Peace, Love, and Lutefisk: Adventures i Norge

The proud mountains and the valley that was so green and welcoming only days ago, like the Great Valley in The Land Before Time, have now become a sign of the impending winter. It's fun to watch as the snow moves lower and lower until finally we are inundated by it! Looks like it's making an early attack this year. Fortunately my long underwear and I are ready!

And, I got to test out the long underwear for the first time last night. Petter, my Rotary contact in Tromsø, called me up and invited me to go to a huge football game as Tromsø played against Bergen's team: Braunn. The match was very important for both teams, but for very different reasons. Tromsø was in last place of the league when the game started, and in the Norwegian football league, if you finish in the bottom two places you are automatically relegated to the lower division where there is less money, less TV deals, and worse teams. So basically, Tromsø was playing to stay alive in the major leagues instead of being demoted to AAA. Braunn was in first place and was playing to move a game in front of the second place Trondheim team.

Since I was with Petter who used to be a trainer for the TIL (the Tromsø team), we were treated to the VIP treatment. Pre-game meat and potatoes as well as coffee and fruit for dessert. We also got to sit inside while it started to dump snow outside...perfect for the home field advantage! TIL scored quickly and the crowd was into it the whole first half. Starting the second half, Braunn scored a goal and it looked like the wheels were going to fall off. Then, with about 20 min left, Tromsø had a free kick at about the 18 yd. box. The Norwegian kick taker took a perfect curving shot around the wall, over the defender's head, and into the corner of the goal. Just like something out of "Bend it Like Beckham!" The crowd went nuts and the Bergen players looked ready to escape the North. TIL then added another goal late in the game just to rub it in and to move out of last place! They now have four games left to get another win and hopefully avoid relegation. Exciting. The game was the headlines of the morning papers with the title: Winter War! I guess there are some benefits to having September snow.