A night out with people from the middle of Norway
Well in the middle of Norway is a small village called Hemnesberget. I visited the local pub.
I walked in and everybody turned around. All 5 of them. I asked for a beer and a bar tender, a lady in her 40’s smiled and complied.
I sat at the side of the bar. In the middle of the bar sat the 3 socialites of the place. The one in the middle reached over and gave me a handshake. I replied with my name, and I was remembered for the rest of the night.
After a few minutes another 2 men arrived. The first, a farmer with a considerable talent for acting, seemed to be completely shocked at the social scene in front of him. “This is amazing, he said. The same people are here today as the last time I came in… and that was 2 months ago.” He then turned to me. “You, you were here last time right?” I laughed and needlessly answered the rhetorical.
I left after my beer. Down the road was a huge lake. I saw a lighthouse and headed that way. On the way I passed a party house. Outside I met a small man. He was drinking redwine and was keen to talk.
I asked him if the pub was open. He then told me that it was a “very private party”. Anyhow he invited me in nearly immediatelly. I declined 3 time telling him that I was on my way to the lighthouse. “What are you doing in this part of Norway” he then asked. I told him that I was visiting with my friend Bob and his girlfriend Helen. “I know someone called Bob too. Come I’ll introduce you”
“No I said.” I can be firm sometimes. “I don’t want to disturb your party.” He ran to the window and pointed in. “Look, look, there is Bob, It would be my honour to introduce you”. My flimsy firmness had firmly gone. I had no escape. On the inside I had time to say hello and introduce myself. In the meantime my drunken dwarf friend had been thrown out with his cigarette. He was now at the door beckoning me to come out again. “Excuse me” he said. “This is a very private party, you have your walking and your lighthouse. I don’t think you really belong here.”
Relieved, I left this courteous character and went to the lighthouse.
After a while I went back to the local pub. Not willingly but because my friend was keen.
I met the farmer again who was sat down in the middle of a group of youngsters. Everyone was at least 25 years younger than himself. He introduced me and I did not manage to conceal that I was English. There was 3 twenty year old girls. 2 of them had boyfriends. The 1st was a knee hopper and the 2nd had a bodice bursting bosom. The 3rd one who could not manage to get herself a boyfriend was nevertheless the interest of many in the pub. The men were in 4 separate groups.
The strong ones.
The weak ones.
The English speakers.
The proud to be Norwegian speakers.
The strongest amonst them talked about stength competitions they had won. The weakest of them all, wore a muscle t-shirt and was forever dodging muscle competitions from the 2nd and 3rd and 4th weakest men. One of the weaker men was a wanna be film director in Hollywood.
That understood I continued to talk Norwegian to everyone in the bar except 2. One, the proffessional knee hopper. She hopped around the table when she found out I was English. She loved to talk English. 30 seconds later she hopped onto my knee to talk to her friend who sat next to me.
“I love talking English” he said, I need to learn because I’m going to America soon. I gonna be a register…… a person who makes films.”
The boyfriend of the girl however was not happy. An English knee was a bit too challenging for him. A series of facial distortions communicated nothing to the girl. I however saw that the local goodwill could soon fly out of the window.
Another guy on the other side of the table kept looking at me quizzically. He was talking to me in Norwegian and I was answering with the same. He accused me of being Swedish. I told him that I was English but that I obviously could understand Norwegian. “ah”, he continued to speak in Norwegian. “I knew you could understand Norwegian”.
The night ended in a fight contrary to assurances that I got from the film director and the actor, that there were never any fights the pub.
The stars of the screen were probably just doing their bit for tourism because the people not involved with the fight just looked the other way.
Overall the people are friendly, suspicious and extraordinary.
