I remember reading about the QE2 timing her 2nd visit that year on the 23. June and the departure to pass by Slinningsbaalet just as it was at it’s prime. (Around 2330-2400 hrs.)
The “young punks” that was the “Baalsjefer” that year stated that; “we haven’t spent weeks to build it for some tourists. We’ll burn it when we please”.
There will also be Firework before the bonfire takes hold:
PS> No “Daylight fireworks on Saturday night” is not a contradiction in terms at this latitude at this time of the year.
Then it is over for this year. Slinningsbaalet is nothing but a heap of glos and a memory.
(And we are heading for darker nights again)
This years fireworks was quite spectacular:
The Royal Yacht Norge, with Queen Sonja on board, paid a visit to view the bonfire on her way from Geiranger to Kristansund:
But the center of activity was still Slinningsbaalet. Here they are on their way to the top to light the fire, precisely at 2100 hrs.:
Burning:
By Midnight it was almost done:
Looks like fun.
I guess lighting from the bottom would have been too easy.
I’m thinking it would collapse too soon otherwise.
Yes and rather stupid.
To hit inside that barrel at the top by shooting flares from the ground would be difficult.
But maybe they’ll come up with a way to use a drone sometime in the future. (If HSE is imposed on them)
I wouldn’t want to climb to the top of that thing, just going up a 16’ ladder gives me the creeps now.
What’s rather stupid is not coming up with a better way than to climb up there dragging 5 gallon buckets. 
Oh they are thinking of it. Maybe import some Swedes to do this dangerous job?
Since they have had time to watch the news today, there MAY be some other candidates that they could considered. Rednecks from Tulsa, Oklahoma appears to be suitable. They don’t worry too much about safety and know what a “5 gallon bucket” is. (Swedes wouldn’t have a clue)
How big is the fence between you and Sweden? Ha Ha
No fence (forbidden), just an abyss.
I wish I could visit Norway on Midsommar. Must be exciting 
No fence.(Or Wall)
As Urs says, that is forbidden. (May hinder the free movement of wolfs and “domesticated” reindeers)
In fact it is hard to know when you cross the border, until you hit a road sign with some written text, or you meet someone that talk funny.
Until Covid-19 pandemic hit it was easy to move between the two countries, but the difference in the way that was/is handled has stopped a lot of Swedes from coming to Norway for work, and Norwegians from going to Sweden for cheap(er) booze, cigs, meat and sugary drinks.
Two more of the Royal Yacht Norge on approach:
She is quite a sight.
Here is some details:
https://www.royalcourt.no/artikkel.html?tid=29296&sek=27324
Finally; Royal Yacht Norge has got there:
It got a little crowded around her.
From the boats you could hear loud (maybe not so melodious) singing. Someone even had a trumpet to blow a fanfare in honour of the Queen.
This was once the Royal Yacht Piet Hein named after a Dutch admiral and privateer for the Dutch Republic during the Eighty Years’ War. Hein was the first and the last to capture a large part of a Spanish treasure fleet which transported huge amounts of gold and silver from Spanish America to Spain. The Norge and Piet Hein are of the same age. The Piet Hein is much smaller then the Norge, 33 m versus 80 meter, but then we don’t throw around money, there are limits.
Piet Hein’s statue was recently vandalized with words like Killer and Thief, also with red paint. He was a warrior seafarer who never was in the slave trade also because he was against that trade. Stupidity rules.
The Royal Yacht Piet Hein was the Dutch people’s gift to the royal family in 1937. The yacht was owned by the Royals but maintained and manned by the Royal Dutch Navy. In 1980 parliament decided that in view of the enormous wealth of the royals, € 180 million versus Norway € 27 million, they could themselves maintain the ship and not the Dutch taxpayer. They are fifth in wealth in royal circles, not bad for a country the size of a postage stamp. Queen Elizabeth has € 500 million in the bank but corrected for the number of inhabitants of us and the U.K. we win with € 685 against a meager € 500 million of the British royals. But then the Dutch royals had to work very hard for their money. And it is the reason that they are always smiling.
Next thing that happened, the Dutch are often scrooges, was that they handed back the gift in 1980. The saying goes that the copper wire was invented by the Dutch when two men were fighting over a copper cent. The ship is now in care of a foundation that raises money for maintenance by doing Rotterdam harbour tours.
Then the “real” St.Hans Eve has been and gone. Bonfires of a smaller kind was lite all around the country:
While boats were out on the fjords and harbours to celebrate:
And here I have been told for many years it was the Scots that invented copper wire in much the same way. . . .
Maybe a Scot and a Dutchie fighting over a copper coin??
(But I heard that a Swede grabbed the coin and run off with it before they managed to stretch it much)
