: Arendal 34, Runar 30; Drammen 25, Fjellhammer 23; Viking-Stavanger 30, Fyllingen 30; Nærbø 28, Halden 26; Haslam 24, Kolstad 23 Oct. 11: Halden 35, Sandefjord 22; Haslam 31, Elverum 23; Kolstad 29, Bækkelaget 25; Drammen 35, Viking-Stavanger 23 Oct. 10: Fyllingen 35, Fjellhammer 25; Arendal 32, Nærbø 23

Oct. 11: Tertnes 26, H.C. Dunarea Braila (Romania) 25 Oct. 10: Molde 28, Hypo Niederösterreich (Austria) 19; HC Dunărea Brăila (Romania) 28, Tertnes 26

not improved … [with] travel restrictions among European countries.” The competition had already been delayed from October to November. Stavanger would have been the Norwegian representative.

Ice Hockey

Rifle

Women’s Champions League Oct. 18: Esbjerg (Denmark) 27, Kristiansand 27 Oct. 10: Kristiansand 30, CSM Bucuresti (Romania) 25

Fjordkraftligaen Oct. 18: Frisk Asker 5, Grüner 1; Sparta Sarpsborg 3, Manglerud 1 Oct. 17: Lillehammer 4, Narvik 3; Stjernen 4, Storhamar 3; Vålerenga 4, Stavanger 2 Oct. 15: Frisk Asker 4, Manglerud 2; Lillehammer 4, Stavanger 2; Storhamar 2, Narvik 1; Grüner 5, Stjernen 2 Oct. 13: Vålerenga 3, Sparta Sarpsborg 2 Oct. 11: Sparta Sarpsborg 3, Narvik 1; Frisk Asker 4, Lillehammer 2 Oct. 10: Narvik 4, Sparta Sarpsborg 1; Stavanger 4, Stjernen 1; Manglerud 7, Storhamar 4; Vålerenga 4, Grüner 1 Oct. 8: Stjernen 3, Sparta; Vålerenga 4, Frisk Asker 1; Manglerud 6, Grüner 5 (OT) Oct. 6: Storhamar 5, Lillehammer 0

Women’s Europa League Qualification Oct. 17: Molde 30, Hypo Niederösterreich (Austria) 21

Oct. 13: The ice hockey Champions League has been forced to cancel “because the coronavirus infection situation in Europe has

REMA-1000 Women’s Handball Oct. 18: Rælingen 23, Flint-Tønsberg 20; Sola 32, Oppsal 24 Oct. 10: Flint-Tønsberg 27, Aker 23 Men’s Champions League Oct. 15: Paris St. Germain (1-0-2-2) 35 Elverum (1-0-2-2) 29

Oct. 12: Jeanette Hegg Duestad set two world records in winning the Norwegian Championships, Oct. 9-11, in the 50m full match rifle.

Cycling

Oct. 18: Alexander Kristoff finished third in the race at Flanders.

Alpine Skiing

Oct. 18: At Sölden, Austria, Lucas Braathen finished in gold position in the Alpine World Cup in giant slalom, becoming only the second Norwegian to win at Sölden, Aksel Lund Svindal being the other in 2007.

Brought to you in part through our partnership with NTB.

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Bergen and beyond

Sister city exchange as a voyage of discovery Lori Ann Reinhall

The Norwegian American

In a hectic digital age with information at our fingertips, video travelogues, instant international messaging and the like, a transatlantic flight doesn’t always seem to have the same appeal it had even 20 years ago, with long lines at airports, crowded planes, and jet lag. A Google search can instantly serve up thousands of pictures and links; there are almost too many new impressions to digest without leaving your own home.

Yet we all know that surfing the internet or connecting in a Skype chat will never replace the smell of fresh sea air during a morning stroll, the scents of an outdoor market, the joy of holding a newly discovered treasure in your hand, talking face-to-face with a newfound friend, waving goodbye or receiving a warm embrace. And now, with the coronavirus looming over us, we have become more acutely aware of what we are missing.

A different kind of travel experience Sister Cities International, founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, has long supported travel exchanges with its core mission of citizen diplomacy, and since its inception in 1967, the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association (SBSCA) has been active in Sister Cities’ people-to-people programs.

Over the years, the association has sent numerous delegations of entrepreneurs, politicians, educators, students and ordinary people. Some had their roots in Norway, the social welfare state model intrigued others, some traveled in search of the dramatic scenery of the Norwegian landscape, and some may have gone along out of sheer curiosity.

What is for sure is that all returned home enriched by their time abroad. “My parents were Norwegian, and I had heard about Norway all my life,” reports former delegate and current SBSCA Vice President Bernice Furdal Chouery, “but a new world opened up to me with Sister Cities, new places and new faces. I got to know an aspect of life in Bergen that I hadn’t known before.”

Through new eyes When I came on as president of the association four years ago, I realized that a trip to Bergen was high on the list, and in 2016, I made my first official visit to rediscover Norway’s second largest city (one of many trips since).

Photo: Lachlan Gowen / Unsplash Bergen, with its location on the sea, has much in common with its sister city in Seattle: a beautiful natural environment, a rich maritime tradition, and a strong culture of outdoor recreation. Both cities are rated as some of the most desirable places in the world to live and are magnets for thousands of tourists each year.

While our own Pacific Northwest is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, it is not always easy to be impressed by other landscapes, but Bergen was an immediate “WOW.” I had remembered that it was beautiful from earlier visits, but after just a few hours, I was completely enchanted.

Just as Seattle is situated among seven hills, Bergen is surrounded by seven mountains. The city is a photographer’s dream, and for the first few days, I took in as many of the sights as possible: the World Heritage Site Bryggen, the old German Wharf; the historic fish market; Fløibanen, the funicular that takes you up to a panoramic view of the city and the surrounding mountains and fjords; the museums, the concert halls; and the many statues celebrating the history of Bergen and Norway.

And, of course, as a music aficionado, I made my pilgrimage to Troldhaugen, the

Photo: Emil Weatherhead Breistein

Traveling with Sister Cities International opens up doors almost unimaginable. Here a delegation from Seattle presented a gift at Bergen City Hall to celebrate the 50th jubillee of the two sister cities in 2017.

home of composer Edvard Grieg, where I met with museum administrators and soaked up the beauty of natural surroundings along the fjord.

Also a must was a stop at Nordnes Park to see the totem pole gifted to the people of Bergen by the City of Seattle in 1970 to celebrate their sister city’s 900th birthday. Everywhere I went, officially and unofficially, the welcome was warm and friendly. In one week’s time, I had found a new home in our sister city.

Back home Returning home to Seattle with hundreds of photographs, a travel journal, an armful of books, and more indelible memories than I would ever have time to share, I knew it was inevitable that I would have to organize another trip to Norway for our association and friends.

As good fortune would have it, I learned that the Norwegian cruise and cargo line Hurtigruten would soon be opening its North American headquarters in Seattle. I was ready to learn more—and ready to travel again.

Hurtigruten, the Coastal Express, has been in operation for over 100 years and operates voyages on Norway’s western and northern coast between Bergen, the gateway to the fjords, and Kirkenes in the northernmost part of the country. It has been called “The Most Beautiful Voyage in the World,” and there was no better time to put together the trip than in 2017 for the 50-year jubilee of the Seattle-Bergen sister city friendship.

Trip of a lifetime The result was a close collaboration with Deane Motis, a Seattle-based travel

See > BERGEN, page 13

Photo: Robin Strand / Norphoto / visitBergen.com

A popular stop for all Bergen tourists is Fisketorget, where you can enjoy both a tasty meal and a magnificent view or simply admire the variety of fish and seafood at the famous market there.

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Travel Bergen

< BERGEN From page B4

consultant. Motis knows the itineraries he promotes firsthand, and he works with his clients to put together customized trips for the once-in-a-lifetime travel experience they are looking for.

For the SBSCA, this meant extending the time in Bergen to both see the sights and to visit with friends who share in our sister city work. Booked into the itinerary would be a reception at City Hall, along with the places I had gotten to know on my earlier trips.

Early September worked as the ideal departure time, with summer vacations over and mild weather conditions (with a little rain in Bergen, where the climate is similar to ours in Seattle).

Bergen offers a large variety of accommodations, and the overall standard is very high, making it both easy and difficult to choose your hotel. The Scandic Ørnen Hotel with its sleek Scandinavian modern design was selected for both convenience and comfort, along with the fabulous breakfast buffet served each morning.

Norway in a Nutshell Our four days in Bergen seemed to fly by with so much to see and do. But before taking in Norway by sea, a trip inland has much to offer, and fortunately, the Norwegian National Railways make this very convenient with the ever-popular Norway in a Nutshell tour.

Departing from the Central Station in Bergen, the journey takes you to Voss, where you board a bus to Gudvangen. Here you can visit the Viking Village and learn about medieval life in Norway before boarding a ferry for Flåm, a picturesque destination popular with tourists since the 19th century.

Along the way, you experience some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery, culminating with a journey on the historic Flåm Railway up into the mountains, billed as “one of the world’s most beautiful train journeys.”

And finally, once in Myrdal, another train takes you back to Bergen just in time for dinner—and all of this happens in just one day.

All aboard!

On board Hurtigruten’s MS Polarlys, our somewhat hectic travel itinerary took a relaxing turn, as the ship embarked for its first port of call, Ålesund, sister city to Seattle’s neighbor Tacoma. And while there is a lot to see in Norway’s Art Nouveau city by the sea, even a few hours there will give a glimpse into its unique beauty.

North of Ålesund is the royal city of Trondheim, the capital for Norway during the Viking Age. A focal point is Nidaros Cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Business

Now available on Amazon!

(Search: “Leif Eie Modern Viking”)

Leif Eie, founder of the SeattleBergen Sister City Association, came to this country with nothing— but with hard work, determination, and talent, he became a force to be reckoned with.

Photo: Terje Rakke / Nordic Life AS / Fjord Norway A highlight of the 2017 Sister Cities tour was a journey on the Flåm Railway, billed as “one of the world’s most beautiful train journeys.” The trip is part of the ever-popular Norway in a Nutshell tour, which departs from Bergen Central Station. Passenger travel by train, bus, and ferry offers some of Norway’s most breathtaking scenery—all in one day.

where many of Norway’s early Christian kings for Norway lie in their burial vaults.

Located on the Nid River, Trondheim was the center of Norwegian spiritual life throughout the Middle Ages and is a city rich in history and tradition, remaining an important cultural hub today.

Going north from Trondheim, more dramatic landscapes unfold, as the ship route crosses the Arctic Circle, reaching the town of Bodø and the Lofoten Islands.

Known for its distinctive scenery, with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands, the Lofoten archipelago is a uniquely Norwegian natural wonder. For over 1,000 years, it has been the center of the great cod fisheries, with Viking settlements dating all the way back to the Bronze Age. The six-day voyage made stops in

Tromsø, Hammerfest, and Honnigsvåg, and the North Cape, with a final stop in Kirkenes, concluding with a flight to Oslo. As you go farther north, the coastline gets more and more dramatic—and it is never boring.

Motis has noted that, although he taken the trip many times, “There always seems to be something new to see.” That is easy to believe once you’ve taken the trip yourself.

A voyage of discovery It’s important to know that Hurtigruten vessels, while equipped with all modern amenities, are not luxury cruise ships with full programs of entertainment on board. There is no fancy dress code or gala dinners and cocktail parties, but you can enjoy gourmet Norwegian cuisine, a bar, a library, a fitness room, Jacuzzi, and sauna.

Yet in the end, for our group, the quiet

moments at sea and the time we took to get to know one another and share in our discovery were the most memorable.

Marcel Proust once said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes”—and that is why we travel. The Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association’s 2017 trip to Norway not only took us to extraordinarily beautiful landscapes but opened our eyes to a new world of experience.

Lori Ann Reinhall, editor-in-chief of The Norwegian American, is a multilingual journalist and cultural ambassador based in Seattle. She is the president of the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association, and she serves on the boards of several Nordic organizations.

Travels in Western Norway

Leif Eie truly came to this country with nothing—but with hard work, determination, and talent, he became a force to be reckoned with in Seattle, building a vast professional network and gaining many friends along the way. He has been celebrated time after time for his contributions, achievements and leadership, and for his successes in his field.

Leif has dedicated many years to Scandinavian-American relations and aviation as a community leader and transportation executive with Scandinavian Airlines System.

He devoted much of his energy to his adopted hometown of Seattle; organizing charitable events, serving on trade commissions, creating sister city programs, and much more, and he was honored by dozens of entities, including the city of Seattle; the state of Washington; the University of Washington; and Pacific Lutheran University.

Follow Leif from his childhood in Norway during WWII to a successful career in the airline business in New York and Seattle to retirement in Mexico, with many lessons, stories, and antics along the way.

He is the founder of the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce, and the Seattle-Bergen Sister City program, for which he received the Readers Digest award for Best International Sister City in a worldwide competition. He was chosen as the Man of the Decade by the NorwegianAmerican Chamber of Commerce; the Man of the Year by the American Biographical Institute; and the International Norwegian of the Year, an award presented by the King of Norway in Oslo. He was also knighted by the King of Norway and the King of Sweden.

U SD $16. 99

Virtually visit Bergen with Woods Productions, LLC Each episode available on Amazon for only $1.99 Just search for “amazon prime western norway” Episode 1: Bergen Episode 2: Geiranger Episode 3: Ålesund Narration scripted by Lori Ann Reinhall Editor-in-chief, The Norwegian American

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< KONGEN

I greet you, you proud city among the mountains. You, the city of Olav Kyrre, rich in memories!

To you, city with the scent of Norway’s mythical greatness, I dedicate my simple song of tribute.

»

Fra side 2

- Henrik Jansen

Skavlan

•

by Fredrik Skavlan, with translations by Andy Meyer

— Jeg har jo visst at dette er et inngrep som blir gjort hundrevis av ganger i året.

De som er i teamet som skal utføre dette, er kjempeflinke. Men allikevel blir du litt urolig, så jeg var glad da legen ringte og sa at alt gikk fint, og at han var i god bedring.

Det er jo en lettelse selvfølgelig, men det var relativt liten risiko ved det inngrepet.

Det var fredag 9. oktober formiddag at kong Harald fikk satt inn en ny biologisk hjerteklaff fordi hans gamle kunstige hjerteklaff trengte utskifting.

Vil ikke abdisere Onsdag 14. oktober, kom boken «Kongen forteller», hvor en åpenhjertig kong Harald blant annet snakker om forholdet til sønnen, som en dag skal ta over tronen. Kongen sier at han gir kronprinsen full tillit når han selv er satt ut av spill.

— Det bør være klare linjer. I de periodene hvor jeg har vært syk og kronprins­ en har vært regent, har jeg meldt meg helt ut og holdt meg unna. Ellers blir det for vanskelig for den stakkars regenten, sier han i boken, og beskriver forholdet til sønnen som tettere og tettere.

— Det kommer til å bli bra med ham når den tid kommer. Det gir en god følelse å vite det.

Kongen er likevel fast på at abdika­ sjon ikke kommer på tale.

— Når man har avlagt ed til Storting­ et, så varer den livet ut. Så enkelt er det for meg. Vi holder på til ‘the bitter end’.

Sorry. The tax-free shop doesn't open until we're in international waters.

Han Ola og han Per

by Peter J. Rosendahl, with new translations by John Erik Stacy

Take your choice Well Lars, today you can either wash clothes or come with us and dig.

I prefer to wash the clothes

Ow! Ow! Ow! Help! Help!

He is completely all in, boy

Let's lay him there in the shade.

We need to get something strong in him

There is nothing left in the big jug Per - Take the one that’s on the table.

2020-21 SCHOLARSHIP & GRANT OPPORTUNITIES Are you interested in studying Norwegian or learning more about Norway? Do you have a child or grandchild looking for support to attend college? Are you a scholar of Nordic languages or area studies looking for support?

Check out the 2020-21 scholarship and grant opportunities listed on our “Community-supported Education” page at www.norwegianamerican.com/community-supported-education Scholarships abound for students for students and scholars interested in studying Scandinavian language and culture, both in the United States or abroad in Scandinavia.

— Kongen er en god mentor Kronprinsen sier at han har lest deler av boken, men ikke den delen hvor kongen snakker om når han skal ta over.

— Vi jobber jo fra dag til dag, fra uke til uke. Samtidig har vi jo perspektivet som går over generasjoner, så det er jo noe jeg har vokst opp med siden jeg var liten.

Han har følgende kommentar til at kongen føler seg heldig som har ham til å ta over en dag.

— Jeg er heldig jeg også. Som har en åpen far, som er en god mentor å ha med seg på veien. Jeg synes også at vi har et fint samarbeid.

< RUSSLAND Fra side 2

Trøblete forhold; vil vise styrke Norges forhold til Russland har vært trøblete i lang tid. Et bunnpunkt ble nådd da Russland i 2014 annekterte den ukrainske Krim-halvøya.

Ifølge norske myndigheter er det grunn til å tro at også andre land er utsatt for lignende angrep. Et arbeid har pågått den siste tida for å sammenstille og analysere informasjon om angrepet.Ut fra de tekniske sporene angrepet har etterlatt seg, ser det ifølge myndighetene ut til å følge et mønster som er kjent også fra andre steder.

Solberg understreker at det er viktig for Norge ikke å vise svakhet overfor russerne.

— Det som er viktig for oss, er at russerne da vet at vi vet dette, og at de slutter med den typen operasjoner. Vi skal ikke som land føyse vekk denne typen angrep. Det vil vise svakhet. Det er blant de tingene jeg tror ikke gagner oss i vårt forhold til Russland over tid, sier Solberg.

— At vi er tydelige og gjør dette, viser at vi ikke lar oss plukke på. Det er et godt utgangspunkt for et samarbeid også, at man ikke bare tror at de andre bare føyer seg.

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“Nystemten” A song to celebrate a city Lori Ann Reinhall

Det Hanseatiske Museum og Schøtstuene (Hanseatic Museum and Schøtstuene)

The Norwegian American

“Sang til Bergen” (Song to Bergen), with the subtitle “Udsigter fra Ulriken” (Views from Ulrik Mountain), is the town song of Bergen. It is also known as “Bergenssangen” (The Bergen Song}, “Bergensiana,” “Jeg tok min nystemte” (I Took my Newly Tuned), and more commonly among the residents of Bergen as “Nystemten”(Newly Tuned).

Today, the song is sung at major festivities, both public and private, and it is customary to stand up together.

The lyrics were written in 1790 by the priest, politician, and poet Johan Nordahl Brun, then vicar at Bergen Cathedral. The melody, however, has French origins, taken from an old minuet.

In 1913, Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen wrote his orchestral variations on the melody “Bergensiana, Rococo Variations on an Old Melody from Bergen,” frequently performed by symphony orchestra, marching bands, and ensembles.

At the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest held in Bergen’s Grieg Hall, a young Sissel Kyrkjebø stole the show when she sang “Nystemten” during the intermission. She was only 16 years old, and the performance marked her big breakthrough, as she rose to fame in Norway and abroad.

Sang til Bergen — Song to Bergen Jeg tog min nystemte Cithar i Hænde; Sorgen forgik mig pa Ulrikens Top. Tænkte paa Bauner, om de skulde Brænde, og byde Mandskab mot Fienden op; følede Freden, blev glad i min Aand, og greb til min Cithar med legende Haand.

Photo: Inge Gjellesvik / NTB scanpix At the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest, singer Sissel Kyrkjebø stole the show when she sang the Bergen Song during intermission.

To hear Sissel’s famous Eurovision rendition of “Nystemten,” visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v= V56XCxor9jc.

Translation (by Lori Ann Reinhall) I took my newly tuned zither to Mount Ulrik Sorrows were gone when I reached the top Wondered if beacons would soon be burning And called up men to protect our land and lot I felt a peace, my spirit full of joy, and Took up my zither with a playful hand.

The Join us on... Road to Valhalla For more information please visit www.norwegianamerican.com/contribute-2

Do you have a Norwegian news tip?

Write to us in Norwegian or English at andy@na-weekly.com with the subject line “News tip.”

15

Photo: Christie Ericson The Hanseatic Museum will take you back many centuries in the history of Bergen.

Hansaforbundet (The Hanseatic League) var en sammenslutning (was an association) av kjøpmenn (of merchants) som hadde sitt opphav (that had its origin) i Nordtyskland (in northern Germany) i middelalderen (in the Middle Ages). På 1300-tallet (In the 1300s) opprettet Hanseatene (the Hanseatic League established) et kontor i (an office in) Bergen. Tørrfisk (Stockfish/dried cod) fra Nord-Norge (from northern Norway) var den viktigste eksportvaren (was the most important export) og Hanseatene (and the Hanseatic League) dominerte tørrfiskhandelen (dominated the stockfish trade) i nesten 400 år (for almost 400 years).

De tyske kjøpmennene (The German merchants) bodde og arbeidet (lived and worked) i de lange husrekkene (the long rows of houses) på Bryggen i (on the wharf in) Bergen. Hvert hus hadde (Each house had) handelsstuer (trading rooms) eid av forskjellige kjøpmenn (owned by different merchants). En av de største handelsstuene var i (One of the largest trading rooms was in) Finnegården som ble bygd etter (which was built after) den store bybrannen i (the great city fire in) 1702.

I 1872 grunnla (founded) kjøpmann (merchant) J. W. Olsen, eieren av (the owner of) Finnegården, Det Hanseatiske Museum. Olsen hadde stor interesse for (had great interest in) Bergens hansahistorie (Bergen’s Hanseatic history) og samlet mange historiske gjenstander (and collected many historical objects).

I dag gir museet (Today the museum provides) et bilde av (a picture of) de tyske kjøpmennenes (the German merchants’) liv og virksomhet i (lives and activities in) Bergen. I Finnegården kan du se (you can see) et lager (a storeroom), kjøpmannens kontor (the merchant’s office) og soverom (and sleeping rooms). En Gesell (A journeyman) og flere lærlinger (and several apprentices) bodde også hos kjøpmannen (also lived with the merchant).

Livet for lærlingene (Life for the apprentices) var hardt (was hard). Brann var en stor fare i (Fire was a great danger in) Bergen og bruk av åpen ild (and use of open flame) var strengt forbudt (was strictly forbidden) i handelshus (in the trading house). Det var ofte kaldt og mørkt (It was often cold and dark) i huset (in the house). Nye lærlinger (New apprentices) måtte også gjennom (also had to go through) brutale innvielsesritualer (brutal initiation rites).

Det Hanseatiske Museum omfatter også (also includes) flere schøtstuer (several assembly rooms) og et ildhus/kjøkken (and a cookhouse/kitchen). Schøtstuene var fellesrom (were common rooms) hvor alle spiste og drakk (where everyone ate and drank). De ble også brukt til (They were also used for) undervisning (teaching), fester (parties) og rettsmøter (court sessions).

The main museum at Finnegården will be closed for reconstruction through 2024. The Schøtstuene are still open and some of the exhibits can be seen there: hanseatiskemuseum.museumvest.no.

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Håkonshallen

An iconic Bergen landmark boasts a rich history M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway

Håkonshallen is a Gothic style medieval stone hall built as a royal residence and feast hall under the reign of King Håkon IV Håkonson (1204-1263) of Norway from 1217 to 1263. The life and rule of Håkon IV Håkonson are described in the Icelandic saga Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar. Håkonshallen is mentioned as the place where the monarch held court as part of the celebrations when his son Magnus Håkonsson Lagabøte (Magnus the Lawmender, 1238-1280) married Danish Princess Ingeborg in 1261.

There are no records of the building of the hall, but it is known to have been built as part of the Bergenhus Fortress, which dates from the 1240s. It is similar in many ways to 13th-century English buildings, suggesting that an English architect may have designed it, perhaps one attached to the court of King Henry III of England, with whom King Håkon IV Håkonson was on friendly terms. That friendship was attested in 1236 by a seal that King Henry III gave to King Håkon IV. Upon the death of King Eirik Magnusson in 1299, Bergen lost its royal castle status, but the other functions of Håkonshallen continued.

The first published description of Håkonshallen was a copperplate engraving made in 1581 by Hieronymus Scholeus, an enigmatic prospectus artist of unknown nationality. It appeared in the first of six volumes of Civitates orbis terrarum (Cities of the world), an opulent atlas published between 1572 and 1617 in Cologne, Germany.

Thereafter, Håkonshallen deteriorated to being just a large building conveniently close to a quay for cargo transport by ship. Starting in 1683, it was used as a granary.

Photo: Bergen Reiselivslag / Robin Strand / visitBergen.com Håkonshallen and Rosenkrantztårnet stand majestically with their luminous reflections in the fjord.

In 1768, prolific German-Norwegian architect Johan Joachim Reichborn (1715-1783) drew a detailed prospectus of the Bergenhus Fortress. In 1839, Norwegian painter Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1857) rediscovered the degraded Håkonshallen, and in 1841, initiated an incentive that led to the Norwegian government financing restoration that began in 1873 and finished in 1880-1895. In 19191931, Norwegian art historian Einar Lexow (1887-1948) served as a curator on the staff of Håkonshallen and left a legacy of compelling black-and-white photos, many of the interiors of its halls and rooms.

A catastrophic event in 1944 almost obliterated Håkonshallen. In Norway during World War II, the German occupation forces

used the confiscated Dutch steam trawler, the Voorbode (translated as Harbinger) for military transport. On April 20, the Voorbode was sailing from Oslo to Kirkenes when it suffered mechanical problems that needed repairs in Bergen. The cargo of 150 tons of explosives normally would have banned it from docking at the city. But this was a wartime emergency, so the Voorbode was al-

lowed to sail in and dock on April 20 at the quay below Håkonshallen.

At 8:39 a.m., the Voorbode exploded.

The force of the explosion threw several ships on land, severely damaged Håkonshallen and other large buildings, flattened entire neighborhoods, killed 200 people, and wounded 5,000, mostly civilians. The Voorbode’s anchor was later found 1.86 miles away, up on a mountainside. The explosion occurred on Adolf Hitler’s 55th birthday, so it was initially suspected of being an act of sabotage. But analyses proved that it was because of the spontaneous combustion of its explosive cargo.

Along with Rosenkrantz Tower, a neighboring stone building in the Bergenhus Fortress named for Erik Rosenkrantz (1519-1575), the governor of the fortress from 1560 to 1568, Håkonshallen has been modified through the years. Today it has a base of 121.36 feet by 53.79 feet and has three floors. Its walls are made of local quarry stone, while its portal and window casings are made of soapstone. The builder is unknown, but at one place there is a stonemason’s mark that is also found in the stone of the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. This suggests that the same master builder may have been involved at both sites.

Today, Håkonshallen is managed by Bymuseet i Bergen (Bergen City Museum), a foundation that operates seven museums in Bergen. Visit their website at www.bymuseet. no/en.

Photo: Helge Haug / Forsvarsbygg (“Norwegian Defense Estates Agency”) A rendering of the layout of the complex of buildings surrounding Håkonshallen.

The Scandinavian Hour Celebrating 60 years on the air!

KKNW – 1150 AM Saturdays 9 – 10 a.m. PST Streaming live on the internet at: www.1150kknw.com

Photo: Petr Šmerkl / Wikipedia Håkonshallen as it appears today. It is a popular tourist attraction as well as a location for conference meetings and concerts.

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Brought to you by Lori Ann Reinhall

Building Bryggen Welcome to Gingerbread Town!

As the holiday season approaches, there is much talk about gingerbread. In many cities around the country, plans are being drawn up for Christmas gingerbread towns, and baking is already underway.

But did you know that the biggest gingerbread town in the world is in Bergen, Norway? It’s called Pepperkakebyen, “The Gingerbread City,” and each year, the people of Bergen recreate many buildings from their beautiful city to the delight of children, parents, and visitors from all over Norway and around the world.

Somehow, it is not surprising that the world’s biggest gingerbread city would be found in Bergen, a city that looks like it came out of a fairy tale. One of the most picturesque places is Bryggen, the Old German Wharf. Its charming colorful houses inspired the creators of Disney’s Frozen—and with this project, you will be inspired, too!

The good news for boys and girls is that building a gingerbread house does not necessarily need to be so complicated—in fact, in one afternoon, it’s possible to create your own version of Bryggen right at home. It’s so much fun and becomes the perfect holiday decoration to bring delight to your family and friends.

Believe or not, the secret to building Bryggen is something that you find right here in America: good old-fashioned graham crackers!

List of ingredients

1. 1 pkg. graham crackers 2. white decorating cookie icing (refrigerate so it will better hold things together) 3. colored candy-coated chocolates 4. mini candy canes 5. mini marshmallows 6. chocolate bars 7. gumdrops 8. sprinkles 9. powdered sugar 10. other candies of your choice

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Equipment

1. cutting board 2. serrated knife (please ask an adult to supervise)

Simple steps to build your houses

1. Place a graham cracker on the cutting board. Line up your knife where you want to cut and nice and smoothly just saw the cracker. Cut from the middle centerline to the top centerline. Do this for two crackers. Then break two others in the middle and you will be left with two full pieces with points and four half pieces. One piece will be needed for the base.

2. To assemble the house’s structure, start by frosting the edge of a piece and begin to put things together, piece by piece.

Give a bit of time for the icing to harden.

3. To add the roof, you simply frost the edges of the tops of the walls and roofline, and add two crackers for each side of the roof. Again, let harden.

4. Repeat the steps to build five houses.

Photo: Lori Ann Reinhall Each year, Pepperkakebyen in Bergen is a beloved holiday season destination for the city’s families and tourists alike.

Decorate your houses

Here you will need your icing to attach everything. Here are some ideas: • Have fun adding windows and doors with squares and rectangles of your chocolate bars.

• Decorate the roof with colorful red and green candy-coated chocolates or mini marshmallows • Add welcoming candy cane posts.

• Simply use icing to create interesting designs on the roofs.

• Sprinkle the roofs with snowy powdered sugar.

And remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect. If something breaks, with these simple ingredients, you can easily build a replacement house or repair something along the way.

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Photo: Lisa Roberts / Flickr

Let your imagination run free as you decorate your Christmas village.

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CONSTRUCTION Photos: Tiffany Harvey / Flickr

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Welcome to Gingerbread Town!

You can arrange your five houses on a graham cracker base or on a decorative tray. Sprinkle with snowy white powder sugar. Welcome to Bryggen and a happy holiday season!

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Three cheers for plukkfisk

Dish up some comfort with Bergen’s traditional dish of cod and potatoes

Christy Olsen Field Taste of Norway Editor

Plukkfisk is a cozy dinner of creamy mashed potatoes and generous bits of cod, hailing from Bergen and Hordaland County.

It’s now popular all over Norway.

Plukkfisk is in a category of Norwegian cuisine that I love the most: husmanskost, or home-cooked food that reflects Norwegian ingredients, flavors, and traditions.

In my research, virtually all the recipes I found called for leftover cod and leftover potatoes. However, I rarely cook fish to have enough for leftovers, so I needed to find an approach to make the dish from scratch.

I love the approach by MasterChef UK contestant Anthony O’Shaughnessy on his blog Anthony Shock: “Gently poach cod fillets in milk, then use the poaching liquid in the mashed potatoes and white sauce. It’s an economical use of the ingredients, and maximizes the flavor of each component.”

Have you ever baked bacon in the oven?

It’s a technique that my sister shared with me. The oven’s gentle heat cooks the bacon to golden brown perfection, with none of the splatter from stovetop frying. I also use

Photo: Mari Svenningsen / MatPrat This delicious recipe for plukkfisk is made with lightly salted cod over mashed potatoes, topped with tasty oven-cooked bacon.

the oven’s heat to keep the mashed potatoes warm while making the hvit saus, the creamy white sauce, on the stovetop. My taste testers likened plukkfisk to a deconstructed fish chowder. The whole dish can be eaten with a spoon, and it’s comforting in every bite.

I also need to point out that this dish is definitely not low in fat. The butter, whole milk, and bacon are essential to plukkfisk’s

flavor! I swapped onions for leeks and fresh herbs for a welcome dose of green. It is traditional to serve flatbrød (flatbread) with plukk­fisk, and it adds a crunchy counterpoint to the overall dish. Enjoy!

Did you grow up with plukkfisk? I’d love to hear from you! Write to me at food@ na-weekly.com.

Christy Olsen Field became the Taste of Norway Editor in April 2019. She worked on the editorial staff of the Norwegian American Weekly from 2008 to 2012. An enthusiastic home cook and baker, she lives north of Seattle with her husband and two young sons. She is also a grantwriter for small nonprofits in the Seattle area. Write to her at food@na-weekly.com.

Plukkfisk

By Christy Olsen Field 8 oz. bacon slices 2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes 1½ pounds cod filets, skin removed 8 tbsps. unsalted butter, divided 2 leeks, cleaned and sliced into half-moons

Handful of fresh herbs, such as parsley or dill 4 cups whole milk ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg Flatbread to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment, and lay the bacon slices in a single layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

2. In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsps. butter over medium heat, and add the sliced leeks and a hefty pinch of salt. Sauté until they are soft and beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, start on the potatoes. In a 5-quart pot, place potato cubes with cold water to cover by 1 inch and a handful of kosher salt. Cover and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until a fork easily pierces the potato, about 15-20 minutes.

4. Now you’ll poach the fish. In the large skillet with the sautéed leeks, add 4 cups of milk and herbs, and bring to a gentle simmer.

Gently slide in the cod filets, sprinkle generously with salt, and poach until the flesh is cooked through and beginning to flake, about 7-10 minutes (based on the thickness of the filets). Remove the fish to a plate, and strain the milk into a measuring cup. You should still have about 4 cups of milk.

5. At this point, the potatoes will be cooked through. Drain the potatoes, add to an oven-safe bowl, and mash with 2 tbsps. butter and 3/4 cup of the milk to achieve your desired mashed potato consistency. Fold in the strained leeks and herbs. Keep the mashed potatoes warm in the oven, if desired.

6. Prepare the hvit saus (white sauce): In a saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tbsps. butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until thoroughly combined. Next, pour in a little of the milk and whisk constantly. It will seize up and create a lot of steam, but keep whisking constantly as you pour in the milk slowly. Once it’s combined, bring to a simmer until it thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Taste for salt to make sure it’s seasoned enough, and add the freshly grated nutmeg. (You can add white pepper if you like.)

7. Now you are ready to assemble the dish! Pick the cod into thick pieces (this is the “plukk” part of plukkfisk) and fold gently into the warmed mashed potatoes. Serve with a generous pour of hvit saus, and crumbled bacon. If the dish needs more richness, add a pat of butter. (Or as I saw in one recipe, drizzle with the reserved bacon fat.) Serve with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and flatbread.

If you have any leftovers, I read that the mixture can be shaped into patties and fried in a skillet as potato-fish cakes. If you try this, let me know!

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Stay salty

Salty Provisions brings a taste of the Norwegian Sea to American kitchens with creative salt blends beautifully crisp, clean seawater. That’s it. It tastes exactly like the ocean should. It doesn’t have the harsh finish that so many warmer climate flake salts can have. It’s also got a beautiful snowflake structure that we try to preserve in many of our blends.

Christy Olsen Field Taste of Norway Editor

A sprinkle of flaky sea salt is the signature touch in my kitchen, from chocolate chip cookies to roasted vegetables. I keep a dish of it on the table instead of a saltshaker, and my two kids learned to sprinkle flake sea salt on their dinner not long after they figured out how to use a fork and spoon.

I did an actual happy dance when I was introduced to Amy Beyer of Salty Provisions this summer and learned about their flavored sea salts. Beyer and her husband, Linn, offer a range of flake sea salt blends using North Sea Salt Works’ signature HAVSNØ™ (translated as “Snow of the Sea”), harvested from cold pure seawater from Saltsteinsleia in Aukra, Norway. The flakes are flat and soft with a light crunch— like a snowflake.

I had first heard of North Sea Salt Works in an October 2019 article by Nevada Berg on her blog North Wild Kitchen. If you haven’t read it yet, it is worth taking a look: northwildkitchen.com/north-sea-salt-works.

I recently chatted with Amy Beyer to learn more about how Salty Provisions connected with this distinctly Norwegian salt, adding their fun American twist on a world of flavor options.

Photo courtesy of Salty Provisions Beyer makes a batch of Double Onion + Roasted Garlic Flake, the most popular flavor in Salty Provisions’ line.

Christy Olsen Field: How you were first introduced to HAVSNØ™ Flake Sea Salt?

Amy Beyer: Linn’s maternal side of the family is VERY Norwegian. With 29 siblings between them, his grandparents were the only two that came to America and stayed permanently. All the other surviving relatives stayed for the most part in Norway and close to their respective towns of Måløy and Raudeberg on Vågsøy to raise their own families. When we started planning our wedding (got married in 2012), Norway was the only choice, and we finally took our “official” honeymoon in 2016.

He hadn’t been back to Norway to visit since he was 7 years old, so he wanted to reconnect and introduce me to them all. Many of his mother’s aunts, uncles, and cousins came to visit Chicago, so he got to know them over the years. I have a great-great-grandmother on my maternal side who was born in Trondheim, but I have little information on her.

We were connected to his mother’s cousin Ottar Kvalheim through Facebook. We flew into Molde to visit him. One morning, in a local bakery, he handed us a pouch of flake sea salt that we had tasted the night before on our dinner. He said, “Take this home. It’s made on the next island over. It’s really good.” And that was it. We had no idea then how much that moment would change our lives.

running low, I turned to the internet to find more. The only place I could find it listed was the producer in Norway. Amazon doesn’t even have it (yet!). When I went to their website, I saw a header saying that they didn’t ship single orders to the United States.

I wasn’t interested in finding a second favorite brand of flake sea salt, so I emailed the company asking how many cases would be required to have it shipped. Thankfully they agreed and sent some from a bit of inventory they had at a distributor on the East Coast in hopes of breaking into retail. I began getting cases from them, and selling the extra at local events. In December 2017, Linn and I started realizing the salt might be my next thing – I was a professional photographer for over 15 years and that had run its course. We knew the salt was special, but the thought of spreadsheets and quotas sounded awful, so we didn’t want to propose a sales/distributorship role.

The only other option was to create our own product line using the HAVSNØ flake salt as the main ingredient.

Our Roasted Garlic Flake Sea Salt was born, and a couple weeks later I had eight different flavors of salt for sale at a local winter farmer’s market. It was fantastic market research to work out the kinks in real time with instant feedback during tastings.

We changed our business name a couple of times, and packaging options to simplify everything. The first year, we ordered a few cases at a time. Now we import it directly from Norway on pallets sent via ocean freight.

COF: What inspired you to open your own salt company here in the United States?

AB: Upon our return, I started cooking with the hand-harvested flake sea salt from North Sea Salt Works. I have been a salt junkie my whole life, but I had never investigated much further than the table and pink Himalayan varieties. I was blown away that the flavor could vary so much between different types (and we’ve come to learn that every single brand has a totally different flavor profile). We only brought home one pouch so when I started

COF: What makes this Norwegian sea salt special?

AB: The women at North Sea Salt Works are amazing! We finally got back to Norway in February 2020 and spent the day with them at their facility and at a SMAK food show in Oslo later that week. It was the first time we’d met in person, even though we’d been doing business together for over two years.

The flavor comes from the clean water in the Norwegian Sea. The current comes down from the Arctic Ocean and the flavor profile is

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

COF: How do you infuse different flavors into salt? Where do you get inspiration for flavor combinations?

AB: From the very beginning, it was important to me to build on the clean flavor of the salt. All of our blends are gluten-free and vegan. We never use anti-caking agents, fillers, or artificial flavoring. We also list 100% of the ingredients on the label. A lot of people have food sensitivities, including me, so it’s been a priority from the very beginning to use clean ingredients.

We’ve got a couple flavors that are straight salts versus blends with herbs and spices. We sell the plain HAVSNØ in pouches and shakers, plus a Triple Smoked flavor with real hickory, oak, and mesquite; a Toasted Flake sea salt that tastes buttery and light.

The others are blends I dream up on my own.

Some are inspired by food recipes, like our 30° North Hot Salt and Hotter Hot Salt, which was inspired by Cajun, Creole and Louisiana cuisine in preparation for a show I did in the region on a road trip. Our Coffee Salt and our Nine Pepper Hot Salt are inspired by partnerships with farmers market friends: Sandhill Coffee (we use their dark roast beans in our second most popular blend) and Watt’s Sauce (we use their pepper blend that is a byproduct

of one of their hot sauces after the pressing).

We also fresh grind as many of the dry ingredients as we can, and it makes all the difference in the taste.

Some of our flavor combinations are suggested by our customers, such as our French Truffle and Triple Smoked varieties. Our most popular flavor is Double Onion + Roasted Garlic blend, made with green onions, yellow onions, chives, and our Roasted Garlic Flake sea salt. Yum! COF: What are your favorite ways to use these salts?

AB: I tell people that it’s good on anything chilled, grilled, baked, roasted, steamed, or sautéed. Certain flavors lend themselves to specific things, but for the most part, if you’re cooking (or drinking), you can use our salts to improve your culinary skills. One customer said it takes her meals from a 2 to a 10! We also make recommendations on our website for specific combinations.

We are so grateful to be able to bring a little bit of Norway to the Americas. To many of our customers, it’s the taste they like best.

We love connecting Scandinavians to a bit of the homeland too.

Hjertelig tusen takk to Amy Beyer for sharing her love of salt with us! Salty Provisions can be found at local farmers markets and events in the northwestern Chicago suburbs, as well as online at doyoulovesalt.com and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @ saltyprovisions.

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theNORWEGIAN american

Bringing in the sheaves

Every holiday season, Kristine Leander celebrates her heritage with her hand-harvested Christmas sheaves.

Lori Ann Reinhall

The Norwegian American

Each summer, Kristine Leander, president of the Leif Erikson International Foundation and executive director of the Swedish Club in Seattle, goes back to your roots—literally—when she goes out into the fields of her family farm in Mount Vernon, Washington’s Skagit Valley to harvest 100 sheaves of wheat or other grains, such as barley.

Leander lovingly bundles the sheaves up and stores them in her barn until November, when she starts to bind them with red ribbons to be sold as traditional Christmas sheaves.

A julenek (Norwegian and Danish) or julkärve (Swedish) is a sheaf of grain hung on a tree or pole as a Christmas treat for the birds. The tradition is actually from olden times, when people believed that taking care of the animals and spirits during the coldest, darkest days of winter would bring good luck and a bountiful harvest. Like other winter solstice traditions, it eventually became part of the Christmas celebration.

On Scandinavian farms, the peace of Christmas began before sundown on Dec. 24, when the sheaf was tied to a pole and erected in the yard. It was thought to be very lucky if the birds flocked to it as it was being hung.

Christmas sheaves are popular in Scandinavia today, and few homes are without a julenek. Leander thinks that Scandinavian homes everywhere should have one, so she started Stine’s Sheaves to sell her julenek locally.

If you live in the Puget Sound region, you can order one of these beautiful hand-harvested sheaves by emailing Stine’s Scandinavian Sheaves at leif@leiferikson.

Stine’s Scandinavian Sheaves

Do you have photos to share from a recent event? Send them to naw@na-weekly.com with a caption including the event date, a brief description, and photo credits.

Hand-harvested julenek from Washington’s Skagit Valley

Stay Connected!

Learn new skills from home with online classes, conversations, language lessons, tours, book groups, and family adventures.

Vesterheim

The National Norwegian-American Museum & Heritage Center

Vesterheim Folk Art School Explore options at vesterheim.org.

Supported by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs; and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Hang your sheaf in a tree, from a deck, or on a pole. Keep the kernel end up, so the birds can fly in and have a meal!

$20 as prepayment or $25 at pickup Available locally.

To order, email Kristine Leander at leif@leiferikson.org or call 206-778-1081 Pick-up in Seattle’s Ballard and Queen Anne Hill neighborhoods

Photo courtesy of Kristine Leander

org or calling (206) 778-1081. The sheaves will be available for pick-up at the Swedish Club Holiday Bazaar between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Oct. 31 – Nov. 1, at 1920 Dexter Ave. N. in Seattle. With pre-payment, you can also arrange to pick them up in Ballard or at the Swedish Club until she runs out.

The cost per sheaf is $20 by check as a prepayment or $25 at the time of pickup, But don’t wait too long—she cut half as many this year due to the pandemic—but also the julenek are very special and sell out fast!

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A sister city celebrates in Seattle

Happy Birthday, Bergen!

Photo: Seattle Channel video grab Editor-in-chief Lori Ann Reinhall (middle) was proud to present some of Seattle’s best musicians in a gala virtual concert to celebrate Bergen’s 950th birthday. From left to right: Laura Loge, Steven Luksan, Charlie Albright, Lori Ann Reinhall, Lauren McShane, Rachel Nesvig, Allion Salvador, Aleida Gehrels.

Lori Ann Reinhall

Editor-in-chief, The Norwegian American President, Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association Vice President, Northwest Edvard Grieg Society

It’s not every year that a city celebrates its 950th birthday, and it’s also not every year that a pandemic sweeps the globe. But 2020 was the year that these two historic events collided in Bergen. Nonetheless, this misfortune hasn’t stopped the city’s residents or their friends across the ocean in their sister city in Seattle from celebrating, albeit in a new, unexpected way.

Already in March when the pandemic broke out on both sides of the Atlantic, we all wondered how our plans would change. For quite some time, the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association (SBSCA) had been working on plans for an exchange of artists, and travel plans were being booked for the big 17th of May celebrations across the Atlantic.

But soon a travel ban was put in place, and visiting Norway was no longer possible for Americans. The big parade in Norway

was canceled, and the future looked uncertain for travel in either direction during the summer. The pandemic wore on and worsened. The prognosis for 2020 was not good from the American perspective, and all plans for exchange had to be canceled.

In Seattle, all large gatherings were also being canceled throughout the summer. All of a sudden, the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society’s (NWEGS) plans for a large-scale production of Peer Gynt at the National Nordic Museum had to be postponed. “It was very disappointing,” said Laura Loge, founder and president of the organization.

But neither NWEGS nor SBSCA was to be stopped, and they decided to team up for a celebration with a virtual concert, conceived as a gift to the people of Bergen for their 950th jubilee. Loge secured the seed money with a grant from the City of Seattle, and the sister city group went into full fundraising mode. The result was a production together with the Seattle Channel, a local television station that broadcasts civic events on television and throughout the region and online throughout the world.

Photo: Seattle Channel video grab The program’s guest star was locally based superstar pianist Charlie Albright, already a favorite with Bergen audiences.

A match made in heaven The two groups had tremendous resources to draw from: Loge is a celebrated soprano in the Pacific Northwest and a Grieg specialist; Steven Luksan, secretary of NWEGS, is an accomplished pianist and composer; and the SBSCA already had a string quartet of talented young professionals, who had toured Norway in 2017 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship. Allion Salvador (violin), Rachel Nesvig (violin and Hardanger fiddle), Aleida Gehrels (viola), and Lauren McShane (cello) were soon on board.

It was a divine configuration.

I was happy and honored to take on the role of producer for the event, and things rapidly took off. Going for broke, I decided to reach for the stars—literally—when I invited internationally acclaimed pianist Charlie Albright to join the lineup. Albright was already a name in Bergen, having stepped in for Lang Lang at the last minute at the Bergen International Festival in 2017, returning to the festival in 2019 to take the city by storm. And while the superstar is normally on the road performing concerts all over the world, he was home in Auburn just

outside of Seattle because of COVID-19, and we were thrilled when he said yes.

From Grieg to Gershwin The main mission of NWEGS it “to promote the music of Edvard Grieg through performance, educational outreach, and research in the Northwest of the United States.” This not only includes performances of Grieg’s music but other composers who have taken influence from him—and there have been many on both sides of the Atlantic. Grieg brought something new to Norwegian classical music, as it came into its own with the incorporation of folk music and motifs. His influence is profound, even to this day.

Grieg also mentored young musicians from other countries, encouraging them to explore the folk music tied to their own origins.

One of them was the Australian-born composer Percy Grainger, who brought folk tunes of the British Isles to life in his works. Grainger worked closely with Grieg up until the Norwegian composer’s death. He later traveled to

See > HAPPY BIRTHDAY, page B2

Photo: Seattle Channel video grab Rachel Nesvig performed variations on Edvard Grieg’s “Morning Mood” on the Hardanger fiddle, Norway’s national instrument.

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There was much to be thankful for as the credits were announced, before Albright broke into Bergen’s anthem “Nystemten,” and a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday!” Spirits were high. It should be mentioned that Albright had never played the Bergen song before, but after listening to me hum and playing Sissel’s recording on YouTube, his amazing musical memory and talent took off to create pure joy.

From page B1

the United States to make a career, carrying what he had learned across the Atlantic.

Once in America, it was Grainger who introduced the music of Grieg to American composer George Gershwin. Voila! We had a concept. Knowing how fond the Norwegians are of Gershwin, this seemed like the perfect program for our gala concert, “From Grieg to Gershwin.”

Music in the time of COVID-19 There were other important considerations in play as we put the program together. During the pandemic, musicians are hungry to reach out to audiences, and many are struggling financially. We could use what resources we had to support many who had supported us in the past with their talents.

While celebrating with Bergen, we could also provide top-quality entertainment to be shared within our own community. We could also come together with social-distancing guidelines in place and support one another, both professionally and personally.

The program was structured in three distinct segments. Part I, “Music of Solitude and Isolation,” featuring soprano Loge and pianist Luksan, offers a very quiet, contemplative mood, with the music of Grieg, Norwegian composers influenced by him, and original compositions by Luksan. It brings a feeling of inner peace, so needed during this time.

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Photo: Seattle Channel video grab Pianist Steven Luksan, secretary of the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society, opened the program together with soprano Laura Loge, its founder and president.

Part II, “Beyond Borders: The Folk Identity,” features the string quartet performing Grieg, Grainger, Gershwin, and Jessie Montgomery. One can hear the folk motifs of Norway, the British Isles, and the United States in progression. In Gershwin’s case, there were strong jazz influences going back to African-American folk music. This felt particularly meaningful during a time of racial unrest in our country. Montgomery is a contemporary Black composer from New York, a further extension of the musical journey. She is a strong proponent of social justice, and it was deeply meaningful for us to include her music on the program.

A birthday bash extravaganza As the atmosphere heightened, Charlie Albright took the stage in Part III, “Tradition and Contemporary Visions.” Starting with his improvisations on Grieg’s “Arietta,” he moved on to perform Gershwin’s “Preludes” with the string players. The program would not be complete, however, without Grieg improvisations on the Hardanger fiddle by Rachel Nesvig, followed by Albright on the piano.

Albright is considered one of the most gifted improvisers of his day, and his variations on the hymn “Amazing Grace” left no doubt of this. He gave it his all and moved many of us in the hall to tears.

Gratitude, friendship, and love There are many components that go into producing a professional virtual concert: the staging, lighting, scripting, camerawork, sound engineering, editing, financing, and overall logistics for social distancing—and so many stepped up to the plate to make it all happen. There were even custom Edvard Grieg masks created by Norse Mask designer Madison Leiren, who also created one of the most divine dresses I have ever worn.

One of the biggest adventures was getting a 9-foot Steinway grand piano into the National Nordic Museum and its spacious and, on the day of the production, mostly empty Osberg Hall to fill it with glorious sound.

But most of all, the musicians deserve thanks for all that they brought to this concert, a meaningful and joyous expression of friendship and love.

To view the “Grieg to Gershwin” concert filmed at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, visit www.seattlechannel.org/ FrontRow?videoid=x116088.

Flirting with perfection

Charlie Albright makes magnificent music—and has fun!

Lori Ann Reinhall

The Norwegian American

He climbed up on a piano bench for the first time when he was only 3 years old. He banged out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” and his mother recognized that he had an ear for music. Today, he’s at the top of his game, performing with stars the likes of Bobby McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma. That’s Charlie Albright, the musical wunderkind from the sleepy town of Centralia, Wash., who became a piano virtuoso extraordinaire. Recently, he took the time to join a production at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle to pay tribute to his fans and friends in Bergen and support his local community.

I sat down with Charlie before filming our production that day to talk to him about his musical journey and his experience in Bergen. We were on a first-name basis, and the conversation to follow was lively, relaxed, and friendly. When I mentioned Norway, his eyes immediately lit up with enthusiasm.

“Norway is so beautiful,” he said. “And I can’t wait to go back.” He remembers everyone in Bergen being so friendly, describing the natives as “super nice.” For Charlie, being there was like being immersed in a fairy tale, with the picturesque old buildings surrounded by mountains and sea. But most of all, the musical life there left a deep impression on him.

The first time Charlie came to Bergen in 2017, it was on extremely short notice when Lang Lang, one of the most famous pianists in the world, had to cancel his appearance at the Bergen International Festival because of an injury. No small shoes to fill—but the energetic and enthusiastic pianist was up to the task. He arrived in Bergen and almost immediately headed over to Grieg Hall. To his amazement, a giant picture of his face

Photo courtesy of Charlie Albright Pianist Charlie Albright is a Steinway artist, who performs in the great concert halls of the world and small towns across America.

was projected on the wall as he approached the entrance.

But what followed was even more amazing, as Charlie won the hearts of the people of Bergen. He opened his own handpicked program with Chopin etudes, and it was magic from there on out. When Charlie plays, he flirts with perfection. But most of all, he wants to reach out to his audience.

The technical mastery is always there, but it never overtakes the playful or fun element in his music. The pianist is perhaps at his very best when he is improvising. He loves the excitement that an audience feels when they don’t know exactly what’s coming, and he often incorporates his polished improvisations into his classical performances.

“I try to make it fun,” said Charlie. “I like to talk to my audience.” He enjoys crossing over genres within the framework of a classical program. In fact, one of his favorite encores is “Great Balls of Fire” by the legendary rock ’n’ roll king Jerry Lee Lewis. “In Mozart’s day,

people used to clap in the middle of pieces,” he said. “You can have fun without getting scuffy.”

It was perhaps Charlie’s unconventional path to classical music that has given him this unique outlook and approach. He grew up a small-town boy in Centralia, Wash., midway between Seattle and Portland. He learned to play by ear on a beat-up old upright piano purchased at a garage sale. Recognizing his talent, his mother got him to a neighborhood teacher, who also played by ear. With time, he continued with another teacher to develop his skills as a jazz pianist.

To progress in his musical development, classical training was the next step, and Charlie approached this new challenge with zest. He excelled in music throughout high school, giving many concerts. He knew that music was his passion and dreamed of becoming a professional musician, but he also understood the realities of making a living. He relocated to Massachusetts to enroll in a five-year joint program offered by Harvard College in Cambridge and the New England Conservatory in Boston, which enabled him to study economics, pre-med, and piano performance—all at the same time.

It was a rigorous enough course of study, but all the while, Charlie gave concerts and went on to win many competitions. He often did his homework at hotels. When he graduated, he knew he had to make a choice. By this time it was clear: music was his destiny. He went on to study at Juilliard in New York City to earn the prestigious Artist Diploma, and the rest is history. Charlie Albright is a rock star of the classical music scene, who performs in the great concert halls of the world.

I asked Charlie what it was like to go back to Bergen in 2019 to perform at the Bergen International Festival that year at the historic Haakonshall. “It was quite a night,” he said.

“It was fun!” The building was “something else; buildings like that don’t exist here.”

Charlie was thrilled to enter the hall via the king’s staircase. He described the acoustics in the hall as “amazing.”

There was also a performance at Grieg Hall. Performing Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A-minor with the Bergen Philharmonic is a daunting task, considering that it’s the one orchestra that knows the piece better than any other in the world. But the concerto was not unfamiliar to Charlie either: he remembers being only 12 or 13 when he first performed it. With Berit Cardas conducting, he was able to bring his own personal interpretation to the beloved masterpiece, and the reception was astounding. Charlie was brought back for no less than five encores—including, of course, “Great Balls of Fire.”

On this second trip to Bergen, he was able to travel with his wife, Stella, and he had more time to take in some of the sights. Like all visitors, they found the view from Mount Fløyen to be beautiful, and again, they remembered how friendly everyone was. There were also small things that Charlie remembered, like trying a reindeer hot dog for the first time.

In Seattle, we were lucky that Bergen was so good to Charlie, because I am certain that it was his time there that convinced him to jump on board the project at the National Nordic Museum this summer, our musical tribute to Bergen for its 950th jubilee. These days, I follow his career with intense interest on social media—Facebook and YouTube— and someday in the future, I expect he will return to Norway for yet another musical triumph. I am sure Bergen is waiting for him.

To learn more about Charlie Albright, visit his website at charliealbright.com.

You can also follow him on social media: www.facebook.com/charliealbrightpianist www.youtube.com/user/pianomanca www.instagram.com/pianomanca

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Travel Bergen

A virtual tour starting from Grieg’s first home in Bergen

Paintings from five neighborhoods Mary Jo Thorsheim Norway Art®

“On the street where he lived …” Remember the similar title of a popular song from the musical My Fair Lady with lyrics

by Alan Jay Lerner? Strandgaten in Bergen was the street where Edvard Grieg was born.

He lived there at number 152 the first few years of his life before his family moved to Landås in Bergen. His adult home at Troldhaugen is most famous, but it is interesting to know of other places he lived.

Looking at five amazing paintings of Bergen that are now at Norway Art® in Minneapolis, I wonder how the locations of the paintings might relate to the Strandgaten address. Each of the paintings represents a different neighborhood in Bergen. The following story takes us from districts northwest to southeast of the city center (sentrum), beginning at the orientation point of Strandgaten.

Strandgaten 152 is on the left side, across the water from Bryggen, when viewed from Vågen. Puddefjorden is located across the water from Strandgaten, to the far left, northwest of Bryggen.

“Net Fishing in Bergen, 1895” by Julius Holck (1846-1911) [above] The inlet of Puddefjorden in the city of Bergen is bordered by Laksevåg on the west and Nordnes on the east; it is the location of this painting. The central figure is a fisherman in the foreground, with Askøy in the distance and a beautifully tinted sky in the background. He is wearing a hat and waders and is using a purse seine. Maybe he was fishing for sei or cod for middag (dinner)?

Holck was born in Bergen and lived there all of his life. As a young man, he could not afford art studies so he trained as a mechanic and worked on a steamship. After he returned home to Bergen, he quickly turned to the formal study of art.

“Old Bergen 1941” by Jakob Weidemann (1923-1991) [above] Moving southeast from Puddefjorden, we come to a very old neighborhood just northwest of sentrum that is the site of Jakob Weidemann’s stunning painting. In his unique abstract style, he depicts the narrow, steep streets lined with close-set buildings constructed wall-to-wall many years before. The streets are like alleys between the buildings.

The Weidemann painting reminds me of the surroundings of a very old building at Ladegårdsgaten 28D that was owned by my great aunt, Tante Lena (Helene) Thorsheim Meland. Its multiple apartments on three stories housed Tante, many renters, and three of her adult daughters, as well as a street-level grocery. After World War II, there was a tremendous need for housing in Norway, and 28D was crowded.

Weidemann pioneered abstract art in Norway after World War II. His style was known as “lyrically abstract.” The painting of “Old Bergen in 1941” during the grim years of Nazi occupation shows this singing spirit. Where did Weidemann live in Bergen?

Maybe in the neighborhood of the painting?

His family moved to Bergen from Oslo in 1934. In 1944, Weidemann joined the Norwegian resistance movement.

“View of Bergen from Skansen” [upper right] and “Skansen Neighborhood” [middle right] by Andreas Grynne (1917-1991) “View of Bergen from Skansen” and “Skansen Neighborhood” date from the 1950s. Both of these paintings show the vista from a location in Bergen that is rarely seen by tourists: Skansen. Familiar landmarks may be identified in “View of Bergen.”

Arne Sortland of Bergen recently reminisced about the painting of the Skansen neighborhood where he once lived: “It is from Skanselien toward Vågen and Askøy in the background at right. The white house at the left is Skansen fire station and the small dam is Skansedammen.”

Nothing has changed around the viewing point—Skansen—except for the pond and the sculpture park around it.

Grynne was a popular post-World War II painter who was one of many artists who tried to earn income after the deprivation caused by the Nazi occupation of Norway.

They produced paintings in large numbers and went house to house selling them. Grynne also called at offices and businesses. According to Agnes Nedregård, Grynne’s paintings were truly “art for the people.”

“Fra Kalfarliveien 1956” by Margarethe Koch (1890-1964) [lower right] This is a portrait of a fine house and its setting southeast of sentrum. Notable features of the painting include light, summery colors with strong accents, such as the lush Norway maple tree with its rich deep maroon foliage. Delightful details include beekeeping boxes at the back of the property.

Bergen’s Koch began art training in 1902 and later became a student of Norway’s famous artist, Harriet Backer. Koch’s work shows the influence of Backer in her own style of naturalism.

Bergen offers a treasury of art. Explore the city through art now and visit its neighborhoods when you are able to travel again.

As they say in Bergen, ha det!

Mary Jo Thorsheim, Ph.D., the owner of the Norway Art® importing business for 40 years, was invited to donate a monthly article for The Norwegian American. She welcomes comments or questions by email at mjtmng@gmail. com or phone at (612) 339-7829. For more information, visit www.norwayartonline.com.

Photos courtesy of Norway Art®

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Travel Bergen

Through the eyes of artist Marianne Skjelbred

A pictorial journey in Bergen Victoria Hofmo Brooklyn, N.Y.

Images of the stunning and historic city of Bergen abound. From the famous peaked roofs of Bryggen along the harbor, to the majestic “sju fjell”—seven mountains—that surround it, to the quaint and bustling fish market, the city is rich with visual beauty.

And few artists have captured the special sight of Bergen more strikingly than painter Marianne Skjelbred, who has made the city her adopted home.

Skjelbred explains that she grew up in Sandefjord, a city known for its rich Viking history. But in 2002, she chose to move to Bergen, a move that was “a dream come true.” She was fascinated by the “charming little houses and the lovely streets, the combination of the beautiful nature, mountains and the sea, the people, and the culture.”

Rich in history, the city was founded in 1070 by King Olav Kyrre and was named Bjørgvin, “the green meadow among the mountains.” And for Skjelbred, “Bergen is a green meadow with lots of opportunities.”

In 2006, she became a full-time artist, and a large part of her oeuvre is devoted to painting her adopted hometown.

With her paintings, Skjelbred exhibits a unique ability to capture the essence of Bergen, with snapshots of its most quintessential scenes. Over the years, she has painted the historical wharf scene, Bryggen, many times, always showing fidelity to the setting, yet bringing something unique to each new piece.

With this anchoring in reality, it is perhaps no coincidence that Skjelbred began her journey as an artist as a photographer.

She completed her formal studies in this discipline in 1997.

“My paintings show signs of a photographic mindset, as I desire to capture the light,” she said. “The light is especially important to me. I am fascinated by the light’s color effects and seek to capture this in my paintings.”

But Skjelbred’s mindset is not limited by her photographer’s eye, as she has dabbled in other mediums. “Ever since childhood, I have found joy in creating,” she said.

“It started with drawing, and gradually, I explored various techniques, inter alia printing, linocut, ceramics, charcoal pencil, etc.”

And it is this eclectic approach to her work that allowed it to develop and flourish—with stunning results.

A bird’s eye perspective Skjelbred approaches her subject of Bergen through different perspectives, highlighting essential pieces of Bergen’s landscape, history, and environment. Her aerial views of the city offer some of the most dramatic insights into the city’s terrain.

Again, the treatment of light is always a crucial component, and many paintings depict nighttime scenes.

In the painting “Bergen Lights,” as if approaching the city in an airplane, you immediately experience Bergen’s location, surrounded by mountains and sea. Historically, these two elements have been essential to Bergen’s development, identity, and life.

Image: Marianne Skjelbred In the painting “Bergen Lights,” as if approaching the city in an airplane, you experience Bergen’s location, surrounded by mountains and sea.

Image: Marianne Skjelbred In shades of deep cobalt blue, “Ulriken by Night” depicts Bergen’s highest mountain, Mount Ulriken, which soars above the city at 2,100 feet.

Bergen is known as “the city surrounded by seven mountains,” many of which Skjelbred captures in her paintings. “Ulriken by Night” depicts the tallest of them, Mount Ulriken, which soars above the city at 2,100 feet.

In this study, the artist employs shades of deep cobalt blue, typical of many of her works and emblematic of the mesmerizing Norwegian nighttime sky. In this painting, like a bottle of Evening in Paris perfume, this scene enchants while preening, as the mountain admires its own reflection in the watery mirror below.

Many views of Bryggen Without a doubt, one of the most frequently photographed scenes in Bergen, Norway, and perhaps the entire world, is the historic Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fortunately, one never really tires of looking at these timeless wooden buildings, and Skjelbred’s many pieces and perspectives of these buildings point to their significance to the city and its people.

The artist’s gallery is right around the corner from Bryggen near the entrance to the

Fløien funicular. This puts the painter near the wharf on a daily basis, as the buildings reveal themselves anew throughout the year, as the light changes with the seasons and times of day.

There are rainy days in Bergen—Bergen gets a lot of rain—and at times, Skjelbred

offers a more blurred, abstract interpretation of the iconic buildings, with a muted gray sky that envelops the city on misty day.

The mist mutes the colors of the buildings, so iconic to Bergen’s identity. The colors of the buildings—red, yellow, and white—are traditionally the colors of Norwegian houses, and the base primary colors of red, yellow, and blue are typical of Skjelbred’s painting, which could be described as simplicity with an elegant flair.

The view from the market expands to the breadth of Bergen’s majestic harbor, embracing the mountains, as does Skjelbred’s more realistic painting above. The eye is immediately drawn to the tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl with its three masts, another iconic symbol of Bergen. Like Bryggen, it also has a German connection, as it was built in Germany and was handed over to Norway as reparations after World War II. In this treatment, with its more detailed, realistic technique, Skjelbred depicts Bergen at early dusk, while the sky is still light, yet evening is setting in, and you can see the reflections of Bryggen’s lights on the water.

The more vibrant colors suggest late summer or early autumn.

See > SKJELBRED, page B5

Image: Marianne Skjelbred Marianne Skjelbred has painted Bryggen from many angles and perspectives. Here the eye is drawn to one of the city’s iconic symbols, the Statsraad Lemkuhl with its three majestic masts.

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< SKJELBRED From page B4

In the background is the golden Rosenkrantz Tower, a symbol of Bergen’s wealth and power, peeking out from beyond the ship. Skjelbred masterfully melds these disparate elements of Bergen into a comprehensive whole, all situated within the city’s even loftier natural surroundings.

In “Bergen by Night VI,” the same setting is captured after nightfall, again with Skjelbred’s signature deep cobalt blues. This painting is also about life up the mountain, as the lighting shows how Bergen comes alive with the many homes scattered on the hillside. The city is animated at night, reflected in the vibrant colors of this painting.

The geography of Bergen offers locals and visitors views of the harbor from a multitude of angles. With “The Colors of Bergen”—again, blue, yellow, red, and white— the sun sinks as the built elements of the city meld with its natural elements. The viewer can delight in how the city’s colors melt, seeping into the sea in her piece. As in many of Skjelbred’s paintings, there is a feeling of fluidity, with the reflections on deep blue water.

In the “The Northern Lights,” there is a distinctive change in palette, uncloaking the play of color through shadow and light. Skjelbred depicts the sea with nuanced complexity, as indigo blends into marine green. The city is a golden striation and, above, a spectral sky pours through the mountain peaks—a dramatic end to our journey through Bergen with artist Marianne Skjelbred.

The artist has written: “The art is to see the light until you become part of it.” Her art

Image: Marianne Skjelbred In “Bergen by Night VI,” Marianne Skjelbred depicts the Statsraad Lemkuhl with its bright white in contrast to the the cobalt blues of the night.

is to see the city of Bergen and render it in its special light so we, the viewers, also become part of it—a unique gift.

Skjelbred has stated is that “her dream is to encourage people.” She believes that “art can make a difference in this world, bringing life, love, hope, and joy.” From her gallery at the foot of Mount Fløyen, she sells paintings and prints to both residents and visitors in Bergen, and she ships her works all over the world, as she continues her journey.

To learn more about Marianne Skjelbred and her work, visit www.marianneskjelbred.com.

Image: Marianne Skjelbred In “Northern Lights,” the artist depicts the sea with nuanced complexity, as shades of indigo blend into marine green.

Photo courtesy of Marianne Skjelbred Bergen artist Marianne Skjelbred shows off one of her paintings in front of her gallery at the foot of the Fløien funicular near Bryggen.

Image: Marianne Skjelbred There are many rainy days in Bergen, and at times, Skjelbred offers a more blurred, abstract interpretation of the beloved old wooden building at Bryggen.

With “The Colors of Bergen”—blue, yellow, red, and white—the sea sinks, as the built elements of the city meld with its natural elements.

Image: Marianne Skjelbred

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Travel Bergen

A walk down memory lane

Bergen seen through the eyes of a Norwegian-American scholar

Jim Nelson

Chesterton, Ind.

My first visual impressions of Norway came from children’s books and National Geographic. I saw that some parts of Norway seemed to be full of hills, forests, and small farms. Other parts were mountainous, with cities and villages clustered at sea level, and forests rising up the mountain slopes. There were snowcaps and glaciers on the taller mountains. Life seemed to center on fishing boats and freighters. The fjords of western Norway fascinated me; but I knew that Dad’s family was from the east, and that was what I wanted to see the most. I first lived in Norway in 1972, but it was nearly 10 years before I finally saw Vestlandet and Bergen.

In 1981, my wife and I headed to Norway on a new adventure. Her grandparents were strilar, from farmer-fishing families in Lindås, north of Bergen. I had signed a contract to teach at Hillestveit School in Langevåg, a fishing village on the island of Bømlo. We had shipped our car to Norway, and Bergen was just four hours away by island-hopping and ferryboats. We decided to spend all the school holidays in Bergen, and staying with my mother-in-law’s cousin there, we had an excellent opportunity to learn about the city and its people.

Many people consider Bergen to be Norway’s most beautiful city. Its setting is dramatic and beautiful: The heart of the city covers both sides of Vågen (the Bay), a narrow bay about 4/5 miles long, and the peninsula between Vågen and Byfjorden (the City Fjord). The mountains called Fløyen and Ulriken rise east and south of Vågen, and Puddefjorden lies not far west of Vågen. The city’s many medieval buildings enrich the distinctive atmosphere of downtown Bergen, several of them overlooking the waterfront.

Protected from the brunt of North Atlantic storms by the islands of Store Sotra and Askøy, Bergen was ideally situated to become a medieval trading center for cod and other fish from north Norway, herring from Haugesund and Bømlo waters, and timber and animal hides from other parts of the

country. First settled around 1020 A.D., Bergen received a city charter from King Olav Kyrre in 1070. It was Norway’s capital from 1270 until 1319. As most commerce and travel were by sea until the mid-20th century, Bergen was strategically located throughout the nation’s development. Today, the population is about 280,000.

Bergen was a major point of entry for the Black Death (svartedauden, the bubonic plague), in 1349–51. Roughly 50% to 70% of Norway’s population died. Between the 1360s and 1754, Bergen was a Hanseatic League port. The Hamburg, Bremen, and Lübeck merchants from Germany were effective business owners, but they repeatedly tried to ban foreign and Norwegian traders and secure a monopoly. The old wooden Hansa buildings on Bryggen (the Wharf) are reconstructions of the originals (14th century to 15th century), rebuilt after numerous fires.

The smaller buildings date from 1702, the newer ones from 1955.

Although Bergen is a major center for commerce, finance, shipping, transportation,

Photo courtesy of Jim Nelson American scholar Jim Nelson has made many trips to Bergen over the years.

Photo: Askjell N. Raudøy / Flickr Sjømannsmonumentet, the Sailor’s Monument, depicts Bergen’s maritime history with 12 massive bronze figures, from the time of the Vikings through the 20th century.

Photo: Robin Strand / Norphoto / visitBergen.com Bryggen, the historic old German Wharf, is beautiful any season of the year and a beloved subject for photographers from all over the world. Its colorful houses bring cheer to a fall landscape with their bright colors of red, orange, yellow, and white. The structures were first built by the German merchants of the Hanseatic League.

tourism, and Norway’s offshore petroleum industry, the city has a relatively relaxed atmosphere. Encircled by fjords and mountains, Bergensers are constantly aware of the beauty and forces of nature. The numerous medieval buildings that survive in the city center add to the feeling of a less frenetic lifestyle. The ponds, small lakes, parks, and harbor areas attract a variety of seafowl and migratory birds.

Imagine taking a relaxed walk from the art museum complex by the octagonal lake, Lille Lungegårdsvannet, toward Vågen, a few blocks away. The little lake has been enclosed in an artificially made basin extending for roughly two city blocks. It attracts many birds, including seagulls, guillemots, auks, and petrels. A wide pedestrian walkway, graced by park benches and shade trees, encircles the lake. A tranquil atmosphere pervades the area.

A row of art galleries faces the lake’s southwest side. They are low buildings with graceful facades. The Rasmus Meyer Collections (Rasmus Meyers samlinger) contain

a remarkable display of Norwegian art, including the world’s third largest collection of Edvard Munch’s paintings.

Just one block behind the art galleries is Grieghallen (the Grieg Hall), a modern concert hall completed in 1978. It is the home of Musikselskabet Harmonien, Norway’s oldest symphony orchestra, established in 1765, and the chief venue for the Bergen International Festival, held in May and June, every year since 1953.

Leaving the small lake and crossing Christies gate, you can walk through Byparken, a small but pleasant park with an elegant, circular music pavilion from 1888 at the center. Crossing Olav Kyrres gate, you enter a wide thoroughfare called Nedre Ole Bulls plass (Lower Ole Bull’s Square). On the right side is a large, modern Peppe’s Pizza restaurant.

The stark modern façade of Hotel Norge is on the left, with a canopied sidewalk in front. The hotel faces onto a beautiful reflecting pool and fountain. At the center of the pool is a mound of flat boulders, atop which is a dramatic statue of Norway’s virtuoso Ole Bull playing his violin. The water from the fountain pours over the rocks and into the pool. The overall effect has mesmerized me every time I’ve visited the fountain. The artist has captured Ole Bull’s stance, as he perhaps finishes a performance with a final flourish.

Just beyond the Ole Bull statue is the broad expanse of Torgallmenningen, an avenue stretching for several blocks as a vast pedestrian walkway. Near many pubs, restaurants, stores and gift shops, Torgallmenningen is a popular place for friends to meet— and for weary shoppers to rest on benches.

The street was created after a great city fire in 1580 and gained its present name in 1702.

The prominent landmarks here are Sundts varemagasin (Sundt’s Shopping Mall), formerly known as Sundts magasin (Sundt’s Department Store) and the massive statue Sjømannsmonumentet (the Sailor’s Monument). Sundts magasin, built in 1938,

See > MEMORY LANE, page B7

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< MEMORY LANE From page B6

was Bergen’s flagship merchandise house for many years. Sjømannsmonumentet was designed by artist Dyre Vaa, completed in 1945 and dedicated in 1950. Surrounded by a reflecting pool, the square monument depicts 12 figures associated with the evolution of Bergen as a maritime city. They range from Vikings through 18th-century seafarers to sailors, fishermen, and merchants of 19thand 20th-century Bergen.

Walking in Torgallmenningen fills me with memories that stretch over nearly 40 years. As I glance back over my shoulder up Torggaten, I see Skipperstuen (the Captain’s Cabin), the old Bergen pub where I spent many hours in the company of my old friend Jan Johansen, as we enjoyed the wonderful Hansa beer and talked with a colorful variety of Bergensers, including old sailors and fishermen. Jan is from Rjukan in Telemark, but he met and married a woman from Bergen. He has lived there for most of his life and loves it!

Passing Sjømannsmonumentet, I remember the local celebrities I’ve seen near Fisketorget, which is within sight. One of them was Vibeke Løkkeberg, actor, author, and one of Norway’s earliest female film directors. Another was singer-songwriter Johannes Kleppevik, locally known as “kystens trubadur” (the troubadour of the coast), for his many songs about life on his native island of Sotra and other places in surrounding Hordaland.

Fisketorget is situated at the head of Vågen, with a commanding view down both sides of the bay. The left shore is home to docks for the huge, ocean-going passenger ferries that connect Bergen with Haugesund and Stavanger to the south, and Trondheim and north Norway in the other direction. A three-story building near the wharf affords sale of fresh fish even in the winter, though the large open-air fish stalls at the south end of the bay remain popular with tourists.

The invigorating smell of salt sea air is everywhere in downtown Bergen, but it is strongest around Vågen. The east side of Vågen certainly holds the most storied tourist attractions in Bergen. First comes the tight row of wooden buildings on Bryggen, originally built by the Hanseatic League merchants to house their workers centuries ago. These august buildings have burned several times, but detailed plans and descriptions allowed them to be rebuilt each time, most recently

LEWIS O. T IT L A ND Cer tified Public Accountant

(206)789-5433 PO Box 1810 Milton, WA 98354

Photo: Wikimedia Commons While Bergen is known for its many quite old buildings, modern structures blend in with the urban landscape. With its central location, it is a great place to meet up with friends.

in the 1950s. Ironically, they were originally built with no heating at all, to avoid the rapid spread of fires. The workers, German men who had to agree not to marry local Norwegian women, had to keep themselves warm in the winter months as best they could. Today, most of the buildings house gift shops, a bakery, and some excellent restaurants.

Just beyond the Hansa buildings is Bergenhus festning (Bergenhus Fortress), a castle-and-fortress complex built to defend the city from naval invasions. At one time, it included the royal residence and the home of the bishop of Bergen. Some of the buildings date from the 1240s. Best known are the massive Rosenkrantztårnet (the Rosenkrantz

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Tower), dating from the 1270s and rebuilt in the 1560s; and the restored Håkonshallen (King Håkon’s Hall), built before 1261. The fortress only came under enemy fire once, during the 12-day Battle of Vågen in August 1662. A cannonball, lodged high up on the wall of Bergens domkirke (Bergen Cathedral), is thought to have been fired from an English warship during that siege. The powerful explosion of an ammunition ship in Vågen in 1944 damaged the fortress buildings extensively. They were restored after the war, and today the interior of Håkonshallen is nothing less than magnificent.

Bergen is a storehouse of elegant buildings from the medieval period through modern times. They include several beautiful churches: Korskirken (Holy Cross Church), a stone church dating from about 1150 A.D.; Bergens domkirke (Bergen Cathedral, originally built in 1150); the elegant, unique Romanesque-Gothic Mariakirken (St. Mary’s Church), south of Bergenhus festning, built

Viggo Forde

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in the mid-1100s and rebuilt around 1250; and Nykirken (The New Church, 1662) at Nordnes, on the west side of Vågen in the Nordnes (North Point) district. Johanneskirken (St. John’s Church) is noteworthy for being the tallest building in Bergen. The brick church from the 1890s sits on a ridge high above Torgallmenningen and downtown Bergen. Its central steeple is 200 feet tall. I have attended services and concerts in several of these churches, each one a very memorable occasion.

But for me, the Bergensers themselves are the city’s main attraction! They tend to be moderately outgoing, and their dialect is delightfully unique and enjoyable to listen to. Bergen dialect is technically bokmål, closely related to the dialects spoken in Oslo and much of eastern Norway; it has been influenced by the surrounding nynorsk dialects of rural Hordaland. Bergen remained socially isolated for many years; people who moved to Bergen had to learn to understand and speak bergensk to sell their fish at Fisketorget, get jobs working in the city, or simply to be treated in a civil manner. Many people from outside of Bergen would refer to bergensk as a separate language.

Local patriotism runs high in Bergen.

Bergensers turn out in great numbers to celebrate the national holiday on May 17. When I spent Syttende mai in Bergen in 1996, there were heavy, dark rainclouds overhead all morning. Five minutes after the parade started, it began to rain. Almost as on cue, hundreds of umbrellas suddenly appeared and opened all around us, nearly in unison!

Then I thought, “Where else but in Bergen, the only city I know of with a coin-operated umbrella dispenser downtown!”

My last trip to Bergen was in December 2019, when my wife and I joined a group of Purdue University Northwest students in a travel-study course in American and Norwegian noir fiction. Our host for several days was the well-known writer Gunnar Staalesen, creator of the character of Norwegian criminal investigator Varg Veum. As many memories came back to life, we also made many new ones.

Upon arrival, several of the younger students took Fløibanen, the downtown funicular railroad, to the tourist observation point high up on Mount Fløyen. I had already been there several times and was happy to see how thrilled these young American students were over the experience of viewing Norway’s most beautiful city from that elevation. Watching their happy expressions and listening to their descriptions of the city, mountain, and fjord panorama they had just seen, I thought: This is indeed as good as it gets. I’ll bet they will all return to Bergen; I know that I will!

Hipp hipp hurra for Bergen!

On behalf of Norwegians and Norwegian Americans in the Pacific Northwest, the Honorary Consul of Norway to Washington and Idaho, Viggo Forde, wishes the people of Bergen congratulations on the 950th anniversary of their city.

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Travel Bergen

View from the top

Fløibanen, then and now Eric Stavney

Mukilteo, Wash.

Mount Fløyen, the third highest of Bergen’s seven mountains, is one of the most popular destinations in all of western Norway.

From the top at 1,050 feet above sea level, the city of Bergen is laid out at your feet, with Vågen Harbor directly below, then westward out across Puddefjorden to Askøy. You can take in the panorama from Store Lungegårdsvannet Bay to the southwest to the fountain in Smålunger Lake to the south, around to Tyskebryggen to the west. It is the perfect spot to see most of the city and plan your days in seeing Bergen, a must for any visitor.

But it wasn’t always so easy to get there.

To see this marvelous view of Bergen in the 1800s, you had to hike up Mount Fløyen, which might take you several hours and lots of sweat. Consequently, not many tourists were interested in attempting the climb. That all changed in 1918 with construction of a funicular, called Fløibanen. Today, you are whisked to the top of the mountain in only four to eight minutes, to take in the view and participate in a number of activities.

First, what is a funicular? A funicular is a railway cable car system designed to transport people up a steep incline. Two passenger cars are attached to opposite ends of a cable, which runs through a drive wheel at the top station of the incline. The cars counterbalance each other, and move in concert—the car moving upward from the lower station is pulled upward by the other car descending from the upper station.

If you see a picture of a car ascending Mount Fløyen, you’ll notice that there’s only one set of rails climbing the mountain. What happens when the descending car meets the ascending car? Thanks to the method invented by Swiss engineer Carl Abt, Fløibanen has a branching track in the middle, like a bubble, where the two cars can pass each other side-by-side on adjacent tracks, before returning to the main track.

Photo: Øyvind Heen / VisitNorway.com One of the best views of Bergen is from the top of Mount Fløyen. Taking the funicular up the mountain is a must for visiting tourists, but with its many recreational offerings, the park is also a very popular destination for locals as well.

The passenger cars themselves are unusual. Originally designed like a funicular in Germany and Switzerland, where funiculars were first developed, the cars are tilted upward 15 degrees at the bottom station, which reaches 26 degrees from the horizontal at the top station. If this were a normal streetcar, passengers would soon slide to the rear or ride uncomfortably in seats virtually on their backs. Funicular cars, however, are built with seats tilted forward about 20 degrees, such that you remain almost level as the car ascends. It’s all designed to whisk you safely and comfortably to the top of Mount Fløyen in less than 10 minutes.

Aside from the oohs and aahs, you want

Photo: fløyen.no The two cable cars, named Rødhette (Red Riding Hood) and Blåmann (Blue Man, a pet name for a goat) pass each other halfway up the mountain. The cable attached to each car runs on pulleys down the center of the track, and the two cars counterbalance each other.

to break out in song as you ascend as well.

Italian Peppino Turco composed “Funiculì, Funiculà” to capture the excitement of riding the first funicular built on Mount Vesuvius in 1880. Yes, the active volcano! Needless to say, the funicular had to be abandoned (although it was rebuilt twice after volcanic eruptions), but the song has lasted. Check out Luciano Pavarotti’s performance on YouTube. It’s enough to get anyone in an operatic mood for a trip up Mount Fløyen.

And, of course, Fløyen has its own song to sing, “Utsikt fra Fløyen” (The View from Fløyen), composed by Thorvald Nielsen in 1880 with lyrics by Henrik Jansen. Over time, it’s become one of Bergen’s most beloved

songs, celebrating both its history and beauty.

Probably no one has sung it any better than Bergen’s own superstar songbird Sissel Kyrkjebø, also worth checking out on YouTube.

You can sing all the way up or down without interruption, with only the slight noise of the railway. That’s because the electric motor powering the system is located at the top station. There’s plenty of room in the cars for baby strollers and handicap access. In fact, Fløibanen AS (the company) has won an award for its efforts to ensure handicap access.

The view from Mount Fløyen is the most well-known aspect of the mountain.

See > FLØIBANEN, page B9

Photo: fløyen.no In the summertime, you can share the view with several cashmere goats. The Fløyguttene, or Fløyen Boys, as they graze on the grass below the viewing terrace. How do they get up and down the mountain? They ride the funicular, of course!

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< FLØIBANEN From page B8

But there’s much, much more that appeals to tourists and Bergensers alike. Fløyen is the departure point for hikes into the mountains and for leisurely strolls (with shelters and benches for resting) down the mountain on several trails. There’s a playground for kids, mountain bike rentals for the trails, canoe paddling in Skomakerdiket Lake, and say “hello” to a herd of friendly goats known as Fløyguttene. There’s an excellent restaurant, Fløien Folkerestaurant, a café, and a gift shop at the top, too.

The huge popularity of Fløibanen came to a sudden halt in March 2020 when the coronavirus prompted closure of the funicular until the end of May. Even though Fløibanen reopened with new precautions in place (each cable car is now limited to half of its maximum capacity of passengers), Fløibanen only expects a tenth of the visitors they saw last year. Mount Fløyen is a popular “add in” for people in town for a conference, for business, a concert, or sporting events— most of those have been canceled for the foreseeable future.

CEO Anita Nybø has even had to lay off staff and reduce working hours. She notes that closing Fløibanen throughout the summer might have been wiser financially but that the company has a social responsibility toward the city and those who live along the route. Fløibanen has three intermediate stops between the lower and upper stations where many commuters board. They rely on Fløibanen to get to work down in the city.

What is clear is that keeping Fløibanen requires creating new ways to attract visitors up the mountain, especially Bergensers.

They have started offering activities and charging a small fee for them. This has in-

Photo: fløyen.no / visitBergen.com The entrance to the lower station, designed by Einar Oscar Schau in 1918, shows that the funicular company is called Fløibanen, while the mountain is called Mount Fløyen.

cluded outdoor yoga, baseball, short-story writing, and spinning classes. They’re running a “Clean the Mountain” day for picking up litter on the trails while wearing masks and gloves, with an opportunity to sort out the recyclables at an “environmental station” and winning prizes for what you collect.

There’s a children’s “run” (no timekeeping, everyone gets a medal), concerts, horseback riding, and other opportunities for both children and adults.

This writer is hoping they’ll offer a paid online seminar, concert, or start an “adopta-goat” fund, so Fløibanen can be supported from afar. Along with all our other cherished institutions, organizations, and merchants (including The Norwegian American), we are charged with finding creative ways to support them, so they don’t have to shut down permanently. No one, Bergensers and visitors alike, would want to see Fløibanen suffer that fate after 103 years of operation.

Fløyen or Fløien?

By now, you are probably wondering what’s up with the spelling. Is it “Fløyen” or “Fløien?” Well, the answer is that both are right in their own way.

Initially, the spelling was “Fløien,” and with the funicular being over 100 years old, the name “Fløibanen” was established. But then the Spelling Reform of 1938 came along, and the diphthong “øi” was changed to “øy.” The name of a public place or geographic location, like the mountain, needed to follow the new rules, but the name of a privately held company, Fløibanen SA, stayed the same. The applies to an old song published before the spelling reform.

Fløibanen CEO Anita Nybø explains: “For us, it is very simple and neat: The destination is called Fløyen with “y,” while the limited company and business are written with “i.”

Photo: Bergen Reiselivslag / Christer Rønnestad / visitBergen.com Clouds may cover the city of Bergen below from the upper station on Mount Fløyen, but the view is beautiful nonetheless.

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He built one of Bergen’s landmarks eMiL WeATherheAD BreisTein Bergen, Norway

Editor’s note: Since the time when this article was published in 2016, a lot has happened.

Duane Pasco continues to work in his shop on Bainbridge Island, and the two sister cities have rekindled their relationship with a series of programs, including a major celebration of their 50-year jubilee in 2017, exchanges in the arts and social issues, and travel in both directions—and there are no signs of stopping.

Adapted from Bergensavisen, Apr. 4, 2016, Translated by Lori Ann Reinhall The year was 1970. Bergen had just turned 900, and big celebrations were underway: historical parades, street festivals, a 20-foot-high “White Lady” marzipan cake, and 900 lights in the city streets. The exact date of the birthday was May 12. On the table of presents was a nearly 30-foot-high totem pole with greetings from Bergen’s sister city Seattle.

Before the unveiling on Oct. 2 of the same year, in usual Bergensian manner, discussions were taking place. Some thought the work of art would destroy Nordnes Park.

Others wanted to use as it as diving board for the swimming pool there.

Fifty years ago, the totem pole was completed and shipped from the workshop of American Duane Pasco, a respected artist, who has breathed new life into the Northwest tribal art form.

The rain It is a lovely winter day and the sunlight is bursting through the big trees surrounding Pasco’s home and workshop. The artist lives on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle. The island has been the home of many Norwegian settlers, and the nearest town to the artist’s home is Poulsbo, known to many as “Little Norway.”

You find everything from “No Smoking” to “King Olav Parking Place” on the signs of the small town’s picturesque main

Photo: Emil Weatherhead Breistein Duane Pasco had his first exhibit in 1966. His totem poles stand in two locations in Seattle, in Occidental Park and at the Seattle Center. Another one of his totem poles is found in Alaska in Sitka National Historical Park.

street. They have a 17th of May celebration that goes on for an entire weekend under the name of “Viking Festival.”

From Pasco’s workshop, the sound of hammering can be heard. Even if he’s managed to reach the age of 85 [today 89], he’s not slacking off. He appears to be very focused, as he works on something that looks like a large canoe; he doesn’t let himself be interrupted by the banging on the outside door that is heard through all the hammering.

“Come in, come in,” he shouts.

Pasco greets us in Norwegian. He inter-

jects a few Norwegian words or sentences where he thinks they might fit in. But Pasco isn’t Norwegian. He’s not Native American either.

“Once I was interviewed by a newspaper, and when the photographer was going to take a picture of me, the journalist burst out, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute, do you have a costume or some feathers you can put on?’”

Pasco tells us.

“I told him that we don’t do that. Besides, I’m an Irish American, not even Native American,” he adds.

Photo: Emil Weatherhead Breistein The totem pole in Nordnes Park was given to Bergen as a gift in 1970. In the background, you see the Aquarium, with the front facing the fjord.

Grew up in Alaska Pasco shares how he has been interested in different cultures since he was a child.

He grew up near indigenous tribes in Alaska during the 1930s, and he became fascinated with their culture. The Norwegian phrases that he picked up are from a class he took.

“Out of curiosity, I went and signed myself up. I guess I have an ear for language, and I studied and practiced the words each evening.”

Pasco leaves the workshop with us. It is chilly in the shade, but the sun warms things up. All around are works from the artist’s long career in woodcarving: canoes, smaller figures, and totem poles.

We walk past a tree branch that is cut in two, partially whittled. Duane points to it and says: “That’s how I get started when I’m going to get a branch ready for carving. First you first have to make the stem symmetrical and then you have to cut out facets before you lay out where the animal motifs you’ve selected are going to be placed.”

Pasco tells how when he was working on the totem pole for Bergen, there was a person sleeping under the hollowed-out stem.

“One morning I started work at the crack of dawn, and I started hammering on the stem. Suddenly, a shaking and dizzy homeless person came out, a little taken aback by this brutal awakening.”

It was in the oldest part of the Seattle in the center of the city that Pasco worked on the gift to Bergen for one month in a stretch, because he had to get back to the teaching job he had at that time.

“It was work, work, and work. It may have been my best work. Considering that I usually take two to three months for such a big piece, I was satisfied with it. But on

See > TOTEM POLE, page B11

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< TOTEM POLE the other hand, I don’t usually work 13 to 14 hours a day like I did with it.”

Usually it is a tribal chief who orders a totem pole. Explained in simple terms, it is the myths of the great tribal families that determine which motifs are chosen.

But in the case of the totem pole in Bergen, it was the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association (SBSCA) that made the order. At the very top is a bear, then an orca, and at the bottom, a beaver holding a branch.

“Since the totem pole in Bergen was ordered in the usual manner, the SBSCA chose the various motifs. They wanted to have something that was typical for both countries. I don’t know if you have animals in your part of the country, but you have them in Norway, don’t you? The totem pole is made completely of wood, apart from a few elements. When I received pictures of the raised pole, the fin on the back of the orca was mounted upside down.

I got them to change it,” he said with a laugh.

Not from Seattle He was born in Seattle but grew up in Alaska. And it was there that his interest for the tradition-rich art form began. It was also in these areas where totem poles were first built.

Historically, these ornate totem poles were not built by local tribes in Seattle: totem poles were not part of the local culture. It was first after some people from Seattle stole a totem pole from a village in Alaska and put in the center of the city in 1899 that the totem pole became a symbol for the city.

“Many have taken inspiration from the art form. Even if folks aren’t from the tribes,” he said, alluding a bit to himself.

At the time when the order for the Bergen totem pole was placed, Pasco knew so much about the handicraft that he was also an instructor in it. He believes that this is the reason he was selected as the one to build the totem pole.

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Even if the woodworking he does daily differs from the Nordic tradition with its stave churches and Viking motifs, he finds a good deal of inspiration there. The material is the same, and the techniques are similar.

In answer to the question why it took so many years for him to finish the boat that he was so anxious to build, he replied: “I simply didn’t have enough time, but it was so much fun. I’d love to build another one. Next year maybe?”

“When we were going to christen the boat, we thought it would be nice to do it according to tradition. We brought in a ‘Viking’ who had been part of one of the parades in Poulsbo, but he was pretty skeptical.”

The “genuine Viking” had never been out in a small boat before.

From page B10

Contact between the two cities During the unveiling in 1970, the then-mayor of Bergen, Ragnar Juell Morken, gave a speech and said, “The totem pole is a symbol of the contact that the sister cities have with the vast areas that surround the cities, with wilderness and mountains. It is the bear that symbolizes this, while the whale represents the wealth of fisheries, and the beaver with the branch in its mouth is the building force for the two cities’ societies.”

The indigenous tribes liked to put up their totem poles at the entrances to their houses. In Bergen it stands guard at the seaway.

“I don’t know exactly why this place was selected, but it is very fitting,” said Pasco.

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Photo: Emil Weatherhead Breistein Animal faces are central in Northwest Native American wooden sculptures.

“In 1970, there weren’t many around who could build traditional totem poles.”

For a long time, American and Canadian authorities had banned the art form, especially when it came to larger versions.

This ban could be seen as part of the suppression of the indigenous people in North America. For example, the “potlatch” ceremony that took place when a totem pole was raised had been made illegal. A political policy of assimilation was put in place, in which indigenous people were encouraged to blend in with mainstream society and give up their traditions and rituals.

Between 1900 and 1950, very few totem poles were built, and subsequently there weren’t many left with any knowledge of the technique.

From indigenous people to Vikings In the carport next to Duane’s workshop are four seafaring vessels. One stands out, not just because there are three canoes and one boat, but because to Norwegian eyes, the boat looks very Norwegian.

“I finished that one last year. It’s a traditional færing or ‘four-oaring,’ a Viking boat.”

Photo: Emil Weatherhead Breistein In a carport next to his workshop, Duane Pasco was working on four seafaring vessels.

Pasco was, in fact, in Norway six years after the totem pole was erected in the park, not to see his own work but to find out how to build such a boat.

“I was supposed to go to Bergen for the unveiling, but I simply wasn’t able to get off work.”

But after reading about boat builders in Norway who had a hard time finding apprentices, he made up his mind.

“I said to my wife, I’m heading to Norway. I took off, but I came to the boat builder with no money in my pockets.”

The trip was not in vain. Pasco found inspiration among gadgets and keychains.

With rugged and wrinkled hands, he rolls out a worn poster with simple illustrations of all corners of a boat.

“I bought this in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. This is what I’ve used as my template for building the boat. It is said to be one of the small boats that was excavated together with the big ships.”

Originally, he had taken some measurements of the exhibit ship, but after his trip to the souvenir shop, it was just a matter of following the “recipe.”

Hoping for more activity Friendship city, twin city, or sister city: the concept has many names and came to life after World War II. The idea was to bring people and cultures together on various levels.

Lori Ann Reinhall, president of the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association, shares that the two cities have been sister cities since 1967.

“Historically, Seattle has had very strong connections with western Norway, with many similarities in the natural environment: the sea, mountains, and forest,” she said.

“There was also a large number of Norwegian immigrants coming to the area up through the 1970s.”

It was the committee that she is now in charge of that raised the funds to present the gift for Bergen’s jubilee.

“It’s interesting that a Native American totem pole was designed and built to be sent to Bergen since you don’t have anything like it there. A fun idea.”

In the past, there was a lot of activity between the two sister cities, with exchanges between schools and universities, in addition to cultural programs.

“But the interest and number of activities has declined in recent years,” Reinhall said.

She visited Bergen, and her dream has been to strengthen the ties between the two cities again.

“I think it is important to keep this relationship alive, to invigorate it again, especially as we approach our 50-year anniversary next year. We are working with different cultural institutions to try to commemorate it.”

The committee in the United States has also taken on traditions from Bergen and Norway that now live on in Seattle. Each year they celebrate the 17th of May, and they even have their own version of the “Seven-Mountain Hike,” or “Sjufjellsturen” in Norwegian.

The city doesn’t have seven mountains, but its city center is surrounded by seven hills.

In 1976, Pasco headed for Norway to learn about boat building.

Photo: Emil Weatherhead Breistein

B12 • October 23, 2020

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The Northwest Edvard Grieg Society & The Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association present a free virtual concert mini-series:

Featuring Laura Loge, soprano & Steven Luksan, piano Songs and piano works by Grieg, Grøndahl, Hurum, Alnæs, Olsen, and Luksan

Featuring Allion Salvador & Rachel Nesvig, violins, Aleida Gehrels, viola & Lauren McShcane, cello String quartets by Grieg, Grainger, Gershwin, & Montgomery

Featuring Charlie Albright, piano, Allion Salvador, violin, Rachel Nesvig, violin & Hardanger ddle, Aleida Gehrels, viola & Lauren McShane, cello Piano & strings works & improvisations by Grieg, Gershwin, Nesvig, & Albright

Available virtually at www.nwegriegsociety.org Filmed by the Seattle Channel at the National Nordic Museum

This concert is made possible thanks to the generosity of