"If one man can show that much hate,
imagine how much love we can show together..."
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Kaizers Orchestra
It's that time of the year again...The one week in which normally peaceful town of Molde turns into the mecca for jazz lovers from far and near...It's time for Moldejazz - the Molde International Jazz Festival.
Personally I can't stand jazz....To me it seems like most jazz musicians have decided to form a band, but haven't agreed upon playing the same piece at the same time. Luckily Moldejazz also offers some concerts for people like me!
The non-jazzy concerts are normally held at Romsdalsmuseet - the local open air museum - and with the Norwegian band Kaizers Orchestra on the programme this year...we just had to be there!
It was pouring down during most of the concert, but Kaizers Orchestra was brilliant and absolutely worth getting soaked for! After opening with their latest and weather appropriate song Tusen dråper regn (Thousand Drops of Rain), they played all the greatest hits from their last album and from the last decade. Definitely a day to remember!
Personally I can't stand jazz....To me it seems like most jazz musicians have decided to form a band, but haven't agreed upon playing the same piece at the same time. Luckily Moldejazz also offers some concerts for people like me!
The non-jazzy concerts are normally held at Romsdalsmuseet - the local open air museum - and with the Norwegian band Kaizers Orchestra on the programme this year...we just had to be there!
It was pouring down during most of the concert, but Kaizers Orchestra was brilliant and absolutely worth getting soaked for! After opening with their latest and weather appropriate song Tusen dråper regn (Thousand Drops of Rain), they played all the greatest hits from their last album and from the last decade. Definitely a day to remember!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Patchellhytta & Slogen
Bzzzzz..... Is it another mosquito trying to get a sample of my apparently quite tasty blood, just like the hundreds of other mosquitos that have tried just before? No, thank God....it's just the alarm clock!
It's Sunday morning, 7 AM .....and we are waking up at one of the many cabins Den Norske Turistforening (DNT) - the Norwegian Trekking Association - has all across Norway. Patchellhytta is the name of the cabin we just spent the night at - a cabin in the Habostaddalen valley, right in between Stranda and Øye, just a little southeast from Ålesund.
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Every muscle in my body tells me that what we did yesterday, definitely won't pass by unnoticed...What did we do? Well....it won't be an understatement if I say that we hiked and climbed up the most spectacular mountain we have ascended in Norway...so far that is...
It all started on Friday evening. We had planned on renting a couple of sea kayaks to paddle off the coast of the island of Averøya - discovering it's many small bays and islets, and camping out on one of them during the weekend....but the weather forecast made us change our minds....What to do now? Plan B: we pack our hiking equipment and sleeping bags, and drive southwards to Stranda - following the sun.
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While following the trail marked with the famous red T 's as all of the DNT's trails, I almost feel like some sort of divine power up above is orchestrating a fabulous concert, where the loud thundering of the many mighty waterfalls all of sudden is given a decrescendo to let us become aware of the unrythmical yet melodious tinkling of the sheep bells.
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After hiking for nearly an hour, the valley broadens and not only the cabin comes into sight, also the main goal of this weekend - the peak of Slogen (1564 metres above sealevel) .
We continue along the trail towards the cabin, and after securing one of the few two person bedrooms for the night and a short lunch break, we're off to hike up Slogen. I'm quite anxious as my hubby has been trying to prepare me mentally for the last 50 metres before the summit - apparently so steep that I will need not only both hands and feet, but also a good portion of mental strength....
Nearly two hours after we left the cabin - enjoying incredible views of the Habostaddalen valley and the surrounding peaks, we have come to the steep bit... My stomach turns into a knot, but I am determined...I will reach the summit!
Half an hour later my stomach turns into a knot yet again...This time from the view from the summit - a view of 1564 metres straight down the the fjord down below. I did it! I did it! I can't belief I am at the summit of Slogen!
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With dark clouds moving in faster than we like, we only get a little bit of rest before we start the long way back down to the cabin - a cabin that looks tiny from so high up.
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Halfway down the mountain we meet upon a lady sitting all alone. Whereas Norwegians normally are quite introvert and hard to get in touch with, up on the mountains and out in nature it is common courtesy to greet the hikers you meet along the way and have a little chat - probably only to make sure that everyone is ok and not left alone when in need of help. The lady tells us she is waiting for her brother to return from the summit, who she agreed upon to meet up with again down at the cabin. She started the descend, but didn't dare to walk further down all alone...so we offer her to come along with us, as we see that she did have neither warm enough clothes nor food with her.
Back at the cabin, she thanks us for the help on the way down...but she doesn't seem to relax yet as she is quite aware of the long way down her brother still has to come. My hubby and I are both pretty hungry and tired from the long hike up the valley and up Slogen....so after preparing dinner, we say goodbye to our hiking companion and settle in for the night, with the alarm clock set on 7 AM sharp. "Nighty night, honey! Thanks for a lovely day!"
Bzzzzz....It's the alarm clock waking us up at 7AM. Why so early? Well, with the cabin completely filled up to it's maximum capacity of 50 persons, you kind of want to be the first to be able to use the kitchen to boil water for a morning wash and for a harty breakfast of oatmeal porridge....
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It's still early when we leave the cabin, clean for the next hikers to use. The valley seems to have woken up together with us, as we start to hear birds chirping, sheep bells tinkling and water rushing down the falls...We have the trail to ourselves. In two hours we'll be back at Liaseter - back in society, back to reality...
It's Sunday morning, 7 AM .....and we are waking up at one of the many cabins Den Norske Turistforening (DNT) - the Norwegian Trekking Association - has all across Norway. Patchellhytta is the name of the cabin we just spent the night at - a cabin in the Habostaddalen valley, right in between Stranda and Øye, just a little southeast from Ålesund.
It all started on Friday evening. We had planned on renting a couple of sea kayaks to paddle off the coast of the island of Averøya - discovering it's many small bays and islets, and camping out on one of them during the weekend....but the weather forecast made us change our minds....What to do now? Plan B: we pack our hiking equipment and sleeping bags, and drive southwards to Stranda - following the sun.
A couple of hours and ferries later, we arrive at the start of the trail taking us from Liaseter to the Patchellhytta cabin, up the Habostaddalen valley. My hubby has been here before and knows what's up ahead...I am still clueless of the majestic and beautiful valley right at our feet - a valley that would make any human feel tiny and insignificant.
While following the trail marked with the famous red T 's as all of the DNT's trails, I almost feel like some sort of divine power up above is orchestrating a fabulous concert, where the loud thundering of the many mighty waterfalls all of sudden is given a decrescendo to let us become aware of the unrythmical yet melodious tinkling of the sheep bells.
After hiking for nearly an hour, the valley broadens and not only the cabin comes into sight, also the main goal of this weekend - the peak of Slogen (1564 metres above sealevel) .
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| Me with Patchellhytta and the summit of Jakta in the background |
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| Slogen |
Nearly two hours after we left the cabin - enjoying incredible views of the Habostaddalen valley and the surrounding peaks, we have come to the steep bit... My stomach turns into a knot, but I am determined...I will reach the summit!
Half an hour later my stomach turns into a knot yet again...This time from the view from the summit - a view of 1564 metres straight down the the fjord down below. I did it! I did it! I can't belief I am at the summit of Slogen!
 |
| View of Øye and Norangsfjorden |
Halfway down the mountain we meet upon a lady sitting all alone. Whereas Norwegians normally are quite introvert and hard to get in touch with, up on the mountains and out in nature it is common courtesy to greet the hikers you meet along the way and have a little chat - probably only to make sure that everyone is ok and not left alone when in need of help. The lady tells us she is waiting for her brother to return from the summit, who she agreed upon to meet up with again down at the cabin. She started the descend, but didn't dare to walk further down all alone...so we offer her to come along with us, as we see that she did have neither warm enough clothes nor food with her.
Back at the cabin, she thanks us for the help on the way down...but she doesn't seem to relax yet as she is quite aware of the long way down her brother still has to come. My hubby and I are both pretty hungry and tired from the long hike up the valley and up Slogen....so after preparing dinner, we say goodbye to our hiking companion and settle in for the night, with the alarm clock set on 7 AM sharp. "Nighty night, honey! Thanks for a lovely day!"
Bzzzzz....It's the alarm clock waking us up at 7AM. Why so early? Well, with the cabin completely filled up to it's maximum capacity of 50 persons, you kind of want to be the first to be able to use the kitchen to boil water for a morning wash and for a harty breakfast of oatmeal porridge....
It's still early when we leave the cabin, clean for the next hikers to use. The valley seems to have woken up together with us, as we start to hear birds chirping, sheep bells tinkling and water rushing down the falls...We have the trail to ourselves. In two hours we'll be back at Liaseter - back in society, back to reality...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Today I finished reading Gebroken licht - the Dutch translation of Kim Edward's The Memory Keeper's Daughter - a book I received as a birthday present from my mom.
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Families have secrets they hide even from themselves...It should have been an ordinary birth, the start of an ordinary happy family. But the night Dr David Henry delivers his wife's twins is a night that will haunt five lives for ever. For though David's son is a healthy boy, his daughter has Down's syndrome. And, in a shocking act of betrayal whose consequences only time will reveal, he tells his wife their daughter died while secretly entrusting her care to a nurse. As grief quietly tears apart David's family, so a little girl must make her own way in the world as best she can.
I really looked forward to reading this book as it had gotten good reviews, but this novel by Edwards disappointed me. In my opinion, the pace of the plot is too slow and the plot itself too predictable.
Families have secrets they hide even from themselves...It should have been an ordinary birth, the start of an ordinary happy family. But the night Dr David Henry delivers his wife's twins is a night that will haunt five lives for ever. For though David's son is a healthy boy, his daughter has Down's syndrome. And, in a shocking act of betrayal whose consequences only time will reveal, he tells his wife their daughter died while secretly entrusting her care to a nurse. As grief quietly tears apart David's family, so a little girl must make her own way in the world as best she can.
I really looked forward to reading this book as it had gotten good reviews, but this novel by Edwards disappointed me. In my opinion, the pace of the plot is too slow and the plot itself too predictable.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Moldevatnet
While it was raining during the day, it finally cleared up early in the evening. With a scarce number of sunny days here in Norway, we want to make the most of those hours of sunshine.... So we got out together with the sun and went for a lovely stroll in Moldemarka - the forests surrounding Molde - to our second Stikk UT! post: Moldevatnet.
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Moldevatnet is one of the lakes in the forest, and quite an important lake as well, as it supplies the inhabitants of Molde with clean drinking-water.
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After a rest at the dam, writing our names into the achievement book and collecting the Stikk UT! code for this post, we walked back home - refreshed and with new energy to tackle the rest of the week.
Moldevatnet is one of the lakes in the forest, and quite an important lake as well, as it supplies the inhabitants of Molde with clean drinking-water.
After a rest at the dam, writing our names into the achievement book and collecting the Stikk UT! code for this post, we walked back home - refreshed and with new energy to tackle the rest of the week.
Olive Herb Focaccia
To get into the mood for our holiday to Italy later this year, I made a olive herb focaccia today. The first focaccia I have ever made....and the result was magnificent!
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Olive Herb Focaccia
(makes 1)
Ingredients:
25 gr fresh yeast
4 dl water, approx. 37 degrees Celsius
0,5 dl olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp dried oregano
approx. 1 ltr all-purpose flour
30 black/green olives, destoned and halfed
sea salt flakes
Preparation:
1.) Crumble the fresh yeast into a medium sized bowl and add some of the water to dissolve the yeast.
2.) Add the rest of the water, as well as the olive oil, salt and oregano.
3.) Add the flour bit by bit until it turns into a sticky but manageable dough. Don't add to much flour, as this will result in a less fluffy focaccia.
4.) Cover the bowl with clingfilm and let the dough rise for about 40 minutes.
5.) Transfer the dough to a baking tray (30 x 40cm) covered with baking parchment.
6.) Push the halfed and destoned olives into the dough.
7.) Cover the dough with a little olive oil and some sea salt flakes.
8.) Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.
9.) Set aside to cool down on a oven rack.
Serve lukewarm together with pasta or serve as a sandwich with pesto and salami.
Enjoy!
Olive Herb Focaccia
(makes 1)
Ingredients:
25 gr fresh yeast
4 dl water, approx. 37 degrees Celsius
0,5 dl olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp dried oregano
approx. 1 ltr all-purpose flour
30 black/green olives, destoned and halfed
sea salt flakes
Preparation:
1.) Crumble the fresh yeast into a medium sized bowl and add some of the water to dissolve the yeast.
2.) Add the rest of the water, as well as the olive oil, salt and oregano.
3.) Add the flour bit by bit until it turns into a sticky but manageable dough. Don't add to much flour, as this will result in a less fluffy focaccia.
4.) Cover the bowl with clingfilm and let the dough rise for about 40 minutes.
5.) Transfer the dough to a baking tray (30 x 40cm) covered with baking parchment.
6.) Push the halfed and destoned olives into the dough.
7.) Cover the dough with a little olive oil and some sea salt flakes.
8.) Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.
9.) Set aside to cool down on a oven rack.
Serve lukewarm together with pasta or serve as a sandwich with pesto and salami.
Enjoy!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
A Wedding to Remember...
Today our friends Magnhild and Konrad finally got married!
The lovely couple had asked me to takes photos throughout the whole day, so that they would be able to remember it all. I took nearly 1300 photos - some fantastic, some great and some pretty good. I still will need to edit them before passing them on to the newly weds, but I can't wait to hear their response!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Banana Walnut Cake
With a couple of brown bananas in our fruit bowl, it was about time to make some cake!
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Banana Walnut Cake
(Ø 20cm)
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1,75 dl olive oil
3 tbsp milk
300 gr sugar
150 gr all-purpose flour
10 gr baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0,5 tsp ground ginger
100 gr walnuts, coarsely chopped
Preparation:
1.) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2.) Mash the bananas in a medium sized bowl.
3.) Add the eggs, oil and milk and stir.
4.) Add the sugar and stir.
5.) Add the flour and spices and stir.
6.) Add the walnuts and stir.
7.) Transfer the dough into a springform lined with baking parchment.
8.) Bake the cake on the lower rack of the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake needle comes out clean.
9.) Set aside on a rack to cool down.
Enjoy!
Banana Walnut Cake
(Ø 20cm)
Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1,75 dl olive oil
3 tbsp milk
300 gr sugar
150 gr all-purpose flour
10 gr baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0,5 tsp ground ginger
100 gr walnuts, coarsely chopped
Preparation:
1.) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2.) Mash the bananas in a medium sized bowl.
3.) Add the eggs, oil and milk and stir.
4.) Add the sugar and stir.
5.) Add the flour and spices and stir.
6.) Add the walnuts and stir.
7.) Transfer the dough into a springform lined with baking parchment.
8.) Bake the cake on the lower rack of the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake needle comes out clean.
9.) Set aside on a rack to cool down.
Enjoy!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tarnished Beauty
Another great book by Cecilia Samartin....definitely a good book to read this summer!
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Jamilet is a beautiful young woman marred by a shockingly gruesome birthmark that spills over her back and down her legs like a hideous cape of blood. She is shunned by the villagers of her rural Mexican town and escapes illegally across the border to Los Angeles in search of medical salvation.
After acquiring false documents, Jamilet finds work at a mental hospital where she is assigned to look after disagreeable and mysterious Señor Peregrino. She has strict orders to keep her distance, but when Peregrino cleverly snags possession of her papers, Jamilet begrudgingly agrees to listen to his story in order to win them back. Together they return to the days of his youth, when he embarked upon a mystical and romantic journey along Spain's legendary Road to Santiago.
Jamilet and Señor Peregrino forge a spiritual bond that is more healing to them both than modern medicine could ever be.
Have a good read!
Jamilet is a beautiful young woman marred by a shockingly gruesome birthmark that spills over her back and down her legs like a hideous cape of blood. She is shunned by the villagers of her rural Mexican town and escapes illegally across the border to Los Angeles in search of medical salvation.
After acquiring false documents, Jamilet finds work at a mental hospital where she is assigned to look after disagreeable and mysterious Señor Peregrino. She has strict orders to keep her distance, but when Peregrino cleverly snags possession of her papers, Jamilet begrudgingly agrees to listen to his story in order to win them back. Together they return to the days of his youth, when he embarked upon a mystical and romantic journey along Spain's legendary Road to Santiago.
Jamilet and Señor Peregrino forge a spiritual bond that is more healing to them both than modern medicine could ever be.
Have a good read!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Atlanterhavsløpet - The Atlantic Road Run
A couple of weeks ago I did it....I challenged myself by signing up for The Atlantic Road Run - a 12.5K run across the famous Atlantic Road from Kårvåg at Averøy to Bryn Stadion at Vevang.
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I prepared for the run by running on the treadmill at the local gym, but after a small accident in the kitchen where I got second degree burns on my left foot (...never put boiling hot cauliflower soup into a blender!!!...), I couldn't run for a while. So with only a couple of runs on the treadmill before the Atlantic Road Run, I seemed to have set myself up for disaster....but a challenge wouldn't be a challenge without a couple of hurdles along the way....so I showed up at the start anyway and just hoped I would be able to finish. My hubby guessed that if I would finish, that I would use 1 hour and 19 minutes......I just hoped I would finish within 1 hour and 30 minutes, and definitely not be the last person to finish...if I did finish at all!
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Well, all my hopes and dreams were surpassed by actually finishing the local run and beating the time my hubby had guessed! I finished in 1 hour 11 minutes and 43 seconds! I am hooked....I have definitely been bitten by the running bug and can't wait to participate in another run!
I prepared for the run by running on the treadmill at the local gym, but after a small accident in the kitchen where I got second degree burns on my left foot (...never put boiling hot cauliflower soup into a blender!!!...), I couldn't run for a while. So with only a couple of runs on the treadmill before the Atlantic Road Run, I seemed to have set myself up for disaster....but a challenge wouldn't be a challenge without a couple of hurdles along the way....so I showed up at the start anyway and just hoped I would be able to finish. My hubby guessed that if I would finish, that I would use 1 hour and 19 minutes......I just hoped I would finish within 1 hour and 30 minutes, and definitely not be the last person to finish...if I did finish at all!
Well, all my hopes and dreams were surpassed by actually finishing the local run and beating the time my hubby had guessed! I finished in 1 hour 11 minutes and 43 seconds! I am hooked....I have definitely been bitten by the running bug and can't wait to participate in another run!
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