by ‘You make more noise when you buy curtains!’ The blues singer from California, England Brooks, who has lived in Bodø for 20 years, gently turns on his audience for their Norwegian difference, usually when they are asked to join in a song. They laugh, and at the next attempt they sing a tiny bit.
This is the latest in a series of “Live Fridays” held at the PåPir library bar in this small coastal town. One of three capitals of culture this year (the other two being Bad Ischl in Austria and Tartu in Estonia), Bodø (pronounced BOO-duh) also the first time ever inside the Arctic Circle.
If your first reaction to that brrrrr, I have good news – my four days in late April of cultures took place under sunny skies. From June to mid-July, the sun never sets and summer temperatures are usually in the high teens. Between September and April the northern lights have an added advantage.
Brooks’ gig is one of 1,000 or so major cultural events planned this year for Bodø and Nordland, a county that covers nearly 15,000 square miles of Norway’s northwest coast. I focus on events in the city, heading first to Nōua, a relatively small gallery that co-founder Marianne Bjørnmyr says “attracts big names such as Tate Modern assistant curator Michael Raymond”. He is putting together the main exhibition of the summer, a work by the German artist Steffi Klenz (from June 15-August 11).
Later that day I catch Arktisk Filharmoni’s spirited performance of the story of King Skjervøy’s hidden treasure of money. Admittedly, it would be useful to know some Norwegian but most of the events are accessible to English speakers. That evening I head to the Ad Lib jazz club at the Sinus club in the Stormen concert hall to hear the Polish-Norwegian Maciej Obara Quartet. Although jazz is a little out of my musical comfort zone, even I start toe-tapping.
If a musical is more your thing, the first performance on August 9 will be Ingrid fra Barrøy (Ingrid from Barrøy) based on the novels by Norwegian author Roy Jacobsen. Outdoorsy people might prefer to explore the culture cabin project: cabins around the region are turned into small culture houses where visitors can catch a micro-gig from a country musician, go on a walk with an artist, or take part in a three-fold drawing. course in Bodø (all events are free).
With its shiny cultural center and fancy library, Bodø has made valiant efforts to shake off its reputation as one of Norway’s least fun towns.
Bodø itself is a modern place, having been destroyed by bombing during the second world war. But with the shiny cultural center and fancy library (like the building with an open book) it has tried hard to shake off its reputation as one of Norway’s less fun towns. I prefer to go to its compact centre, with its huge murals and views across the sea to rocky islands and snow-capped mountains. I love a comfortable bed and a mountain view at Smarthotel, near the train station, which opened in 2022.
The town (population 50,000) is built on land traditionally inhabited by the Sámi – the semi-nomadic people who straddle northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula – so it’s good to learn more about their culture at Saltfjell Sámi Adventure, a recent project started by a young Sámi couple from the Saltfjellet region of Norway.
“Sitting with the reindeer is my favorite therapy,” says Anne Margareta as she shows me the seven animals she keeps on the outskirts of town. Over foraged chaga mushroom tea – “It’s full of antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties,” Anne tells me about the challenges of being Sámi in the 21st century, and how Sámi is more than just their language (there are 10 some of them) there. 300 words for snow of charge.
I have seen plenty of the white stuff on my way north. Using an Interrail pass from England, I traveled through Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Sweden to Norway. With an afternoon and night in Oslo, the journey from Sussex took three days, including a thrilling 10-hour journey along the Nordland Line, which ran 453-miles from Trondheim to Bodø. Later this year, the route will be part of the cultural capital programme. Starting in Trondheim, there will be a choice of six themed experiences from stations along the line, including river salmon rafting, Sámi bread baking, lasso throwing and overnight stays in unusual accommodation such as mountain summit cabins.
In Bodø I rent a bike from the friendly people and cycling outfit Opplev Nord to take advantage of the town’s cycle path network and visit further cultural attractions such as the town’s Jekt Trade Museum, which is built around its main attraction, an impressive wooden sloop (shouted) was too fragile to move. Jan, my guide, talks to me about the story of the traders who tackled the island coast of Norway. “You could eat the dried stockfish [cod] as long as you could stand the smell,” he says cheerfully, referring to what was a major commodity in Norway before the discovery of North Sea oil.
Nearby, the Norwegian Aviation Museum pays tribute to Bodø’s past as Norway’s major air base. The huge exhibition spaces are full of flying machines of all ages, including a U2 spy plane and a Spitfire.
One evening, I accept Norway friluftsliv (outdoor living) by climbing a local mountain, Keiserden (petite 366 meters). Leaving my bike at the bottom of a trail for the tax-free walk up to the summit, I enjoy sweeping views of the Lofoten Islands, the impressive Børvasstindan mountain range and distant peaks near the Swedish border.
At sea level, Saltstraumen is located in Bodø, one of the strongest tidal currents in the world. Four times a day, up to 400m cubic meters of water pass through a narrow strait – it would be rude to come all this way without asking one of the local boat operators to show me around. Our skipper, Odd, calmly maneuvers a little ribbon back and forth among the eddies as we tourists ooh and aah. From time to time, during the three-hour trip, we stop in calmer waters, where the bald eagle is great for frozen fish.
What better way to end my visit than with a sauna, the mainstream of Norwegian culture?
My visit coincides with the monthly Culinary Carousel, a new venture that offers the chance to sample the fare at four restaurants in one evening. For around £36, you pick up a mini pass and saunter between establishments in one order. I opt for the vegan option, starting at a harborside tapas bar called Txaba for a subtle mango, avocado, lentil and vinaigrette tartar. By the time I’ve had rich-textured asparagus maki tempura at Ohma and sun-dried tomato and asparagus with orzo pasta at Bjørk, I need a little break to make room for my mini pizza at Sportsbaren, where, in prose, a TV show can . Sheffield United losing rather badly (no worries for the Norwegians, who seem to be huge Liverpool fans).
But what better way to end my visit than with a sauna, that mainstream of Norwegian culture? I book an hour slot at Pust (Breathe) and get down to the serious business of sweating out the toxins while gazing at snow capped mountains. Following everyone else, I leave the cabin a few times to boldly jump into the frigid waters of the bay.
“Delig! [Lovely!]” says a young fellow swimmer as she notices me pulling my white, frozen flesh from the sea. They may be wasted on live music, but the people of Bodø have a fine line in sarcasm.
Interrail provided rail tickets; a pass costs 7 days per month £324 (ages 28-59) and £243 (12-27). Smart Hotels provided accommodation (doubles from £49). More information from bodo2024.no, visitbodo.com, and visitnorway.com
