Archive by Author
Akevitt-the Norwegian flavored spirt otherwise known as “Water of Life” Posted by kari on Oct 15, 2011
Akevitt (Norwegian spelling), akvavit and aquavit-however you prefer to spell it, is a delicious flavored (many are probably mumbling “speak for yourself” right now…) spirit home to Scandinavia-Norway, Sweden, and Denmark in particular. Brandy is known by the French as “eau de vie” (Water of Life). Of course I will be focusing on Norwegian Akevitt!…
The Norwegian King and Queen Visit the Midwest, New York Posted by kari on Oct 11, 2011
Kong Harold and Dronning Sonja arrive in the United States today to embark on a 12 day journey that will take them to the great midwest (read: I was born and raised and currently reside in Northfield, MN-one destination for the royal couple) and none other than the Big Apple for a ball! Other members…
Tromsø now has a Porsche dealer! Posted by kari on Oct 8, 2011
What? Tromsø just became home to the world´s northernmost Porsche bilforretning (car dealership)? Now that is pretty cool. Who would ever think that the German bilforretning (to be sure, the founder was Austrian…) would come to northern Norway, one of the geographically most isolated parts of the world? My initial reactions as far as what…
Strange and interesting facts about Norway Posted by kari on Sep 30, 2011
Working for a company headquartered in a foreign country really makes cultural differences apparent. My colleagues and I often feel like anthropologists studying the potential reasons and implications for these cultural differences. Since I have spent more time in Norway than I have in the Netherlands, I have become very used to the differences between…
Typical travel related questions in Norwegian Posted by kari on Sep 30, 2011
My job has given me the opportunity to do quite a bit of traveling. Every month I travel somewhere for at least a few days, sometimes 2 weeks. Although my colleagues and I usually have some sort of connection with someone who either lives or has lived in the cities we visit, we still find…
Norwegian Baby Names Posted by kari on Sep 28, 2011
Although I am not planning on having barn (children) for some years yet, I often find myself brainstorming options for baby navn (names). I have always been of the opinion that it must be extremely difficult to choose a navn that will stick with your barn for the rest of his or her life…
Disappointing Autumn Colors in Norway Posted by kari on Sep 21, 2011
I was on a run with my dog in the nearby woods after work yesterday and remembered that last year at this time, I was not at home in Minnesota. I was enjoying høsten (the fall) in Tromsø. In fact, at exactly this time last year, I was returning from a jakttur (hunting trip). I…