Life in Norway Show Episode 29: Gunnar Garfors is a Norwegian journalist who has visited every country in the world - twice! He tells us about what he's learned from travelling the world.

Since the Viking Age, Norwegians have been known as travellers, but today's guest takes things a step further. Today I'm joined by Gunnar Garfors, a Norwegian journalist, globetrotter, and author of the book How I Ran Out Of Countries.

We talk about where his ambition came from, what his travels have taught him about Norway's place in the world, and where in the world he thinks are the most interesting and overrated places to travel.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode29

Life in Norway Show Episode 28: Jill Kirchmann from the Norway Times blog tells us all about life in the small Norwegian town Hølen, and why she chose to move away from the capital city.

I've only ever lived in Oslo and Trondheim, and every so often I do wonder what life would be like in a much smaller place. Having grown up in a small village in England, I have fond memories of life in a small community. But what would that be like as an adult, and in Norway?

Jill Kirchmann, a Canadian who writes the Norway Times blog, is just the person to ask! She moved to Hølen, a small town about an hour south of Oslo, and joins the show to talk about the experience.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode28

Life in Norway Show Episode 27: Mike Emery, CEO of Oslo sports broadcasting company Joymo, joins us to talk about Norwegian sports club culture and how he's working to get more kids playing sport not just in Norway, but all around the world.

Mike moved from Wales to Norway via London to start a family with his Norwegian wife. His day-to-day work is with Joymo, a technology startup in Oslo that enables grassroots sports teams to broadcast their games live. But his interest in grassroots sports goes way beyond his day job.

On today's episode of the show we chat about sports club culture in Norway, how Mike is working to get more children into sports wherever in the world they live, and how he's teamed up with one of Norway's leading sportsmen to start and run a charity.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode27

Life in Norway Show Episode 26: Originally from the UK, Paule Miller talks about gardening culture in Norway and shares some tips for getting started year-round.

I live in an apartment so gardening hasn't been on my radar since moving to Norway back in 2011. After my chat with Paule Miller, perhaps that could change!

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode26

Originally from Essex in England, Paule moved to Norway in 1994. Three years ago he set up a gardening business to further pursue his lifelong hobby, and it's gone from strength to strength. We talk about gardening culture in Norway, what grows well here, and how people can get started even if they live in an apartment.

Gardening culture in Norway

Paule believes there is a culture of gardening here but it's more with the older generation. “The younger generation seem to like to build the biggest possible house on the available land, which leaves very modest surroundings that doesn't have the potential for a nice garden.”

“There are some very nice gardens here, and even local growers. It was a very big shock to me when I found out that someone locally had the knowledge and was breeding rhododendrons together.”

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode26

Life in Norway Episode 25: American chef Ben Vidmar is so passionate about food that he's trying to grow his own in the world's northernmost community.

Full show notes including photos:

https://www.lifeinnorway.net/growing-food-on-svalbard/

On my recent trip to Svalbard I met so many fascinating people from all over the world. Everyone has their story to tell, but without doubt one of the most interesting is that of American entrepreneur Ben Vidmar.

He works in Svalbard as a chef and has his own business, Polar Permaculture. He aims to solve one of the biggest headaches of life at 78 degrees north: obtaining fresh food while reducing waste.

Read more: Living on Svalbard

In this week's episode, I sit down in Ben's office to chat about what brought him to such a remote place. We talk about his business, and what he believes is possible when it comes to growing food sustainably on Svalbard.

Full show notes including photos:

https://www.lifeinnorway.net/growing-food-on-svalbard/

Life in Norway Show Episode 24: We go behind the scenes on the MS Vesterålen to meet some of the people who work for Hurtigruten.

Full show notes including photos: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode24/

Norway's Hurtigruten famously offers guests a memorable 12-day cruise up and down the Norwegian coastline, but the company's ships also serve dual purpose as a local passenger and cargo service.

In this week's episode, I go behind the scenes on the MS Vesterålen to meet some of the dedicated people who keep the vessel running.

If you haven't seen it yet, you may want to check out the ship review and video tour first. You'll get a feel for the ship and meet Kathia, another employee from the MS Vesterålen.

We meet the Chief Officer on the bridge, the person in charge of managing the supplies on board, the hotel manager in charge of the guest experience, plus two people who work with Hurtigruten on the cargo management and tour guide side of things.

Full show notes including photos: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode24/

Life in Norway Show Episode 23: Long-term Longyearbyen resident and tour guide Anna Lena Ekeblad talks adventure tourism in Svalbard on a scenic drive around the settlement.

Full show notes including photos: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode23/

After more than seven years in Norway, I finally ticked off a major item on my bucket list this March by visiting Svalbard. The Arctic archipelago is the farthest north you can get on a scheduled flight – anywhere in the world.

Adventure tourism in Svalbard

Although coal mining still takes place on Svalbard, scientific research and adventure tourism are of growing importance. Because you can't leave Longyearbyen, the main settlement, without a gun and without knowing how to use it, the role of tour guides is an important one.

Swedish citizen Anna Lena Ekeblad has lived in Longyearbyen for a remarkable 24 years. She has worked in tourism for all of that time and today runs her own tour company Barents Expeditions. Her company takes interested visitors on a dream tour of the fjords of Svalbard on multi-day expeditions by boat.

When she invited me for a tour of the landscape immediately surrounding Longyearbyen, I didn't hesitate, and took my recording equipment along for the ride! Enjoy the show, and don't forget to refer to the show notes page for the photos.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode23/

Life in Norway Show Episode 22: Meet Mexican YouTuber Pame who has lived in Norway for seven years and runs a popular YouTube channel all about her experiences in the land of the Vikings.

There are quite a lot of people making YouTube videos about Norway these days, but not so many in Spanish. I've been watching Pame's YouTube videos for years as they have helped me get better at Spanish! I'm delighted to welcome her onto the Life in Norway Show.

We chat about her experiences moving to Norway as a student, learning the language, and adapting to Norwegian culture. I also ask her about the most popular videos on her channel, and what exactly goes in to making a video.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode22/

Pame says that a lot of people back home believe most Norwegians are very cold. "It's because we as Latin Americans are very loud and laugh a lot! One thing a lot of people tell me is that they think Norway is cold the whole year."

The Vikings are also a famous icon of the Nordic countries throughout Latin America. "I love the history, and to learn about their beliefs and their mythology. People don't so much that they were merchants and negotiators", says Pame.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode22/

Pame's YouTube channel: 

Life in Norway Show Episode 21: Entrepreneur Torill Wilhelmsen joins us to discuss Norwegian entrepreneurship and the advantages of starting a business in rural Norway.

After many years of lagging behind its Nordic neighbours Sweden and Finland, Norway is finally catching up supporting new business and entrepreneurship. Today’s guest Torill Wilhelmsen talks about the challenges and benefits of working for yourself in rural Norway.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode21/

Making a living outside the cities

One issue is that support programs and startup ecosystems tend to be concentrated in and around the cities. So what does a budding entrepreneur who just happens to live in rural Norway do?

Torill believes ordinary people can achieve remarkable things. She started her business Fjellflyt to make it easier to make a living from your passion no matter where in the country you live.

In addition to her work as a business strategist, she founded the BETA coworking space, pictured above, in the centre of Vågå in the Gudbrandsdal region.

Doing 'slow business' in Norway

Once Torill also began to feel the burnout of juggling her career with travelling, being a new mum and other commitments, the idea for Fjellflyt was born. "The mission I am on now is to create community for both rural and urban entrepreneurs who are like-minded in there way they approach their business", says Torill.

She calls this philosophy where the best of work and best of the outdoors meet, slow business.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode21/

Life in Norway Show Episode 20: Norwegian Social entrepreneur Munib Mushtaq from Gi en hånd

Norwegian social entrepreneur Munib Mushtaq talks about working with immigrants and the unwritten social rules of Norwegian society.

Full show notes: https://www.lifeinnorway.net/episode20/

New to Norway

There are many organisations that help people moving to Norway, but few courses look beyond the practicalities of setting someone up in the system, learning the language and finding employment.

While all those things are important, becoming truly settled in Norway with Norwegian friends and a full active social life is perhaps the biggest challenge of all. Institutions don’t teach the Norwegian social code and new refugees and immigrants often have to learn the hard way.

Today we meet Munib Mushtaq, a Norwegian social entrepreneur and founder of Gi en Hånd, who is on a mission to change that! He was born in Norway to immigrant parents, so has personal experience in adapting to different cultures.

A helping hand for new arrivals

Gi en Hånd is a voluntary organisation with the main goal of building bridges and integrating minority groups to create a stronger generation to strengthen Norway as a nation.

Their specialisation is providing intensive Norwegian courses that take just one month per level, which is much faster than standard courses.