Tag Archives: Norsk

Kaffetur 18 / Coffee Tour #18: Stockfleths, Oslo

With 10 locations scattered all over the city, Stockfleths is a bit of an Oslo institution. While my niece was here in June, we stopped by their largest location on Prinsensgate for a morning coffee.

Once we managed our way around the construction outside, we walked into a clean and well-lit cafe. Not especially unique in its design, but appealing and comfortable all the same.

 

Stockfleths has been around since 1895. They are easy to find throughout the city. With a nice selection of coffee, as well as tea, pastries and sandwiches, it it a good choice for breakfast, lunch, or a coffee break.

We were on our way to the airport and a bit short on time, so we opted for their daily coffee. It was a nice medium roast with a good, smooth flavor, although I felt it was served too hot. That’s the drawback of getting the daily coffee, I guess!

The Prinsensgate location is two stories, and the downstairs also has a room for holding coffee classes.

Kaffetur 15 / Coffee Tour #15: Coffeeberry, Stavanger

We just returned from a long weekend in Stavanger, on the southwest coast of Norway.And before I go any further, I have to say thanks to our friends for letting us stay in their home while they were traveling!

I wasn’t having a lot of luck when I did my usual pre-travel coffee research. I did read a bit about a few shops, but nothing much. So I called out to Facebook friends, and got some great advice.

The best tip was to try Coffeeberry. And we were so glad we did!

Coffeeberry has two locations, in Sandnes and Stavanger. We visited their downtown Stavanger cafe.

The decor is done well. Brightly colored walls on each end reflect the whimsical nature of both Coffeeberry’s logo and their packaging. One end of the shop is painted a bright turquoise, while the other boasts Coffeeberry’s signature bright red.

The furniture is retro and fun. A plethora of teakwood furniture fills the shop, and the walls are adorned with what I would consider throwback Norwegian art. Maybe the kind of work you’d see on the walls of your family’s hytta/cabin.

As you step in, the focal point is the copper coffee bar. And their wall menus are a playful touch, reminiscent of a diner or sandwich shop from years ago.

We visited Coffeeberry twice over the weekend. On the first day, we tried a hand brewed Colombian coffee, and an espresso. Both were excellent. While there we picked up a couple of bags of beans, from Colombia and Ethiopia.

On our second visit, we had their daily coffee. This particular day was from Burundi, and was another  top-notch choice. We also ordered a con panna (our current go-to specialty drink), a shakerato and a caramel ice latte.

Everything we tried was delicious.

Coffeeberry also offers a selection of pastries, salads, sodas, and juices.

For those of you with small children, you’ll be happy to know that they have a kids’ corner with some toys to occupy your little one while you enjoy your drink.

Coffeeberry: another superb offering from the world of Nordic coffee. Definitely worth a stop-in!

You can also check out our Tastemade review of Coffeeberry!

Coffeeberry
Klubbgata 3, 4013 Stavanger
Våsgate 34, 4306 Sandnes

 

Kaffetur 13 / Coffee Tour #13: Fuglen, Oslo

Kaffekos. (Kaffe = coffee. Kos comes from the Norwegian word koselig. You can read about it HERE)
For me, kaffekos is a critical factor, and a single word that describes the whole coffee experience.
It’s the perfect combination of excellent coffee and an atmosphere where you’re able to sit, relax, and really enjoy your drink. No feeling of being rushed, but plenty to see while you sit and sip.

 

A couple of years ago, a friend introduced us to his favorite shop in Oslo. And so began our courtship with Fuglen (The Bird) in Oslo.
Seriously, the place looks like a set straight from Mad Men. And if you like what you see, you can do more than just envy its retro-chic styling. Everything from the furniture to the lamps is available for purchase.
After having an amazing cup of coffee, stop by their shop a couple of doors down and tell them what you’d like. And if you’re tight on luggage space, order online and have it shipped.

Fuglen has kaffekos. It is kaffekos.

 

The shop got its start back in 1963. And taking a look around the place, one might notice that the decor pays homage to the cafe’s 60’s roots. In fact, I always half expect to find  Don Draper lounging on one of the sofas.
Yes, the styling of Fuglen is cool. But that isn’t what keeps us coming back.
As you would expect, Fuglen’s baristas typically hit the hipster image on all cylinders. And yet, while their plaid shirts, wayfarer frames and perfectly tailored beards are iconic, they aren’t so overpowering that you miss out on their exceptional coffee knowledge.
Yeah, these folks know their stuff.
And it’s not just their knowledge and friendliness that makes this a frequent stop for us. It all comes down to the coffee they serve. Excellent equipment, proven expertise, and only the best beans.
If you see it on the shelf, you can try it in your cup. We typically choose something from Tim Wendelboe or Drop Coffee. On my last visit, I enjoyed Tim’s Nano Challa Heirloom. Incredible.
Don’t let the light color fool you. This was not at all weak. It was one of the smoothest and most flavorful cups I’ve had in quite a while.
But no matter what you order – pour over, espresso, coffee drink, or cocktail – you can expect a memorable drink and a memorable experience.
Yes, when we first stepped into Fuglen, we definitely found our Oslo dose of kaffekos.
Fuglen has cafe locations in Oslo, Tokyo, and New York.
For more info, check out Fuglen online. If you are in Oslo, this is our number one recommendation for the perfect combination of cool atmosphere and quality coffee.

Daniel at work

The chime sounded on my phone a couple of days ago. As I checked it, I discovered a text from one of Daniel’s teachers. No message, just a photo.

How happy it made me to see him working so diligently during Norwegian class!
For those who have recently asked, our boys attend an International Baccalaureate School. The majority of the teaching is in English, but they have about 5 hours of Norwegian class each week.

Gratulerer med dagen: how we celebrated 17.mai

Last year I shared a little about the seventeenth of May (syttende mai), Norway’s constitution day. (You can read about May 17 HERE and the rest of the weekend HERE).This year is the 200 year anniversary of Norway’s constitution*. This was our second year to celebrate syttende mai in Norway.

Syttende mai is a fun day, and especially when the weather is as great as it was this past Saturday! We enjoyed a nice walk to the boys schools to start the day. Their classes then proceeded into the city to join all the other area schools for a program and parade.

After some music and speeches, the ‘barnetog’ began. The barnetog is the children’s parade. Much of syttende mai is focused on children, remembering that they are the future. Zack and I enjoyed watching the parade with three families from our neighborhood. Lots of language practice!

After the parade, we had lunch in the city. A big theme of the day is food, especially pølser (hot dogs) and is (ice cream).

We took a short break at home, so everyone could rest a little. Next up, we were back to the city for the ‘borgertog’. Borgertoget is the citizens parade. It includes teams, clubs, corps (marching bands) singing groups, etc. William participated with his football team. Zack, Daniel and I met up with several friends to watch the borgertog.

After the second parade, and an obligatory ice cream, we drove to Larvik/Faris Bad for a cookout and evening with friends: really good food, lots more Norwegian practice, and plenty of time to relax, Plus, the boys got to drive a boat and relax (yeah, right!) in the hot tub!

It was a really fun day, and we all slept great afterwards! Thanks to so many wonderful friends for including us and making us feel at home on your country’s special day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*A quick bit of history, if you’re interested in it: Norway boasts the second oldest constitution in the world that is still in use. The constitution was signed on May 17, 1814 in Eidsvoll, just north of Oslo. It was the first major step the nation took towards becoming a democracy. (Norway and Sweden ultimately dissolved their union on June 7, 1905, as the first Norwegian king took the throne on November 18th of that year.)

NWotD: Today, it’s all about LOVE!

Kjærlighet
(noun) love.å elske
(verb) to love.


Used in a sentence
Kjærligheten bli tålmodig og vennlig.
(From 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient and kind.)
Elsk din neste like høyt som du elsker deg selv.
(From Matthew 22: Love your neighbor as yourself.)

Thoughts on the word(s)
I think it is fantastic that there are two different words for love: a noun and a verb. I have often reminded our boys – or myself – that love is not just a noun, but also a verb. That they can say they love each other, but their actions show how they feel. In Norwegian, it is quite a bit easier!

What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever learned another language? When speaking of love, does it use the same word for both the noun and the verb?

NWotD: lege

Lege
(noun) doctor.Used in a sentence
Daniel besøkte legen i går.
(Daniel visited the doctor yesterday.)

Related words
Fastlege: general practitioner
Tannlege: dentist
Legevakt: ER/emergency room/emergency services

Related to us
Daniel had his first Norwegian checkup today. Everything went well. We really like our family doctor/GP. He is patient with our bad language skills, and seems to be quite thorough. A couple of things that were interesting to us and quite different from our experience in the states:

  1. He introduced himself by first name. No formal titles here!
  2. He was wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue scrub pants – no shirt & tie with white lab coat!
  3. We waited about 2 minutes to be called back. And the doctor called us back.
Have you ever visited a doctor in another country? Did you notice differences from your home country?

What’s it like: Language school

Now that we are getting back into the language school routine, I thought I could share a little about it.Our current class meets 4 times a week. We meet from 12:10 – 2:35, and have Wednesdays free.

Not sure if it’s the norm, but all of our classes so far have been around 20 – 25 students.

We do a variety of things. There is always a text book, and normally a workbook to go with it. So some of our time is spent going through the text book, reading together aloud, reading in groups, sharing discussion questions. We have times where we talk about current events or cultural happenings. We have lessons in grammar (which I love, but I’m a grammar geek!). From time to time, we’ll have a special event, like a day at the beach, or a time to bring food and share things from your home culture. We have homework, writing assignments, and opportunities to do oral presentations.

In our beginner course, the teacher would use some English to help explain things. But since moving to the next level last August, it is taught only in Norwegian.

Our classes have really been helpful in our language development. And it has been a good way to meet some many great people!

Language Confused: Hate

It’s always good to know how to introduce yourself. This is one of several key phrases we focused on before arriving in Norway.

ADVICE: don’t merely depend on your reading skills when learning a new language. You really need to hear it from a native speaker. Say it back and let them have the freedom to correct you.

We thought we were doing great. But sometimes we would get strange looks. Apparently, as we later figured out, Zack was saying something that sounded more like “I hate Zack.”

 

Language Confused: Tire Dilemma

Here in Norway, we have two sets of tires for our cars: summer tires and winter tires. We have almost no storage space here, other than one closet outside of our front door (yes, one closet in our entire house – that’s a lot different from where we lived in the US). So, like many here, we have to take the extra tires to a tire storage facility.Literally, a tire hotel. It’s also where you can buy tires. But basically, you pay to store them and to have them changed out twice a year.

So we’re there, waiting on the guy who’s doing the paperwork. Another guy walks up to me and asks if he could help me.

Here’s the thing I’ve mentioned before: you typically rehearse dialogue before completing a task. Well, we’d already used all of that dialogue with the other guy, so I’d kind of filed it away.

And in my haste to answer him, instead of saying I’m here about tire storage, I tell him that “I am a tire hotel.”