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Christmas along the coast

December 19, 2011  

PICTURE STORY: Communities all over Norway geared up for Christmas, and Florø, on the west coast between Ålesund and Bergen, was among them. Extra lights were mounted to offset the seasonal darkness, and they generally stay up well into January. It’s a season of busy shopping and other necessary preparations, punctuated by traditional food and drink in this municipality with a population of 11,600. (Hover your mouse over the photos to get caption information, and then click away!)

  1. Strandgata, the main drag through Florø, decorated for Christmas. The store on the right is advertising discounted candles and torches, necessities at this time of the year when darkness falls shortly after four in the afternoon.
  2. A tall Christmas tree is lit on Florø\'s little town square, which sits on the city\'s northern seafront.
  3. Most Norwegian towns have an arts and crafts store, the <i>Husfliden</i>, and Florø is no exception. The store sports two Christmas trees on its facade.
  4. This store is aptly named <i>Fargeklatten</i>, «the color spot».
  5. Evening falls on the icy bay north of town, known as <i>Frøysjøen</i>.
  6. The streets outside are dark and icy, but inside <i>To Kokker</i> - «two chefs» - it\'s warm and cozy. Like most restaurants in Norway, this place has a special menu of traditional Christmas dishes.
  7. Florø is the administrative center of Flora municipality, the third largest in the district of Sogn og Fjordane. The impressive town hall was built in 1903.
  8. The Kinn micro brewery is next door to town hall. It has won several international prizes for its beer, which is made using traditional methods - including tapping by hand-driven pump.
  9. A selection of Kinn beers. Its flagship brand is the Pilegrim, a light bitter in Yorkshire style. <i>Sjelefred</i> meaning peace of mind, is an English-inspired brown ale. <i>Svart hav</i> is a stout. The name means «black sea», which means that the sea offers no fish to catch. The beer is not cheap, though - 74 NOK a bottle is almost 13 USD and over ten Euro.
  10. Another view of Strandgata the shopping street, seen from the west. In bigger cities, a Thursday afternoon before Christmas would be busy, but in Florø it seems rather quiet.
  11. But trade is brisk at Florø\'s bookstore, which is loaded for Christmas. Books are popular gifts in Norway, but they also tend to be pricey compared to other countries.
  12. This cozy home is all decorated with Christmas lights, spruce twigs and a decoration known as «Christmas tree balls».
  13. The local church sits prominently on a hill above downtown. It\'s going to be lively over the next couple of weeks, as Christmas is by far the busiest time of the year for Norwegian churches.

All photos: Views and News




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