Grand Hotel
The consuls and their spouses were upon arrival checked into the venerable Grand Hotel in the capital of Oslo. Constructed in 1874, the Grand Hotel is one of Norway’s oldest and most famous hotels, frequented by such historical icons as Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. The hotel also accommodates the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, presented in Oslo on December 10 every year since 1901. The Oslo summer was showing itself at its most spectacular, with temperatures approaching 30 degrees.
The consuls were welcomed by the Director of the Protocol Branch and former ambassador to Australia Ove Thorsheim. The reception was followed by a formal dinner before the guests could finally return to their rooms for some much needed sleep.
Stokmarknes
The next day the consuls left for the tiny town of Stokmarknes in the northern part of Norway. Fresh Norwegian seafood was on the menu for dinner, which was served on board the M/C Icequeen, a motor cutter involved in cod and herring fishing.
Norway is the third largest seafood export nation in the world, making fish and fish products the most important industry after oil and gas. Fresh, cold Arctic sea water and strong currents makes for perfect conditions for the high value salmon farming, and almost 40% of seafood export revenues now come from this sector. A guided tour to salmon exporter Nordlaks and its farming and production facilities provided an insight into this vital industry.
Svolvær
The coastal steamer Kong Harald brought the guests to Svolvær, a small fishing community and a very popular tourism destination. Among the unique attractions available is all-night golfing, made possible by the midnight sun. The course is situated at Hov on Gimsøya Island, and the golfers among the consuls had all night as Northern Norway finds itself in perpetual daylight during the warm summer months.
Svolvær’s famous Magic Ice is the world’s first ice gallery and bar. The detailed ice sculptures and installations incorporate multimedia and lighting to tell stories of traditional fisherman life in the region. A cruise and fishing trip on Gamle Lofotfergen allowed the guests the first-hand experience of harvesting the riches of the Norwegian Sea, before Norway’s Viking roots were duly explored on the famous Lofotr Viking Museum.
Bodø
On June 12 the city of Bodø awaited with a luncheon and a guided tour of the Norwegian Aviation Museum. Situated next to one of the most important military airbases during the cold war, the museum is the largest of its kind in the Nordic countries and gave the consuls and their spouses an introduction to the long and eventful history of military and civilian aviation in Norway.
Stortinget
Back in Oslo the guests visited Stortinget, Norway’s Parliament building located in the heart of the capitol. Literally meaning “the grand assembly”, the Stortinget is the current manifestation of a Norwegian political democratic tradition dating back to the local assemblies in 800 AD.
As the consuls headed to their meeting in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the spouses had their own program consisting of a sightseeing tour of everything the capital has to offer. As part of the trip they visited the Vigeland Sculpture Park, one of Norway’s artistic highlights. The 80 acres park features 212 statues encompassing 600 individual figurines, all created by the Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland with some taking more than 40 years to finish.
At the Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy the spouses got to see up close a unique part of Norway’s history. The Museum houses the very limited number of genuine Viking ships that have been found in good condition and preserved, including the famous Oseberg Ship which was a sensation upon its discovery.
The Royal Palace
The official visit was concluded with an audience with His Majesty King Harald V and Her Majesty Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace. The consuls and their spouses were welcomed by the Royal Couple in the Grand Hall. The most spectacular room in the Royal Palace, the Grand Hall is renowned for being the only room where archetypal Norwegian prudence relented enough to allow Palace Architect Hans Ditlev Franciscus Linstow to fulfil his visions of splendour and display. Between 1993 and 2001 the Palace went through an extensive AUD 80 million refurbishment, and it is now open for the public to admire during the summer.