Celebrate Christmas with the Norwegians

Vang kirke in Hamar, Norway. Photo courtesy of the Royal Norwegian Embassy.

Princess Märtha Louise brings Christmas greetings to 100 million Americans
For Norwegians and Americans dazzled by the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994, NRK’s Christmas concert from Hamar will surely bring memories. Since 2004, the broadcast of the Christmas concert from the Vang Church in Hamar has become a Christmas Eve tradition in Norway. For the first time, the concert will be broadcast by PBS in the U.S. this Christmas season.
Musical siblings Mari (25) and Håkon (29) Samuelsen have organized the concert since 2004.
“For us, Christmas is a special time of year, so we found it natural to do a Christmas concert. The idea behind the project is that we, as siblings on violin and cello, has carried on a dream to invite our friends music around the world home to our home Hamar and the Christmas concert,” said Håkon.
Along with the Samuelsens, Measha Brueggergosman, the internationally acclaimed soprano who performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics, will be singing at the concert.
Traditional music and Christmas songs will be complemented with classic winter images of Hamar and the surrounding area will be shared. Princess Märtha Louise will host this year, and talk about Norwegian traditions.
“I will tell a little about what it’s like waking up on Christmas Eve, with enormous expectations for the big day. And some of the usual discussion about the decoration of the Christmas tree in our family, our Christmas traditions is the the same as for all others, with the decoration of Christmas trees, Christmas food and porridge with almond in,” she said. “I will also talk about traditions in general, and tell the story of Haakon IV and the birkebeiners.”
The concerts, one in Norwegian and one in English, were filmed Dec. 9 – 10 in Hamar, and tickets were virtually sold out.  The one-hour concert broadcast in HD and surround sound is expected to be carried on most stations across the U.S. (on PBS) and Canada (Bravo Canada) on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
For more information, click here.
This article was originally published in the December 17 issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. For more information about the Norwegian American Weekly or to subscribe, call us toll-free (800) 305-0217 or email subscribe@norway.com.

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Joint Nordic research on the offensive: Look to the Nordics!

NordForsk is a Nordic organisation with responsibility for cooperation on research and researcher training in the Nordic region. Here represented by the secretariat. (Photo: Terje Heiestad)

“The Nordic countries have a good chance of influencing European research and innovation policy initiatives in areas where there is a common Nordic approach,” says Gunnel Gustafsson, Director of the Nordic research organisation NordForsk.
NordForsk works to promote research and research policy cooperation among the Nordic countries. This year will mark five years since the organisation was founded. “A lot has happened since we started,” states Ms Gustafsson. “Globalisation has gained pace and research priorities have shifted rapidly. This has made it even more essential than before to maintain a continued focus on international and Nordic cooperation,” she says.
According to NordForsk’s new strategy for 2011-2014, the primary objective of the organisation is to promote the development of a globally competitive research area in Europe, the European Research Area (ERA).

Opportunity and change

“European research and innovation cooperation has entered a period of opportunity and change. One exciting development is that the European Commission is increasingly viewing research and innovation together and has now appointed a commissioner responsible for both areas,” says Ms Gustafsson.
“High-calibre research and research-based innovation are essential, though not the only prerequisites, for achieving economic growth and enhancing the quality of life in the Nordic region, and can also help to advance economic and social development in Europe and the rest of the world,” she asserts.

Attracting attention in Europe

The Nordic countries, which consist of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, have a combined population of approximately 25 million and ranks as the tenth largest economy in the world, a position it shares with Canada. The countries have high levels of education, sound national economies and well-functioning political systems. Together, these five small countries on the periphery of Europe can form a critical mass in the European Research Area and in the world in general.
According to the director of NordForsk, the world – and in particular the EU – has now fully realised that the Nordic countries represent a prosperous and forward-thinking region and an interesting research area.

A success story with visions of the future

The Top-level Research Initiative (TRI) is a large-scale joint Nordic initiative focusing on climate, the environment and energy. It is the largest initiative in which NordForsk is involved, together with partners Nordic Energy Research (NEF) and the Nordic Innovation Centre (NICe).
The TRI is more action-oriented than international cooperation programmes tend to be. During the Euroscience Open Forum 2010 conference in Turin in July, the initiative was described as a success story for international cooperation.
“The TRI was inspired by the huge global challenges we are facing. We have successfully implemented a joint funding model of great interest to the EU. In Europe a ‘common pot’ system for research funding has long been sought after. Many are curious to see how we have achieved this in the Nordic region,” Ms Gustafsson explains.

Excellence in research

Over the next year Ms Gustafsson would like the Nordic countries to draw on the resources of NordForsk to plan how the region can reach an even broader audience in Europe and globally.
“We are currently carrying out an evaluation of our portfolio of funding instruments,” says Ms Gustafsson. “So far we can say with certainty that the initiatives we have undertaken under the Nordic Centres of Excellence (NCoE) Programme have been a great success. We may, perhaps, place even greater focus on this instrument in the years to come.”
Source: Research Council of Norway

Norwegian Men Win in Düsseldorf, with Crash-Marred Finale

If Josef Wenzl wants to race at the 2011 World Ski Championships in Norway, he probably can do it without a bodyguard. But that’s only thanks to the last-minute heroics of the sprinter Anders Glørsen (NOR).

Wenzl, a German, squandered a sure podium finish for himself and the top Norwegian pair in Sunday’s team sprint in Dusseldorf, crashing out on the final corner and taking John Kristian Dahl along with him.

Glørsen ended up being the beneficiary, going from zero to hero as he passed Dahl and Wenzl and overtook Emil Jonsson (SWE) in a frantic finishing sprint for the win. The Italian team of David Hofer and Fabio Pasini was third, while no North American teams made it past the semifinals.

Had Wenzl’s blunder given the Swedes a victory at the expense of the Norwegians, their most hated rivals, it’s very possible that the German would have needed an armed escort through the streets of Oslo. As it was, Dahl was steaming, and he and Wenzl exchanged some heated words, finger-pointing, and bib-grabbing as they picked themselves up and skied into the finishing pen.

Both had good reason to be angry. With a mere two hundred meters to go in the men’s final, Dahl and Wenzl had chased down the Russian leader Nikolay Morilov, and they held a big lead over the chasing pack as they barreled into the final corner, a sharp righthander.

But instead of slotting in behind and waiting for the finishing stretch to unleash his sprint, Wenzl went for broke, staying abreast of Dahl and leaving the Norwegian little room to maneuver on the inside of the corner. Dahl tried to shove Wenzl away, but it was too late. Both of them crashed, allowing Jonsson and Gloersen to fly by.

“I don’t know what [Wenzl] was thinking. They had pulled away from the pack,” said U.S. sprinter Andy Newell. “They went two wide into that corner—you don’t ever want to do that at any time in a race, not to mention if you have the podium already wrapped up.”

The winning Norwegians will go home with $6,000 apiece, while Wenzl, Dahl, and their two teammates get nothing.

Ola Vigen Hattestad, the other half of Gloersen’s winning team, said that he felt sorry for Dahl, but he also said that “team sprint has its own rules.”

The two top North American teams—Andy Newell and Simi Hamilton for the U.S., and Stefan Kuhn and Len Valjas for the Canadians—surely left Dusseldorf with a greater understanding of those rules. Their races, like Dahl’s and Wenzl’s, were also undone by crashes.

Hamilton and Newell were skiing well together, according to U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover. Both men, he said, had been holding position in the middle of the pack in their semifinal heat.

But with one lap to go before tagging off to Newell for the anchor leg, Hamilton crashed on the back side of the course’s one hill, courtesy of Sebastian Eisenlauer—Wenzl’s teammate.

“The German seemed to just cut over and get on top of his skis,” Grover said. “Simi went face down, and that was it—we were behind by a big margin when he tagged off to Andy. That was the end of the day.”

The crash was especially disappointing, Grover said, because the Americans’ semifinal heat was the fastest by a big margin. That meant that Newell and Hamilton could likely have advanced as lucky losers had they not managed to finish in the top three teams, which get automatic berths in the finals.

The experience, Newell said, was still valuable for both athletes—especially Hamilton, who got his first team sprint start on the World Cup. Smooth exchanges are key on the technical Dusseldorf course, where passing is difficult, and Newell said that his team had some “really good” tags.

“It was good practice, and we were having a great run,” Newell said. “We were running right in the front four or five for most of the entire race, and we were having a…pretty easy time getting around people.”

The story for the top Canadians was similar, with Kuhn crashing at a crucial moment in his semifinal. Kuhn’s team had three laps to go when a Norwegian fell in directly in front of him.

“It was a really critical spot,” said Canadian Head Coach Justin Wadsworth. “[Valjas] did a good job to pass one or two teams after that, but it’s over by then.”

Unlike the Americans, though, Wadsworth’s team got both the long and short ends of the stick on Sunday, with the pain of the Kuhn’s crash assuaged somewhat by the podium finish of the Canadian women. The latter result was only made possible thanks to a last-minute faceplant by the Slovenian team, which had had third place under wraps.

“We benefited from one crash today, and we had another that kind of worked against us,” Wadsworth said. “That’s just team sprinting—it’s crazy out there.”

Norwegian – cheap flights to Norway

Fly Norwegian – the easy, pleasant and affordable way to visit Norway.

norwegian.com

Why spend more money than necessary getting to Norway? Fly Norwegian, and experience first-rate, affordable travel. Norwegian is the largest low-cost carrier in Scandinavia, serving 93 destinations in Scandinavia and abroad. When flying with us, you have the choice of 15 destinations all over Norway, from the many beautiful and unique cities and towns in the south of the country to the famous fjords in the west and the unforgettable Land of the Midnight Sun and Northern Lights in the north. Experience the spellbinding magnificence of Norway. We'll take you there. 

All those little things

Travelling is not merely a matter of transport. Despite being a low-cost carrier, we still offer all those little things that are so important to you during your flight. We offer an extensive menu of entertainment, food, snacks and refreshments in addition to the genuine friendliness that makes your entire journey a pleasure. We look forward to serving you on board one of our aircrafts!

More and more travellers choose Norwegian

Our philosophy has won the hearts and minds of modern travellers – in Norway and abroad. Norwegian is one of Europe's fastest growing airlines, with almost 11 million passengers last year. This is an increase of 18 per cent compared with the previous year. In 2009 we also launched 63 new routes in Scandinavia: 30 in Denmark, 18 in Sweden and 15 in Norway.  In June 2010, we reported our best passenger figures ever, with more than 1.2 million passengers flying with us.
We believe this success is a result of our combination of top-quality service, regularity and pleasantly low fares. You're most welcome to try us out! Read more about Norwegian.

Choose from our wide range of destinations

In Norway, we serve 15 destinations from south to north, including major cities such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger – and smaller destinations such as Tromsø, Bodø, Alta, Ålesund and Molde – and many more!
In addition to our 15 Norwegian destinations, we serve airports all over Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In total, we offer more than 230 routes to over 90 destinations.

Young, yet experienced

Some highlights from our history: Norwegian is a relatively young company, with its first commercial operations from 2002.  However, the founders and most of the staff were among the most experienced in the business. The initial activities were based on the acquisition of parts of the reputable airline Busy Bee of Norway. Busy Bee was founded in 1966 and operated a variety of taxi, cargo, charter and wet-lease flights, the latter on behalf of the sister company Braathens S.A.F.E.
Through hard work, dedication, competitive prices, customer-friendly solutions and service, we have since emerged as the largest low-cost carrier in Scandinavia, the second largest airline in Scandinavia and the fourth largest low-cost carrier in Europe.
In short, Norwegian is a supremely professional, high-quality airline company you can rely on to get you to your destination on time – at a very competitive price.

Award-winning qualities

In January 2009, Air Transport World (ATW) named Norwegian "Market Leader of the Year". The award recognized Norwegian for several achievements, such as:

• successful adaptation of the low-cost model to the Scandinavian air travel market
• low–fares strategy combined with cutting-edge technology, strongly emphasising customer-focused information technology

The ATW Airline Industry Achievement Awards are considered the Oscars of the industry.
In August 2008, SkyTrax named Norwegian the best low-cost carrier in Northern Europe. In April 2008, Norwegian was awarded a prize as the best Norwegian company in terms of public reputation, and for having the best management of all companies in Norway.
However, much more important than winning awards, is the daily recognition we receive from the thousands of passengers who choose to fly with us – again and again. No award can ever surpass that. 

The best planes available

Our aircraft policy is simple: We go for the best – always! Norwegian will receive a total of 75 new state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft in the period 2008 to 2014. This will make Norwegian's fleet one of the most modern, efficient and environmentally friendly in commercial aviation – all factors contributing to making your journey as effective and pleasant as possible.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft serves all routes in Norwegian's network, and seats 186 passengers.
The Boeing 737-800 is among the most environmentally friendly aircraft on the market, reducing per-seat CO2 emissions by 23 percent compared to the 737-300, and by as much as 33 percent compared to the MD80. The new aircrafts also improve operational reliability and regularity.
We strive to give you the best, always. Experience Norway – with us!
More information on norwegian.com 

Last updated:  2010-09-30

Travel to Norway with Norwegian

Norway: the world in words

Writers and travellers share their thoughts on the world's most popular destinations. This week: Norway.
"I would not enter Norway again for all the firs in Scandinavia. The blight of temperance has settled on the place? Like Switzerland it is ruined by tidiness and order? I'd a sight rather have Wednesday afternoon in the pouring rain in Macclesfield."
Archie Grant, Letter, 1912
Picture: GETTY

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