Greetings from Norway

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Trollstigen (The Troll road) will soon open for traffic:

Road soon ready for opening

The Trollstigen road has been plowed through, and only finishing touches remain before it can open for the season.

Control engineer Dag Christian Ugseth says in a press release that the crew has made it all the way through the section and is now starting the final work.
– We have now plowed through and are working on the finishing touches. We are clearing parking lots, putting up signs and making minor repairs after the winter.
There is currently no set opening date. Trollstigen will open as soon as conditions make it safe.

Source: Vegen snart klar for opning - smp.no

[Hogsnort]

I prefer the piano wire type cheese cutters.

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@Hogsnort

piano wire type cheese cutters

Could that be because you have never tried a Norwegian cheese slicer?

cheese slicer domination #norge #cheeseslicer #ostehøvel #norway #norsk

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Ålesund in the late 1930s:

Photo by Solveig Nybøen. Posted by: Burning John Cole
Text: "A very old photo that my great-grandmother Solveig Nybøen took in Ålesund either in the late 1930s or early 1940s.!"|16x16
Same today:

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Anybody here who have tried “Smalahove” (Sheeps head)?:

Link: Authentic Norwegian Smalahove smoked sheep's head recipe - SY Selkie

If not, here is a detailed description from Quora:

David Tuffley
For those who don’t know: Smalahove is a salted, smoked and then steamed sheep’s head. It is a dish found mainly in Western Norway, especially in the counties around Bergen, and is usually eaten in the weeks before Christmas, served with turnips and mashed potatoes.

It’s a nutritious winter dish – one that tastes better than it looks in pictures.

But how does it taste? The meat itself, especially the cheek, is considered the best part. It’s rich, fatty, and very flavorful—somewhere between slow-roasted lamb and something more smoky and intense. It falls off the bone easily. The ear is chewy and gristly. The skin, softened by the long cooking time, carries most of the smoky flavor. It has a gelatinous consistency that some love, while others find off-putting. The eye is soft, mild, and fatty, with a texture similar to a poached egg yolk.

And then there’s the brain. It’s usually spooned straight out of the skull and has a mild, creamy, almost buttery flavor with virtually no gamey flavor.

Today, however, the consumption of sheep brain has become far less common due to concerns about prion diseases – from the same family as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease). In some places, it is actively discouraged. Today, many Norwegians who still eat smalahove omit the brain.

Smalahove recalls a time when people suffered from hunger in the winter. The dish utilizes the entire slaughtered sheep, and people were grateful for the sheep’s sacrifice.

Source: https://qr.ae/pFIbJ8

[Hogsnort]

Oh we have two. One made inJapan the other Rosfrei, Norwegian?

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Like this one?:

Vintage 80s German Stainless Steel Cheese Slicer.
“Edel Stahl Rostfrei” (Stanless Steel) printed on the back of handle?
Source: https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/635775194/vintage-80s-german-stainless-steel?

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18K views · 679 reactions | How beautiful is this! This isn’t liquid metal…...

PS: Skjolden is at the inner end of Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway. (From Wikipedia):
The Sognefjord is Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, with a length of 205 km and a depth of 1,303 m at its deepest point [ 1 ] including Lake Sognefjord , which is at the far end of the North Sea. [ 2 ] The Sognefjord has the deepest point on the Norwegian coast. The fjord is 176–180 km from the innermost part of Lusterfjorden ( Skjolden ) to Sognefest , and 206 km to the outermost skerries (which also includes Lake Sognefjorden). The width varies from about 1 to 2 km in Lusterfjorden to 4–5 km from Leikanger and beyond. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Measured from the threshold of Skjolden, the fjord is 174 km. [ 5 ]
Skjolden;

Discover Norway's Hidden Gem in Skjolden

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298K views · 6.6K reactions | What do you do with a ski jump in the...

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First day with two large Cruise ships visiting Ålesund this season:

11,600 cruise tourists in Ålesund

However, even more passengers are expected in just one month.

Tourists are streaming out of the “AIDAnova”. The ship is docked in Ålesund until 4:00 p.m. Wednesday. Photo: Kevin Finsæther

“Iona” will depart from the dock at 6:00 PM on Wednesday.
Photo: Kevin Finsæther

– This is the biggest day so far this year and will definitely be one of the biggest days during 2026. It is positive that the season starts so early and that the city is filled with people, says Synnøve Johnsen of the Ålesund Region Port Authority to Sunnmørsposten.
On Wednesday, the ships “Iona” and “AIDAnova” docked. On board were 11,616 passengers, of whom 1,500 were children, Johnsen said.

Even more passengers are expected when “AIDAnova” and “Euribia” dock on May 20, with a combined maximum capacity of 12,988 passengers. The ships will also dock simultaneously on certain dates each month from June to September, according to the Port Authority’s overview of cruise calls .

Euribia has been stuck in Dubai for several weeks due to the unrest in the Middle East, but is now on its way back to Northern Europe.
This means that the trip to Ålesund on May 20th will go as planned.

Many of those Sunnmørsposten talks to say that Fjellstua is the big goal for the day:

The stairs to Fjellstua at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday.
Photo: Eric Kjerstad Solheim

Johnsen of the Port Authority is experiencing good traffic in the city center on Wednesday.
– With two large ships, there will be extra pressure in the city. I have been and looked at the various streets. There is a smooth flow, and I have not experienced any traffic jams. The largest flow of people was between 10 and 10.30, says Johnsen.
She says that people poured out of the ships from the morning onwards, with boat trips to Geiranger, among other places, and bus trips all the way to Stranda.
– The stairs to Fjellstua are well visited, and we obviously think it’s nice to have people in town, concludes Johnsen.

Source: 11.600 cruise­turister i Ålesund - smp.no

Cruiseanløp - Cruise calls - Ålesund havn

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Atlanterhavsparken aquarium in Ålesund on a busy spring day:

Hva med en tur innom @atlanterhavsparkenalesund denne søndagen? | Ålesund...

Plenty more about the various attractions at the Atlantic Park here:

Atlanterhavsparken Aquarium

PS: You can choose from 11 languages to read and enjoy the presentation.

One of the most popular attraction is feeding time at the penguin pool:

Penguins

Happy World Penguins Day: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1KSZk16NPk/

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Know your Nordic countries?:

229K views · 3.4K reactions | Best Things About Nordic Countries? 🤔 | Gustav...

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Back to spectacular Norwegian railways and a climb to Nesaksla:

331K views · 5.4K reactions | THE MOST AMAZNIG Train Ride Through NORWAY 😍 |...

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Seen from a less known route to get to the lookout point Fjellstua:

Iona og Aida Nova alongside together. Photo: Bjørnar Berg

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Spring was here a few days ago, with sunshine and 20C.
Today we have King Winter paying a (hopefully short) visit:

A polar low sends cold weather south.

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Looking for a place to retire?:

80K views · 2.2K reactions | Many miles off the coast of Norway you’ll find...

Træna - Visit Helgeland

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Norwegians apresiate their day of rest:

94K views · 2.2K reactions | Sunday Shopping in Norway 🇳🇴 You arrive in...

Beer can NOT be purchased in shops after 8 PM on weekdays, or after 6PM on Saturdays. No beer sales in Sunday open shops.
PS: Only beer under 4.7% alcohol by volum are sold in groseru

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Today marks 81 years since the end of WWII in Europe (VE-day).
In Ålesund the day was marked with flowers and candles at the statue of Joachim Rønneberg, the leader of the group “Gunnerside” that blew up the heavy water facilities at Rjukan, stopping the Germans from developing nuclear weapons:

Freedom is not free

– I hope we don’t forget our history.

Mayor Håkon Lykkebø Strand and members of parliament Mahmoud Farahmand and Monica Molvær. Photo: Knut M. Tjørstad

May 8, 2026 marks 81 years since the German occupation of Norway ended. This was marked throughout Ålesund municipality on Friday.
It all started with a flag-raising at Sandøytunet on Friday morning, and ended ceremoniously at the square named after the war hero and resistance fighter Joachim H. Rønneberg. In the meantime, the politicians had visited Spjelkavik Primary School and walked among the memorials in central Ålesund.
– There are stories that many have never dared to tell, and there are many who have never dared to ask about their family stories. But they will live on, said Monica Molvær.

Two of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ medals for international service were awarded. Photo: Knut M. Tjørstad

Member of Parliament Mahmoud Farahmand (H) spoke about the contrasts he experienced when he came from Iran to Hareid in the late 1980s.
– In Iran, slogans against the enemy were preached over megaphones at school. That was not the case in Hjørungavåg. Now the war in Ukraine has brought brutality closer than in many decades, and it requires effort and solidarity.
Farahmand, who himself has a background from the Armed Forces and the War College, highlighted those who wear the uniform today.
– They are the veterans of the future, and a guarantee of our freedom, so that we can live as we want. The families will not receive a medal, but they deserve our deepest gratitude for lending their loved ones.

From the commemoration at Joachim H. Rønnebergs plass.
Photo: Knut M. Tjørstad

Free again: Children, youth and adults on Borgundvegen celebrate peace on May 8, 1945. Photo: Archive

Source: Frihet er ikke gratis - smp.no