All about Norway

[Arvedui]

OK, the purpose of this thread is not to debate. The purpose is to post patriotic qoutes, speechs, facts, etc. To post here, I would like it if you're Norwegian.

I wish to thank a fellow Forum member who started this sort of threads, and I hope that other Forum members from different countries start similar threads.

I'll start with a quote from the signing of the Norwegian constitution:

"Agreed and faithful we stand, until Dovre falls!"

[Ithilin]

uhm..just wodering, are you norwegian?
I'm not but I've lived in Norway almost my whole life...
so, what do you do at a Norwegian patriotism thread?

[Arvedui]

The purpose is to post patriotic qoutes, speechs, facts, etc.

Other than that? Anything pro-norwegian!

Which I am, by the way.

[Nóm]

Originally posted by Arvedui
Other than that? Anything pro-norwegian!

Which I am, by the way.
I am 25% Norwegian!

But I have never been to Norway and don't know any quotes that I can post. :(

[Arvedui]

The proof that you are 25% Norwegian is in my view patriotic enough. Wow! I didn't know that.

[Tuilin]

Im norwegian too.
Ja vi elsker dette landet, som det stiger frem...
:rolleyes:
17.mai is on a Saturday :mad:
Why cant it be on a weekday?:mad:

[Arvedui]

I agree. Such a waste of a perfectly good day off from work. It is a good thing that may 18th is on a Sunday, though....

[Tuilin]

Not really.
17.mai on a Friday would be good.
Or Monday...
Any weekday really..

[Ithilin]

I almost forgot about 17. mai!..but then again I forgot my own birthday and April Fool's day aswell:D

[Ithilin]

hahaaa I like your sig. Arvedui:D
I read that story by Ludvig Holberg at school...

[Tuilin]

I read it too.
Jeppe paa Bjerget:D

[Ithilin]

"..det er typisk norsk å være god!.."

sorry, just had to write that:D

[Ithilin]

howcome I only have 45 posts??? thought I had more than that>=(


*grumblegrumbleevil mods grumble*

[Tuilin]

That happend to me too:mad:
But when you post in Stuff and Bother the posts dont count...

[tookish-girl]

Hello! What an excellent thread idea!

I'm not Norweigan at all, but I have been there and would just like to say that the Oslo-Bergen rail-line is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.
The snow-drfits were absolutle magnificent, it was so beautiful, I've never seen countryside like it!

[Ithilin]

I've taken that trip too!! loads of times...(about every time we get visitors) and it's really great!

did you take the small, old-fashioned train from Flåm (the tiny little town right smack in the middle between two tall mountain sides, at the end of a fjord) to where-was-it-again-gah-can't-remember?
The train stops RIGHT infront of a raging waterfall, where you can get out, and suddenly you hear music playing all around you and this woman (troll/elf) in a red dress pops out of nowhere and sings on this rock/balcony near the water...it's really cool:D

[Arvedui]

Originally posted by Tuilin
I read it too.
Jeppe paa Bjerget:D

Not exactly. It is Erasmus Montanus.:D

[Tuilin]

Huh?
Erasmus Montanus??

[Ithilin]

it's this other crazy book...

[Mindy_O_Lluin]

I know very little about Norway. Maybe we can use these patriotism threads to share information about our various countries. Like, who are some famous or historical or literary people produced there, or inventions, interesting details, or special scenic spots like you guys have already touched on. Special foods are what I am interested in. We Americans have so many mixed cultures and foods, we can't really call anything unique to ourselves. (Also, feel free to dispel any unwaranted myths.)

[menchu]

I agree on the culture share there. I'm looking forward to learning about some good stuff from Norway, since all I know is terrible. *waves at the Norwegian guy who might be reading this* Cheers!
(I had to say that, hahaha!)

[Arvedui]

Okay, I'll do some research and come back to you. Have to prepare some, or this could very well end up to be the longest post in history:D :D

Foods? Well, with a very long coastline, most of the famous foodstuff comes from fish, like smoked or marinated Salmon, or perhaps the very Norwegian dish Lutefish. You know, If you are from the US and want to know about Norwegian specialties, go to the midwest: Minnesota, North Dakota, etc. A lot of Norwegian ancestors there. They are probably more Norwegain than us who still live in the Old-country.

Anyway, I'll bring you more information over the week-end.

[Tuilin]

most people find "lompe" very speacial...
especially with hotdogs inside...
And "geitost"/brown goatcheese.

[Talierin]

Official Note: The staff at TTF feels these threads are a good idea and way to learn about other countries, but please note they will be deleted without notice at the first sign of bashing another country, or any arguing.

[Eliot]

Originally posted by Arvedui
I wish to thank a fellow Forum member who started this sort of threads, and I hope that other Forum members from different countries start similar threads.

Hmm.... would that "fellow Forum member" be me? :D :)

[Arvedui]

At least you can't exclude that possibility.....;)

Back to the question posted by Mindy_O_Lluin:
I'll start with a bit of history:
We Norwegians are proud to call ourselves the ancestors of the tribe lunatic. I mean who other than the tribe lunatic would have followed the edge of the ice as it crept north after the last iceage?:(
So they ended up in this long and weathertorn place on the outskirts of the world. (Are we the Lossoth?)
From here, some of the most famous Norwegians started their explorations and conquests about the year 900, the Vikings!
The Norwegians Vikings traveled mostly west and south, as opposed to the swedish, who went east.
The Norwegian Vikings went far, and discovered new land such as Iceland, Greenland and America (Roll over Colombus). They also conquered a lot of territory in the present UK, and France. Anyone ever connected the region Normandy with the Norwegians before? Well, it is true. They also went as far as the Middle-East. Espacially The King Sigurd Jorsalfar (Earth-traveler) is famous for his conquest of Istanbul.
The Viking era ended around the year 1250.
The Norwegians line of kings were diminished, and from about 1259, Norway was under Danish and Swedish rule until 1905.
In 1814, Norway was taken from Denmark, and given to Sweden after the Napolean Wars. Denmark supported Napoleon, and Sweden opposed him. After Napoleon's defeat, some prominent Norwegians gathered at Eidsvoll, in the spring of 1814, and wrote the Constitution. It was signed on may 17. The Danish prince Christian Fredrik was chosen as king for the new, independant Norway. Unfortunately, the swedes would not accept such behaviour, and after a few weeks, he had to go back to Denmark, and Norway ended in a Union with Sweden.
In 1905, the people of Norway voted to break away from Sweden, and they asked price Carl of Denmark to be their new King. He accepted, and took the throne under the name Haakon 7th.
Norway was untouched by direct action during WW I, as we were neutral.
The same neutrality was also declared in 1939, but to no avail. Germany attacked Norway on april 9. 1940. And in a little more than two months, the country was conquered. France took less time to overrun;)
Immediately after the capitulation, a number of Norwegians escaped to England or Sweden and joined the Norwegian Army there, while others stayed in Norway performing underground activities.
Norway was freed on may 8. 1945 together with the rest of Europe.
King Haakon 7th died in 1957, and was succeeded by his son King Olav 5th.
After WWII, a major industrialisation began, together with a strong build-up of the Defence. Both was accomplished with much financial aid from USA.
Our major stroke of luck hit in the late sixties, when oil was found in the North Sea. Today, Norway has a large trade surplus, much thanks to the oil (we are the second larges exporter of oil in the world, and have the highest gasoline-prices.....)
King Olav 5th died in 1991, the same day as the Gulf War started. Some say that the outbreak of war was what finally killed him. He was succeeded by our present King Harald 5th.


More to come on other topics...

[Tuilin]

Long post----
Wierd, didnt think anybody would care 'bout norwegian history.
One more thing...Norwegian bakers must be the most expensive in th world and aker brygge must have the most expensive beer(78kr/nearly 8 punds for 1/2 L) and icecream:rolleyes:

[Arvedui]

What in Norway isn't expensive?
Thinking perhaps, although I'm not sure about that either...

[Tuilin]

If your under 15 you wont have to pay if you're caught without a ticket on the subway:)
But if youre over 15 its extremely expensive again:(

[Mindy_O_Lluin]

Wow. I think I might learn homebrewing and start cranking my own ice cream. 78 kr is $10.60 in US money. (But then, maybe you have very few fat people and alcoholics.) :D

Is your kingship a hereditary monarchy? Do you have a parliarment for law making? Is the king a political entity like a Prime Minister or a figurehead? What is the provenance or root of the work Viking?
What is the religious diversity in your country? Do you have 21 hrs of light in the summer like Alaska? Do you see the Northern lights frequently? Does everybody have gardens, or is there any farming there? How much living off the land is there, or are people mostly city dwellers and dependent on imports?

Enough for now. I love being an arm chair traveler. I'm scared of flying.

[Arvedui]

Wow!
I'll try to answer as good as I can:
The King is mostly a ceremonial figure. By the letter of the constitution, he leads the government, but all real descisions are taken by the government and the parliament, which I should have mentioned. The parliament have 165 seats, which are now divided between 8 political parties. (We have much more than that, but 8 in the Parliament is more than enough to make any wholesome policy impossible:rolleyes:
The provinance for the word Viking, I do not know. I guess I should:confused:
In the northern part of Norway (north of the Arctic circle), there is sunlight 24 hrs a day in the middle of summer, and no sun at all in the middle of winter:(
Most of the people live in cities. There are only some 4,5 million people in Norway. Approx. 100.000 makes their living from farming. IMO, farming should only be done in very few areas, but the rest of them survives through subsidiaries (sp?) through the budget. There is not much import of food, mainly because imported food is taxes rather heavily.
Northern Light or Aurora Borealis can be seen in most of the country when it is cold enough.
The name Norway means 'Way to the north,' and comes from the old name 'Northvegr.'
Norway is actually the longest country in Europe, and if it was turned upside down, would stretch all the way down to Rome.
We have common land-border with Russia, Finland and Sweden, and at sea with UK and Denmark.
Religion? Well, we have constitutional freedom of religion, but the official religion is Christian Protestant.

But if you ever overcome your fear of flying, I would recomend a visit here. It is a wonderful country, with lots of unspoiled nature and fresh air.

[Mindy_O_Lluin]

Great, thanks for the info. Too bad other places can't settle boundary differences as peacefully as you did in 1905. I always thought the Kurds in Turkey and Iraq should separate into their own country, and Palestine, also, and Nevada (he, he.)
I hope you all get high salaries since the cost of living is so high.
Is everyone mostly into winter sports?

[Arvedui]

The only reason the border was settled easily in 1905 was that we had a strong army that the King of Sweden didn't want to fight.

Most people actually do both summer and winter sports, apart from the athletes, that is. Soccer is the major sport in Norway. Understandably, since there is at least six months without snow....
Of course, skiing is very popular. Cross-country skiing, downhill and slalom, freestyle, and snowboard. And also ski-jumping. Crazy people.

The salaries ain't to bad. All depends on what line of work you are in. But I guess especially leader salaries are much lower than in other countries.

[Arvedui]

If you have any interest in the Norwegian Royal family, this (http://www.kongehuset.no/default.asp?lang=eng) is their official homepage.

And some facts and figures can be found here. (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/no.html)

And this (http://www.stortinget.no/english/index.html) is the link to the official Parliament homepage. (Good luck:rolleyes: )

Off course, if you have some spare time, and want to find things out for yourself, go here. (http://english.norge.no/)

And since I Norway is such a great country to visit, I think you should concider that. Need hints? Then go here. (http://www.visitnorway.com/)

[Arvedui]

I have done some research on the name 'Viking,' and come to the conclution that the derivation of the word 'viking' is disputed.
It may come from the old Norse word vik , meaning a bay, or a creek, or it may come from Old English wic , meaning a fortified settlement.

Personally, I would think that it came from the Old norse word, as most of those that were Vikings lived in the fjords and bays of which Norway have plenty.

Mind you, not all Norwegians were Vikings, and not all Vikings were Norwegians (allthough the Swedish and Danish vikings were no good.;) )

[Tuilin]

Hm...from norwegian patriotism thread to all about norway....
Boring...
The Norwegian royal family is very boring.

[Mindy_O_Lluin]

No...... Kansas is boring. Norway looks gorgeoso. Beautiful mountains and fresh air.

We had our first nice Spring day here yesterday, and already there was a brown blanket of smog obscuring the city skyline.

But even on non-smoggy days, the air seems filled with dust from the agriculture. And its FLAT FLAT FLAT!
And No ocean within 1000 miles.

Now THATs boring. :rolleyes:

[Ithilin]

I think what she meant is that it can be boring to live here, as it can be, well...un-entertaining sometimes.
But the nature is great. Very untainted (for now) and beautiful.

by the way it's snowing here again , right when everyone thought it was spring...HA-HA!!:D

[Mindy_O_Lluin]

Hey Arvedui, isn't that you up in the top right corner?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html

[Chymaera]

Originally posted by Mindy_O_Lluin
Hey Arvedui, isn't that you up in the top right corner?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html
That is the most beautiful picture from space I have ever seen!

[Eliot]

Is that really a real photo?

[Mindy_O_Lluin]

Read below the picture to see how the composite was made. The link at the bottom to the "Earth at Night" photo is pretty interesting too -- I just noticed it.

(Wow, Japan must spend a lot on electric bills)

(Scroll around to see whole earth.)

[Arvedui]

Yeah!
I'm right there on the border where the shadow is coming in from the east.

[Arvedui]

Originally posted by Chymaera
That is the most beautiful picture from space I have ever seen!
Off course it is. It has Norway in it!:D

[Ithilin]

today's the 17. of may! :D ja vi elsker dette landet...

[Arvedui]

Many have wondered what a norwegian really is. Where do they come from, these men and women living so close to the North Pole? What are their ancestry?

The easiest understandable explanation is that the norwegians are descendants of the Tribal Moron some thousands of years ago.
After the last Ice Age, when the glaciers finally withdrew from the southern parts of Europe, those that had all their senses intact, remained where they were settled, and enjoyed the warmth from the sun, celebrating the opportunity of not having to clothe themselves in thick layers of fur day in and day out.
But there was one man who thought that living away from the cold, icy glacier was plain wrong. That was the first norwegian.
He followed the edge of the icebergs as they slowly crept northwards, until he came to a place where there were tiny patches of land hidden between the mountains, barely large enough to grow some vegetables. There he settled, deciding that feeling warm without waring a couple of Polar Bears around his body, was not his 'thing.'
Just as most people would have understood, the ability to grow 20 carrots a year was not enough to live on. But luckily for the original norwegian, there was a whole ocean nearby with plenty of fish. So from the moment when he caught his first Cod, the norwegian stayed and learned to live on tons of fish and 20 carrots a year.

And still he does.
The norwegian is still trying to live on tiny patches of farmable country, definately not large enough to keep the whole population fed. So he still eats a lot of fish.
Any sensible person would of course import fruits, vegetables, meat etc from the rest of the world. But not the norwegian. Any sensible norwegian agrees that food from other parts of the world is dangerous, and can only be eaten by.... foreigners. And if there still are some that are crazy enough to dare to eat such food, they will have to pay for it through heavy taxes.
But all in all, the norwegian is rather content living on the outskirts of the world, feeling sure that noone bothers to pay to much attention to a narrow strip of land that ends way above the Arctic Circle. There he can have all the spare-time he wants, and enjoy a good fight with his neighbour, normally about the placing of the fence between their gardens or farms. And he takes pride in the fact that Norway are pumping enormous amounts of oil out of the bottom of the ocean. So much, that he don't care about the fact that he has to fill his car with the most expensive gasoline in the world. The only thing that matters, is that it is - norwegian...

[Starflower]

excellent thread !

I am of course not norwegian, nor do I live in Norway. I am Finnish , but as Norway is a close neighbour, I wanted to post ehre and say that NOrway wa voted the best country in the world to live in in a recent United Nations survey :)
( of course this was the opinion of the norwegian people, it was based on a poll asking what people thought of their own country, and Norway came on top)