We've been here a while now so I thought I'd write a post about our beautiful new home, the town of Kristiansund.
Kristiansund is spread across not one but three islands.
One thing I've learned about Norwegian people so far is that they have a habit of making their homes on islands or narrow spits of rock jutting out to sea. It's as if they're more comfortable among the waves than on dry land.
The town of Kristiansund is no different in this respect - the town sits across not one but three separate islands out in the Atlantic Ocean.
The sea is a constant presence in the lives of the people here. You can see it when you look out of the window, you can hear it in the foghorns of cruise ships and the crying of seagulls, and you can smell it in the salty tang that hits you when you walk out of the door.
Different and the same
One of the things that make Kristiansund so interesting is the separate identities of its three islands.
Kirkelandet, Nordlandet and Innlandet are separated by narrow bands of ocean water, and connected by sturdy bridges. They're also linked together by the inimitable Sundbåten, small yellow-and-white water taxis that chug their way between the islands at a leisurely pace. There's no better way of getting to the centre of town than by bobbing across the waves in one of these little crafts.
A Sundbaten taxi chugging its way between islands. Photo courtesy of Svend Andreas Horgan via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
While Kirkelandet is the most heavily-populated island and can be classed as the 'centre of town', Nordlandet and Innlandet are both home to proud communities.
Indeed, they even have their own nicknames ("Tahiti" and "Morocco", somewhat bizarrely). Innlandet holds an annual Tahiti Festival that lasts for nearly a week, and sees over 20,000 people visiting the island.
Small size, big personality
Kristiansund may not be Norway's biggest town - its but it makes up for that with a wealth of cultural events.
The most well-known of these might be the Nordic Light festival. This celebration of photography takes place once a year, bringing the bright lights of the photographic world flocking to the town.
Venues up and down the city turn into pop-up galleries, and the photo exhibitions are joined by a wealth of fringe events including film showings, a photo quiz and even a parade.
Kristiansund's Opera House
Then there's the Kristiansund Opera Festival, which has been running since 1928 when it was founded by the Norwegian composer Edvard Bræin. While most performances are hosted in the town's atmospheric stone Opera House, it's not unusual to find a spot of opera singing taking place in cafes and even shopping malls!
Constitution Day
But the one day of the year when you can really see the personality of Kristiansund shine through is on 17 May, Norwegian Constitution Day. On this day every year, people put on colourful outfits and take to the streets to celebrate life and their country.
Normal life stops for a day, and there's a carnival atmosphere in the air as everyone admires each other's bunad, traditional suits and dresses that display varying colours and patterns depending on where in Norway you were born.
The special day culminates in a parade through the city centre, where the different sports clubs, music groups and children's groups all come together and display their civic pride.
A Norwegian Constitution Day parade.
These celebrations are repeated up and down the country. As an outsider witnessing these festivities, you can definitely get a sense of the strong shared identity that holds the country of Norway together.
That's all from me for now - but stay tuned for more updates about the beautiful town of Kristiansund, about Norway, and about life in general.