File - Den Norske Klub

Northern Lights
September 2009
Also in this issue:
The Northern Portrait –
Rolf Christophersen
p4
Nordland Music Festival
p6
Norwegian Design
p15
Important dates
8th October
Financial Evening
29th October
Autumn Golf Tournament
31st October
The Halloween Masked Ball
28th November
Julebord
Magne Furuholmen at work
Message from your Committee
Dear members
Welcome back and we hope you have had a long, warm
and exciting summer! DNK is heading straight into a hugely
interesting and stimulating programme this autumn, and for the
third year in a row we are kicking off with a Political Debate.
Our seasoned politicians, Kåre Willoch and Sigbjørn Johnsen,
will debate the outcome of the Norwegian general election that
took place on September 14th. Next on the programme is the
Financial Evening on October 8th with DnB NOR’s financial
expert Øystein Dørum. He will speak on the world’s financial
crises, and you are most welcome to pose questions and join
in. DNK’s annual Masked Ball will be held on Halloween itself,
October 31st! The theme will again be black and white, and this
year with a touch of spook! The last highlight of DNK’s autumn
season is our traditional Julebord/Christmas Dinner-Dance on
November 28th. So lots to look forward to, and in between all of
the above please do not forget the Friday Drinks, the Business
Forum, the Ladies’ Lunches and the Golf Tournament! You
will find the DNK schedule here on the last page in NL – please
study it carefully and make notes accordingly in your calendars.
On Oct 14th the Ladies who Lunch will meet at the Tate to view
the Turner exhibition before a light lunch, and in November the
Maharaja exhibit at the V&A will be our meting place.
Golfers – please join in and compete for the well polished DNK
silver trophies on October 29th when we are planning a great
golf day at beautiful Burhill in Surrey!
The September Portrait Interview is this time featuring DNK’s
own member Rolf Christophersen, and another highlight is NL’s
interesting article on the annual Nordland Music Festival. Magne
Furuholmen is probably a well known name for most of us as he
has been part of the band A-ha since it started. Magne is also a
talented artist, has international acclaim and will have yet another
exhibition here in London in October at Paul Stolper Gallery
across from the British Museum. Read more about Magne’s
careers here and - you are all welcome on opening night! Also,
get to know how another DNK is operating – the San Francisco
club seems to be worth a visit.
Enjoy this issue of NL and remember - DNK is your club, so
use it and enjoy it! Welcome!
The Radisson SAS Portman Hotel
We are happy to inform you that all DNK members are
offered a corporate rate at The Radisson SAS Portman Hotel.
Please quote DNK members at time of reservation to get the
favourable rate.
Standard room incl. breakfast/ exl. VAT
Superior room incl. breakfast/ exl. VAT
£137
£147
Notices...
New members
Charlotte Proctor and Christine Proctor. The Committee would
like to encourage all members to recruit new members!
For further details about the Klub:
Den Norske Klub at In & Out, Naval & Military Club
4 St. James Square, London SW1Y 4JU
Tel: 020 7839 6242
email: [email protected]
DNK’s
Masked Ball
31 Oct. 2009
st
Following the success from last year
we hope to see you all there...
Your Committee
Reidun Jebsen
Per Voll
Kjell-Ole Haune
Tore Hellebo
Reidun Karlsen
Amra Koluder
Berit Scott
Jørgen Keyser
Jenifer Andersen
Madam Chairman
Treasurer
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Member
Club Secretary
2
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
Voll around the world
DNK’s treasurer, Per Voll, is off on the
trip of a lifetime – read his fascinating
story below:
Little did I realise the impact of one small e-mail popping into my
inbox earlier this year. It was the type which would usually trigger
the index finger to press ’delete’ on the keyboard of my computer.
But somehow I let it be.
the ’new world’ down under via Chile. Christmas will be celebrated
in Sydney, which certainly will be a new experience. After that the
journey will take us up to Asia, then back across the pacific to
North America and when spring sets upon London, back to where
we started.
Per and Katherine will be sending reports to Northern Lights as they progress on
their trip around the world and we’ll be bringing you reports of their exploits along
the way. Watch this space .....
The heading ”Win 365 nights and 1 million airmiles” with the Hyatt
hotels and resorts had caught my eye. The competition required
you to write what you would do if you won this prize. It would be a
long shot for sure, and I certainly didn’t have the skills to produce
something memorable. Fortunately, my partner Katherine, with
superior writing skills and imagination, was on hand to produce a
small masterpiece.
The entry went in, and we didn’t think much about it until one day
in May we were contacted by Hyatt. We had been short-listed
for a public vote. Galvanizing support from family, friends and
colleagues, the entry made it to the top 5 (from which one entry
would be selected as a winner by a jury).
Then the incredible happened, Katherine’s entry made it to the
top. Suddenly, the world was our oyster, so we decided to take a
6-month trip around the world following a route of Hyatt hotels.
Having agreed a sabbatical from work (and the daily grind),
coinciding with the time the cold and darkness will increasingly
dominate the Northern hemisphere, our first stop will be to the
southern hemisphere (Argentina). From there we will make our way
to the end of the South America continent, then dash across to
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
3
The Northern Portrait
Rolf
Christophersen
the Klub’s longeststanding member
Born, grown up and educated entirely in England as he is, one
might be forgiven for expecting Rolf Christophersen to have turned
out a perfect English gentleman. Well, he has, but he is also an
out-and-out Norwegian who has played an active part in the
Norwegian community in London for decades.
His name is a give-away: Rolf’s parents were both Norwegian.
His father was a businessman who came over to England in 1905
and became a member of the Klub before the first world war.
The family lived in Bromley, Kent, where Rolf and his sister and
brothers were all Norwegian citizens, growing up in a Norwegianspeaking household. They also used to spend their family holidays
in Norway so the links were kept alive and strong.
Rolf and his English wife Angela received Northern Lights
graciously in their bright Kensington apartment. Tea and biscuits
were served on delicate china. There were stunning views through
floor-to-ceiling windows over green treetops and well-tended
gardens six floors below.
With a record of 60-years-plus as a Klub member, many years as
chairman of the Norwegian Church committee and even longer as
vice chairman of the Anglo-Norse Society (the chairman always
being British), Rolf can be truly described as a towering giant
within the Norwegian community.
He was also for many years a board member of Norway House,
the foundation which owned the building that housed a number
of Norwegian institutions – including the Klub – from the 1920s to
the 1990s, when the building was sold.
During World War 2, he served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, and
he is the holder of the gallantry medal Distinguished Flying Cross. He
tells NL that he had hoped to be posted to the East Coast for
operations over Norway during his
service, but the RAF had other ideas
and he was sent to Egypt and Malta.
Well, you can’t win all the battles.
remained throughout his professional life.
“So how long have you been associated with
Den norske Klub, Rolf?”
“I first used to come with my parents before the war, when my
father was a member. Ladies were not admitted as members in
those days, but my mother had befriended some of the staff, and
they would allow her to come and have lunch or tea there with us
children when we were up in London.
“I later joined as a member myself – I think a year or two after
I demobbed after the war – so about 1948. The war years
were very busy at the Klub as London was full of Norwegians.
Among the regular visitors were people involved with the exiled
government’s many institutions and offices, as well as army and
military personnel,” he remembers.
“Which of the Klub’s events do you most
appreciate nowadays?”
“I always go to the AGMs, and I try to attend the dinners. Some of
the talks and lectures are also very interesting.”
“Which are the greatest changes you have
seen in your 61 years as a Klub member?”
After return from active service,
he was stationed at Lyneham
and Hendon, serving in transport
command.
“Why do you think that was?”
“Well, you have to remember that communications
were not as good as they are today. With no airlines,
travel between the UK and Norway was more
expensive and took a whole three days by train and
boat, so to alleviate their homesickness, people
tended to visit the Klub more often,” Rolf says. “It
was also the only place in London where you could
buy Norwegian aquavit.”
“We were flying troops and
equipment out to India and other
places, and at the end of the war,
we took cabinet ministers and senior
military personnel all around Europe.”
Back in peacetime London, Rolf left
the RAF and joined the Swedish Match
Company’s UK operations, where he
4
“The Norwegian community in London was much
smaller back in the early years, and we also had a
more cohesive community of expats in those days.
People seemed to know each other better privately,
too.”
Rolf as a young man
Report from DNK Business Forum
During the first half of 2009 we had
four highly relevant presentations and
discussions at the DNK Business Forum,
with topics ranging from large companies
entering emerging markets, to micro
companies starting up in London.
worked for several of the biggest banks in the world in the area
of trading. At the time of his presentation he was employed by
BP, where he was Director of Portfolio and Strategy in the division
for Alternative Energy. He talked about the very relevant topic of
alternative energy and touched on BP’s approach to alternative
energy by giving some perspectives on this as a trading market,
including shedding some light on the mysterious practice of
carbon trading.
A brief look at the 2009 speakers to date:
Our last speaker in the spring batch of Business Forums was
another entrepreneur, Lars Andersen, owner and founder of
My Nametags (www.mynametags.co.uk). Lars has over the
last 3-4 years built an international organisation of 9 employees
and, despite the recession, his business is steadily growing.
Lars shared with us his drive as an entrepreneur in London, his
business model and challenges for the future.
Ole Angell, who works for the world leading marine electronics
company Sperry Marine (www.sperrymarine.com), a subsidiary of
Northrop Grumman, spoke to us about emerging markets with a
particular focus on North-Africa. He highlighted risks and potential
high returns and stressed the need to engage with and learn about
the local culture and religion to have any chance of success.
Marius Hjelset is the recent founder of the telecom venture Rebel
Telecom (http://www.rebeltele.com/), which is an independent reseller
of business telecommunication solutions, providing a complete
portfolio of services from simple 0800 numbers to VoIP phone
systems managing hundreds of employees’ calls. Marius shared his
business plan with us and engaged the audience who could give
sound strategic and operational advice to this young entrepreneur.
The experienced and emigrated “Bergenser”, Carl Vevle, has
The autumn forums will as usual take place in the Cambridge
Room at the “In and Out” between 12.30 and 2pm every last
Wednesday of the month (30 Sep, 28 Oct and 25 Nov). A simple
sandwich lunch will be served. An average of 10 participants
attend each time and the goal is to continue with this informal and
small format.
For further information and to be put on the mailing list, please write to Tore I.
Hellebo at [email protected]
The Norwegian Club San
You may not have
realised, but there
are Norwegian Clubs
dotted around the
world. One such is the Norwegian Club
in San Francisco, an old Club, having
been established as early as 1898 and
dedicated to promoting fellowship
among the Norwegian-American
community in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
Francisco
Norsk Klub Fram. ’Fram’ was of course the name of the ship that
carried Nansen on his attempt to reach the North Pole by drifting
with the currents and ice packs across the North Polar Basin.
Even though his lecture trip to San Francisco was cancelled, the
meetings of the group continued to be held twice a month and
the membership grew to be about 100. Over the years, many
dignitaries lived at, visited, or were members of the Club. For
example, a reception was held for Roald Amundsen and his crew
when they arrived in San Francisco after having navigated through
the Northwest Passage on the sloop ”Gjøa.” Andrew Furuseth,
the ”Great Emancipator,” lived at the Club when he was not in
Washington D.C. fighting for seamen’s rights (they were little more
than slaves at sea before the 1915 Seaman’s Act was passed by
Congress). Thor Heyerdahl and his
crew were also dinner guests after
the ”Kon Tiki” expedition.
Prior to 1897, Norwegians emigrating
to San Francisco gathered in different
societies. Many of them were not able to
speak the language and had little money
to sustain their living expenses. Most were
labourers or came from farms in rural
Norway and learned of America by word
of mouth.
The Norwegian Club in San
Francisco was organized for
the main purpose of furthering
Norwegian culture and interests,
to arrange occasional social
functions, and to carry on the high
traditions and principles of Den
Norske Klub Fram.
In 1897, when Fridtjof Nansen was
rumoured to be coming to San Francisco,
a gathering of men, 13 in all, formulated
plans for a reception in his honour. They
adopted a name for their group, Den
If you happen to find yourself in
San Francisco and in need of some
Norwegian company, you are sure
to be made very welcome in the
Norwegian Club!
Photo: R Haune
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
5
Arctic Delights:
Nordland Music Festival comes to London
Bodø Sinfonietta with violinist Susanne
Ludeng and conductor Christian Lindberg.
(Photo: Øyvind Grønbeck)
A remarkable music festival takes place
in Northern Norway every summer. In
October, it is coming to London, where
three major concerts will be given as part
of the Norwegian Season at Cadogan Hall.
Northern Lights visited the festival’s head office in Bodø harbour
where we were granted an exclusive interview with Festival Director
Rolf-Cato Raade. He seemed surprisingly calm and relaxed over
his coffee. Yet he must have had quite a few things on his mind,
just a week before the opening of the festival, and with the guest
appearance in London only a couple of months away.
“We are enormously excited by this new departure,” he told NL. “It
is the first time we take the festival abroad.”
Based in the city of Bodø, 200 km north of the Arctic circle, the
Nordland Music Festival has delighted the inhabitants of this
northern county every August for over 20 years. With a total
budget running to nearly NOK 12 million, the festival relies on
funding by a combination of public authorities, national and local
companies and public and private sponsors.
Since its beginning in the 1980s, the festival has brought both
classical and contemporary music to a region where the concert
halls were few and far between. It has also quickly gained a
reputation for its high standards and innovative approach.
“We try to keep ahead of developments, to be always innovative,
looking to push boundaries, doing something new and perhaps a
bit daring,” Raade explains.
One of its innovations has been to
erect an outdoor concert stage at
the mountain top of Keiservarden
(‘Emperor’s Cairn’). Rising 366 m
above the shimmering sea below,
and surrounded by craggy mountain
ranges, it makes for a spectacular
concert arena – weather permitting!
This year’s concert with soft-pop
queen Katie Melua had to be moved
to an inside venue at the last minute
due to high
winds. But performers in previous
years, including the world-renowned
pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and the
popular violinist Arve Tellefsen, were
luckier and played under the midnight
sun to appreciative, don’t-want-to-gohome audiences.
This year’s festival opened with a
performance by the newly-formed
Norwegian Arctic Symphony Orchestra
in the presence of the
Minister for Culture,
Right: Festival Director Rolf-Cato Raade
(Photo: Geir Are jensen)
Mr Trond Giske. The
festival also has royal
connections; its High Patron is HRH Crown Prince Haakon Magnus.
“We are very honoured that the Crown Prince agreed to be our
patron,” Raade says. “He has been invited to attend our London
concerts, and we hope he will be able to accept.”
On the London programme are works by Shostakovich, Dvorak,
Jan Gunnar Hoff, Christian Lindberg and Xenakis, covering a
mixture of classical favourites, jazz and contemporary music.
Among them will be three specially commissioned works which
were world premiered in Bodø during this year’s festival.
The performers include London’s own Brodsky Quartet, this year’s
ensemble-in-residence; the artist-in-residence, conductor, composer
and trombonist Christian Lindberg; the multi-talented young jazz
trumpeter Mathias Eick (whose London debut
was reviewed in the June issue of NL), the
Peruvian percussion phenomenon Alex Acuna;
veteran jazz guitarist Frode Alnæs and the
exuberant fiddle-player Susanne Lundeng.
Quite a line-up.
Sloane Square had better brace itself for a
breath of fresh northern breeze in October.
“Who will benefit most by your London
concerts – the performers, the festival itself or
the London audiences?”
Raade laughs, “Oh, I hope a little bit of all three.”
Nordland Music Festival at Cadogan Hall
Thursday 15th – Saturday 17th October
Box office: 020 7730 4500
Nearest tube: Sloane Square
See further details on www.cadoganhall.com
Leif Ove Andsnes and his grand piano at
Keiservarden. (Photo: Bjørn Erik Olsen)
6
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
The strange appeal of Cricket
For the non-natives among
us, the English obsession with
cricket and the country-wide
celebrations resulting from their
win of ‘the Ashes’ this summer,
may seem very strange. How
can anyone get worked up
about a game that lasts for 5
days and then frequently ends
in a draw?
Cricket also seems to be full of very obscure and
confusing expressions – how can one begin to
understand the significance of having ‘two slips and a
gulley’ as opposed to ‘three slips and a silly mid-off’?
Furthermore, what is a ‘googly’ or a ‘chinaman’??
To the initiated, however, the intricacies of the game
are endless and it is perfectly possible to spend an
entire afternoon being ‘entertained’ by enthusiastic
cricket boffins carefully explaining the difference
between bowling ‘spin’ or ‘seam’.
For any self-respecting Englishman, the ultimate cricket
competition is the Ashes Series, played between England and
Australia every two years. Each series consists of 5 matches,
each played over 5 days and the winner gets a copy of a tiny
little terracotta urn with a history dating all the way back to
1882. The reason the trophy is called the ‘Ashes’ is that in 1882
England lost to Australia for the first time on English soil and a
newspaper reporter was so disgusted
he wrote a
Test match
mock obituary of English cricket and concluded: “The body will
be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”. The next time
England visited Australia, the captain of the English team was
presented with the little urn as a symbol of the ashes he was in
Australia to regain.
Many efforts have been made to explain cricket to the uninitiated
and one short explanation is:
Cricket is a game between two teams, each
consisting of 11 players. One team is in (batting) and
the other team is out (fielding). The team that is out
tries to get the team that is in out and when they
are all out, the other team that was out is in and the
team that was in now tries to get the other team
out – simple!
If you decide to venture to Lords or the Oval, the
two London grounds where international matches
are played, an interesting place to sit is in the
middle of the ‘Barmy Army’, the lunatic fringe of
English supporters who spend the day chanting,
singing, sharing opinions of the umpire (the
referee) and of course – drinking beer! As long
as you don’t mind occasionally being showered
by flying plastic bottles and glasses ( generally
empty) at the culmination of each Mexican
wave, you’ll have a great time – and you may
even pick up a few hints about the Laws of
Cricket – they don’t just have rules – the game
is far too important!
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
7
Magne Furuholmen
is probably best known to most of
us as part of a-ha, but Magne is
increasingly also becoming known for
his art. This autumn he is spending
much of his time in London – not only
are a-ha due to have a concert at the
O2 arena in November, but Magne is
also again exhibiting at the Paul Stolper
Gallery at 31 Museum Street, London
WC1A 1LH.
Although this is a very busy period for him, Magne was kind
enough to take some time out to answer questions from Northern
Lights. We were interested in both his music and art careers and
started by asking some questions relating to his interest in music:
What generated your interest in music?
Music was always a big part of my life. My father was a jazzmusician who died very young.
My grandfather was also, among other things, a professional
musician - he was perhaps the biggest early influence as there
were always all sorts of instruments around his house.
How did a-ha get started?
Paul and I grew up in the same neighbourhood and had many
different bands together over the years. We met Morten after a
concert in Oslo around 1980 when he suggested we might need
a vocalist.
Which musician(s) do you most admire
and why?
I have great respect for musicians who can play well, but in
general i admire people like Bob Dylan more - the ones who make
the most out of a limited technical skill and find interesting forms
of expression through raw talent and a discerning taste.
a-ha are due to have a large concert in London
this autumn and you have an exhibition – how
do you combine both?
Timewise it is always something of a problem to juggle two
careers, but I have a patient wife, I am good at working to
deadlines and I like to work a lot.
Also I treat both as projects and I don’t mind making schedules;
today I am on tour and tomorrow I am in my painting studio.
I look at it as a farmer would - crop rotation is good for the soil.
Did your interest in art start at the same time
as your interest in music or is that something
that has developed later?
Both art and music have always been part of my staple diet.
Does one inspire the other?
Yes, I like to think that there is a lot of cross-pollination going on.
My music has changed because of my visual practice and vice
versa. The thing that has combined the two forms of expression
the last 5 years have been a literary fascination; how text,
language, words & meaning changes when subjected to different
modes of expression.
Do you feel that there is in any way a
competition for your time between music and
art or do they complement each other?
There are never enough hours in the day. I rarely go to bed unless
I am pleasantly exhausted.
Who or what inspires you the most and is a
driving force for you as an artist?
It is an itch that never goes away. I don’t have time to wait around
for inspiration, I just get to work.
But reading good books is always a good source of ideas as are
film, music and people.
It is my way of learning about the things I see and think about. I
do it to hopefully understand a bit more.
When I have made something new, I feel a little less blind.
In which media do you prefer to work and
which is the most challenging?
I am quite happy to work in any medium - the medium itself is
often a deciding element in the result. But I also fundamentally
enjoy the process of painting, printing, drawing and other skillbased methods.
Do you feel that you have your own ‘style’ and
if so, how has it developed?
I try my best to challenge myself. My strongest quality as a visual
8
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
artist is the ability to break away from a successful formula.
Somehow though, there is always a fine red thread running
through it which I hardly notice until after the fact...
Many of your paintings contain words or
letters, can you tell us a bit about the reasons
and the inspirations for that?
I use text in both music and art - as a go-between. I am
particularly attracted to the eastern tradition of calligraphy; text
as both content and form. For me, the letters, words, and
statements are like the architectural structures of the work.
You have had success and exhibited
in London, has that also happened in
other countries?
I have exhibited in quite a few countries, but try to concentrate my
efforts to due to the time-limitations working in two fields imposes.
I am lucky to have such a good relationship with Paul Stolper in
London, who has introduced my work to the UK art scene.
This friendship and his commitment is a big part of my continued
presence here.
What are you most satisfied with and most
proud of – both with regard to your music
and art?
I am not really a proud person, but I am sometimes positively
surprised by myself.
Mostly this happens when something new takes place - in music
or art - irrespective of which. I have a strong work ethic and a
good dose of restlessness. I am a bit like a mental pitbull - I don’t
let go until the job is done. Much as I love the process, I do love
a result.
Magne’s exhibition,
“Alpha Beta”, is
from 16th October
to 21st November
with a preview
evening on the
15th October
to which all
members of Den
Norske Klub are
invited. An email
invitation to the
preview evening
will be sent to
members but if
you would like
to know more, please contact the
Paul Stolper Gallery on 020 7580 7001.
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
9
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10
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June Ladies’ Lunch
Floral designs at the
Cheyne Walk Brasserie
Braving the tube strike, the Ladies of
the Club made their way to the June
Ladies’ Lunch. The venue: the Chelsea
Walk Brasserie; the star attraction:
Pascal Lavorel and his flower
arranging prowess.
The pale olive exterior of the brasserie hints at the Gallic charm
within, while frosted windows are reminiscent of a Rive Gauche
brasserie. Once a Victorian pub, 50 Cheyne Walk has
metamorphosed into a chic brasserie and salon. Upstairs
in the salon, Pascal showed us how to design and create a
hand-tied bouquet. But there was more in store for us…. we
were given our own aprons and selection of flowers and were
let loose to create our own individual designs.
at its centre there is an open grill where much of the Provencal
inspired menu is prepared. The food was excellent (and very good
value, we all agreed). My pan-fried salmon with garlic spinach,
mussels and white wine jus followed by yoghurt bavarois with
summer fruits and passion fruit coulis were delicious and others
raved about their mouth-watering sea bass and sirloin of beef.
The chocolate fondant was also really lovely. We rounded it all off
with a cappuccino and afterward we wished each other a “god
sommer” as we stepped out into the Chelsea sunshine, proudly
clutching our beautiful bouquets.
With grateful thanks to Jenifer Andersen
Pascal’s top tips were:
•U
se foliage to give the bouquet its shape and support
the flowers
• Remove the leaves on the lower part of the stems
• Keep all the stems facing the same direction
•M
ake sure no flowers stick out unevenly giving the
bouquet a “spooky” look!
Amazingly, after about only 20 minutes each of us
managed to assemble our unique arrangements with
an astonishing degree of success.
After all that hands-on creativity, we were all in the mood
for a little sustenance and a glass of wine. Off came the
aprons and we went downstairs to the Belle Epoque
dining room where
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11
Photo: CF-Wesenberg/kolonihaven.no
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w w w.t hom m e s s e n . n o
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www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
The Golden Chanterelle –
Queen of the Forest
Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)
Donning your wellies with basket
in hand heading out to the woods
in anticipation of filling your basket
with golden, buttery chanterelles is
quite addictive. Every year between
July and September you go back to
your own ‘secret’ places where you
know the forest floor hides this exotic
golden mushroom underneath leafy
trees, moss and roots and when you
see a golden specimen you fall on
your knees and bring out your special
knife to gently cut the stem from the
root and brush small leaves and pine
needles off the chanterelle cap before
carefully putting it in your basket.
The ‘Queen of the Forest’ is a wild fungus belonging to the
cantharellus family and grows particularly well in Scandinavia and
seems to be worth its weight in gold. It is golden looking, golden
tasting and golden priced.
In France the chanterelle is known as ‘Girolle’ and in German they
are called ‘Pfifferling’ (“Kjært barn har mange navn”). It is high in
vitamins A and D and Chinese folk remedies have for centuries
attributed curative powers to the chanterelle, using it particularly
for vision and respiratory problems. Many of the world’s greatest
chefs prize the chanterelle above all other mushrooms, and in
the mushroom season these chefs attract many a chanterelle
connoisseur to their tables.
The Norwegian woods have an abundance of this golden reasure,
and the area around Røros has superb topography for hiking while
mushroom ‘hunting’ in August and September. The bright orangey
colour can make the chanterelle relatively easy to spot, but a
number of inedible or poisonous varieties can easily be mistaken
for them. The huge variety of mushrooms can be daunting for an
amateur as there are lots of poisonous fungi and only a minority
are good to eat. The best way to learn is therefore to pick
mushrooms with someone experienced, or to take your harvest to
the official mushroom control centre.
The chanterelle is promiscuous in its plant relationship as its
roots intertwine with the roots of hardwood trees and it lives
in a symbiosis with conifers, shrubs and bushes. Finding the
chanterelles often means digging deep in the moss amongst old
leaves and twigs, and while doing so it seems a blessing to be in
such beautiful surroundings, listening to the stillness of the forest,
the birds, the small streams running nearby, smelling the amazing
scent of the forest floor, experiencing the wind, the sun and the
rain. Even though you might hear elk or other forest animals when
you are hiking, humans are the only ones interested in eating
the chanterelle so there are no competitors apart from other
mushroom hungry people.
When your basket is full, the next step is to take your brushed
and cleaned chanterelles home to your kitchen and decide how
to prepare your delicacy. There are as many recipes as there are
chefs, if not more, but a as is often the case – the simplest method
often proves best – i.e. sauté the mushrooms in butter with some
chopped onions and garlic, add a bit of salt, pepper and parsley
and serve on toast, or add to an omelette or pasta dish and enjoy!
Bon appétit
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
13
A bike trip in fresh air
For many expatriated Nowegians, a visit
to the homeland normally means an
urge to spend time by the sea or in the
mountains. So, given the opportunity
to cycle the Rallarvegen from Finse
to Myrdal on a short visit to Bergen
recently, there was no reason to say no.
Rallarvegen (given its name by the reference to the people who built
it, ’rallars’ or navvies) originates from the construction of the railway
between Bergen and Oslo, completed in 1909, for which the road
was used in transportation of workers, material and equipment for
the construction activities at the high mountain plateau.
My daughters Ailsa and Kaia, my brother-in-law Roar and I
set off from Bergen on the fast and civilised 4 pm Bergen to
Oslo train on the Wednesday, getting to Finse just in time for
the evening’s cold rain shower. We got our bikes from the well
organised team at Finse station (bike hire needs to be organised
in advance) and cycled the 2 km to Roar’s cabin. The wind and
rain was picking up but in true Norwegian fashion we got the
cabin fire going and prepared a very appropriate dinner based
on fillet of reindeer (brought up in backpack from Bergen as was
the Barolo).
The next day the rain had stopped, the wind had died down
so as soon as we had adjusted the helmets and bike seats
(unpadded), we set off at about 10 o’clock, heading west. Finse
lies at about 1220 meters and the journey proceeds gently up to
Fagervann, the highest point at about 1350m. From there on it is
a mix of easy downhill and not so easy downhill (at one point we
came across a rescue helicopter which had to pick up a woman
who inexplicably had not dared to use her brakes! Well, a broken
collar bone should teach her). The road is generally in fairly
good shape but it is very exposed to the elements and the hard
winters in particular so it needs regular repairs and maintenance.
The landscape and views throughout the 40 km trip to Myrdal
are fabulous, with views over Hardangerjøkulen glacier, lovely
waterfalls and magnificent mountains. The journey offers plenty
of opportunities to picnic in the open and we were well prepared
with Wieners/lompe and refreshments from Bergen’s favoured
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beverage company (the girls had fresh water from the streams).
The weather can change incredibly quickly up on the mountain
plateau but other than a 20 minute shower, cold enough for
gloves to be needed, it stayed pleasent all the way, getting
better and better as we got further west.
We timed our arrival at Myrdal station just in time for the 4
o’clock return train to Bergen, bikes being left at the station
where NSB would bring them back by train to Finse. All in all
the trip had taken us about 5 ½ hours with stops. It is not too
strenuous (the journey can be extended either end) but you
need to bring proper clothes, make certain that the mountain
bike is in good working order and keep your eyes on the road
at critical times. My daughters and I thoroughly enjoyed it so on
your next visit to Bergen with a day to kill: Just do it!
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
Norwegian Design exhibited
at Earl’s Court
‘Blåne’ dinner set by
Wik & Walsøe
For the sixth year running,
Norwegian design will again
feature prominently at the
annual 100% Design exhibition
at London’s Earl’s Court at the
end of September.
Entitled 100% Norway, the Norwegian stand will showcase the
country’s latest designs in furniture and interior products. Exhibits
include a wide range of works, from table lamps and vases to
sofas and wallpaper, designed and produced by young up-andcoming individual designers as well as established manufacturers.
Curated by the design editor of a British lifestyle magazine, the
exhibition is organised jointly by the Norwegian Design Council,
the furniture promoters InsideNorway.no, Innovation Norway and
the Norwegian Embassy in London.
The exhibition is open to the trade and press on 24-26 September
and to the general public on Sunday 27 September. Tickets are £20
‘Panel Piece’ wallpaper
from Scandinavian Surface
on the door, or – if you pre-register on the exhibition’s website – £15
each, see: www.100percentdesign.co.uk.
MEMORIAL PLAQUE TO
HEROES OF TELEMARK
On Sunday 4th October, the Public
Memorials Appeal will officially unveil
a bronze plaque to commemorate the
Norwegian resistance fighters who
were later to become known as “The
Heroes of Telemark”
War II. Their brave action prevented enemy scientists from
developing heavy water, a vital ingredient in the production of the
atomic bomb.
The unveiling ceremony will be attended by the Norwegian
ambassador and Mr Joachim Rønneberg, leader of the explosives
team in 1943, now aged 90.
The plaque is erected on a monument in honour of the agents of
the Special Operations Executive (SOE) of the Second World War.
Any interested persons are welcome to come along. The
monument is in a public place so do come and stand wherever
you can get a good view. As it is close to a very busy road, it may
be best to come either by public transport or by taxi.
It was the SOE that sponsored the Norwegian men who carried
out the raid in 1943 on the Norsk Hydro plant at Vemork, which
is considered one of the most heroic sabotage acts of World
Unveiling ceremony Sunday 4th October at 2.30 pm
Lambeth Palace Road, near Lambeth Palace, SE1
Nearest tube: Westminster or Lambeth North
www.dennorskeklub.co.uk
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DNK Autumn 2009
September
November
30th
6thFredagspilsen
(First Friday of every month)
11thLadies’ Luncheon at “Maharaja:
the Splendour of India’s Royal
Courts” exhibition, V&A Museum
and lunch at Madsen restaurant
26th
Business Forum
28th Julebord
Business Forum
October
2ndFredagspilsen
(First Friday of every month)
8th
Financial evening
14thLadies’ Luncheon at the “Turner &
Masters” exhibition, Tate Britain
28th
Business Forum
29thAutumn Golf Tournament at
Burhill Golf Club, Surrey
31st
Halloween Masked Ball
In & Out Events
September
25 Last Friday Drinks
October
07 Ladies’ Luncheon
07 Down & Out Comedy
08 Club Bridge Evening
15 Club Bridge Evening
21 Trafalgar Dinner
30 Last Friday Drinks ~ Halloween Theme
November
04
07
08
10
11
12
19
27
Down & Out Comedy
Festival of Remembrance
Remembrance Sunday
Fireside Chat
Australian High Commissioner
Remembrance Day Lunch
Club Bridge Evening
Club Bridge Evening
Last Friday Drinks
December
01
10
11
15
15
15
18
Fireside Chat ~ General McColl
Club Bridge Evening
River Plate Luncheon
Club Carol Service
Christmas Reception
Christmas Fair
Last Day Lunch
December
4th 9th
Fredagspilsen
Ladies’ Christmas Luncheon
nbcc calendar
October
8 Financial evening in cooperation with Den
Norske Klub, Øystein Dørum/DnbNOR,
Venue: The In and Out Club
9 “Taste & Travel – Norway and Scotland” –
Exhibition, seminar and networking. Venue:
AVC Media, Aberdeen
22 Advisory Board Dinner, the
Ambassador’s residence
29Shipping & Energy Dinner, hosted and
sponsored by StatoilHydro
November
11Wednesday drink, sponsored by
StatoilHydro; speaker – John Deane, Chief
Executive, Intermediary Division, Royal
London Group. Venue: Paull & Williamsons
12Joint Nordic ICT Seminar, Radisson Blu
Portman Hotel
“The Norwegian and British ways” –
business & social aspects, with Jostein
Pedersen, Innovation Norway, the
Norwegian Embassy
27Christmas Dinner at the Church (YPs)
December
4Christmas Concert St Martin-in-the-Fields
9Wednesday drink, hosted and sponsored
by AVC Media
10Christmas Lunch at the Residence