Winter transportation in Fjærland: The kicksled. In Norwegian, this is called a “spark” (lit. “kick”).

What do you do in winter? That’s a question we are often asked. The answer: We prepare for next season. All winter, we receive and sort books, plan events, hire staff for summer and bring books to and from our deep-frozen bookshops.

And how do we get to and from work? By our favourite means of winter transportation, of course: The kicksled. When the roads are icy and preferably not sanded, there is simply no better way of propelling yourself forward: The wind in your face, the cheek-biting yet invigorating chill, the effortless, gliding sensation as your kicksled gains speed downhill on your way to miles of books, the excitement as you approach a curve: will I make it without sliding or toppling over? Ah, winter.

…But we do look forward to summer, when you’ll come and browse our newly-sorted bookshelves again! Of course, we’ll be biking around by then, so you won’t see our kicksleds. Hence this picture.

A rainy day in the Booktown. 17 July 2012.

Sometimes when on vacation, and perhaps especially when in Norway, the weather decides what you can or can’t do. Fjærland has lots to offer for rainy days, eg. the glacier centre, but we have another idea: We nod suggestingly in the general direction of our book shelves.

Why, that’s rather a splendid idea, you might react – and indeed, it is. Spending hours or days surrounded by piles of books on all topics is the perfect peaceful activity for rainy days. And normally, the sun breaks through after some time. That makes it easier to remember why you came to Fjærland – apart from the book-browsing, naturally.

Concert in The Booktown 14 July 2011. Photo: Gaute Dvergsdal Bøyum/firda.no

There are many reasons to spend time in Fjærland. The Booktown, naturally, is one. The prospect of day-long book browsing is enticing, indeed. Also, the glaciers and the Glacier Centre is a very compelling reason to come to Fjærland. The glaciers are, after all, the reason why tourists came from Britain in the late 19th century.

More recent is Fjærland’s place as a concert venue. The annual bookfair always has an outdoor concert, and with our newly erected outdoor stage/bandshell, we are ready to stage concerts in almost any format. The concert with Norwegian band Vamp (pictured above) is a good example. We have a bandshell, an indoor stage, technical equipment and a sound engineer, and the concerts in this 280-strong community attract thousands of spectators every year.

This summer has a lot to offer for concert-goers:

Coming Friday, 6 July at 9pm, Polkabjørn & Kleine Heine play at Hotel Mundal. Their lively yodeling polka is guaranteed to lift your mood. Polkabjørn’s voice and yodeling technique stands front and center in this group. Hotel Mundal offers reasonable packages with concert, food and accomodation – an experience in itself.

Saturday 14 July is the night for Irish dance, music and merryment at Fjærland social centre. Andrea Rice is well known for her traditional Irish music, and has visited Fjærland several times before. Many of us have fond memories of her concerts. Andrea Rice is the real deal, serving authentic and professional Irish folk. The social centre can become quite crowded on these nights, both on and off the dance floor, so be there!

Next concert is Tuesday 17 July at 8pm, when the band nrwy plays at Fjærland fjordstove, also a very nice hotel to stay at. We cite the blurb about nrwy:

NRWY – The latest project featuring Erik and Per Christian Grov, of The Generous Days, whose ‘60s styled sunshine pop was (and is!) always welcome at IPO. While at its heart still uplifting and jangly, with NRWY they add a folk rock intensity and indie rock bite that will appeal to an even wider range of audiences. Fans of Neil Young, The Jayhawks, Teenage Fanclub, and Wilco will want to check out these boys from Oslo, Norway!

24 July is the big outdoor concert day this year. Norwegian rock band Plumbo is well known as a party band, playing steady rock with a few twists. Tickets should be booked in advance, eg. at Billettservice.

…and if you’d rather like small, intimate concerts, both hotels in Fjærland often offer folk song concerts in weekends.

Road toll station, telephone booth and car

An old road toll station, a telephone booth and a 20 years old Toyota. This photo can be seen as a show of nineties-sentimentality, or simply a demonstration of the new buildings in The Norwegian Booktown. As you may know, the road to Fjærland (National Route 5) is no longer a toll road, and the toll station is being put into new service in the booktown. It will serve as a road and traffic museum at some point in the future – but first, it will do duty as a tuck shop during the annual Solstice Bookfair. Instead of paying NOK 185 for passing one way, you can have coffe, cakes and delicious local waffles for a few pounds. A far better deal, we would claim. Of course, the Bookfair is far more than that – concerts, readings and interviews for free, and vast amounts of secondhand books. A literary paradise.

Because of the two days without electricity and internet, a few book orders have had to wait. We are back in business today, and will be shipping all orders shortly.

Most people in Fjærland were quite well prepared for the storm, and none suffered serious mishaps or fell gravely ill during the storm, as far as we know. The local elderly home had to be evacuated due to lack of heating, but things are back to normal today. However, “Dagmar” did quite a bit of harm to buildings, power lines and forest patches, and we feel sorry for those who suffered damage to their houses and property.