craving for Troika

You want to know my all time favorite chocolate? It is fabulous Nidar’s Troika from Norway. The description on the wrapper says it all: marzipan, truffle and jelly covered with dark chocolate. The combination, I tell you, is made in heaven.

I first tasted Troika in Bergen in 2004. The shiny red package intrigued me. One bite was all it took and I was a convert. Not much of a fan of almond marzipan paste, I was however floored by the mix of thin layer of soft jelly and the chocolate. I immediately bought several packs and over the next week or so after coming back from my trip in Europe, I finished my stash.




The following year, I ordered some bars online and had them delivered to my sister’s apartment in New York just in time when I went there for a business trip. It’s been a few years since then but the chocolate’s wax paper wrapper I saved. Today, it is still lovingly pinned on my office corkboard as I know that it could be useful someday. Luckily late last year, a colleague went to Norway on a business and I only had one request: Troika. I ended up with three bars but they were all that I needed.




I still have one more piece that I have put in storage. I’m waiting for a special event to eat it. I can wait, for now.

Nidar’s Troika
Nidar AS, N-7005 Trondheim, Norway, www.nidar.no, +4773 583333

crossing and cruising the fjords of West Norway

For a country as small as Norway- it is only slightly larger than Germany – it is a wonder that it owns one of the the longest coastlines in the world. Thanks to its prehistoric glaciers which carved its rugged topography, Norway has some 50,000 islands and countless fjords. These water inlets cut deep into land and are like valleys flooded by sea and walled narrowly and walled steeply at the side.


fjordscape in the West Norwegian coast
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/8.0, 55mm, ISO 100
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/4.9, 21.3mm


I got to appreciate the natural glacial wonders of the fjord in the ferry trip from Bergen to Haugesund. The boat ride aboard Flaggruten Express was one of convenience. An alternative plane trip was more costly and would be less picturesque. We took the earliest of the 4 departure schedules, leaving at about 7AM. Starting point was the famous Fish Market of Bergen.




There were several ports of calls. Every layover was swift and efficient. Schedules were maintained to the dot. The first was 25 minutes into the 3 hour trip, at Flesland. Then the voyage continued to Hufthamar in Austevoll, a semi-circular archipelago of about 667 islands in the North Sea which is one of Norway’s largest fishing municipalities.


a typical isolated fjord settlement
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/4.9, 21.3mm


There were layovers in Leirvik, one of Norway’s biggest yards of oil platforms and Mosterhamn, which was where Olav Tryggvason landed in 995 to become king and bring Christianity to Norway. Too bad, we did not have the time to get out and explore the famous Moster church, one of the country’s oldest churches.


Leirvik, Norway
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/4.5, 10.3mm


The trip was made in June, summer in Norway, but tropics-bred that I am, I found the weather muggy and cold, especially out on the deck. But whether one decided to enjoy the trip inside the comfort of the boat or outside, there is the inescapable realization that despite the extensive exploration for offshore oil – Norway has one of the most widely tapped oil deposits of Europe – the country remains pristine, even undisturbed. From the wide stretches of the sea to the narrow sounds of the fjords, Norway is a picture of development done good.


layers of steep mountains loomed over the fjord
Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/4.9, 21.3mm



Canon PowerShot S40, 1/1000s, f/4.0, 7.1mm

postcards from Bryggen

June 2004, summer, and I found myself in Norway, the Land of the Midnight Sun. The place is Bergen, definitely a city made to be overrun by tourists. The sites were aplenty but none is more visually and culturally impressive than the waterfront of Bryggen.

Bryggen, or Vaagen, as it is locally known, is a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for for its well-preserved Hanseatic homes and shophouses dating as far back to the 15th century. It is unique in its historical representation of the architecture of a medieval settlement.

My camera way back then was a Canon S40 point and shoot but despite the limitations, every corner seems to be a postcard-ready opportunity.


the Bryggen waterfront



the Torget market at Bryggen


Bergen's social life revolves around Bryggen.

A convenient spot to start the visit to Bryggen is the public fish market of Torget just before it. On certain hours, the market is open and a wide variety of fresh sea produce is on display. The market is flanked by cafes, pubs, restaurants and bars. You can view from here the row of old wooden houses which practically are living remnants of medieval Europe.


the open air stalls of the Torget market sell the freshest seafood produce



tourists crawling all over Bryggen

Most of the old houses however date back only to the 18th and 19th century after having been razed several times by fire. The interior jumble of the buildings now stands crooked and misaligned. By commercial demand, all waterfront houses have already been converted into stores and offices but some of top floors may still be lived in, as well as the houses behind the front row.


This walkway was wet, dark and slippery but incorrigibly inviting.


The overhanging balconies jut out of nowhere. In most places, there seems to be a steady buzz of historical restoration.


My pulse is shot under low light so this was my best attempt. In rescuing this picture, I might have gone overboard with the saturation.


a typical Bryggen courtyard is simple, sparse and functional. The facades are a different matter



ivy-covered houses in Bryggen



the unique Bryggen coastline, taken just before an anticipated downpour


Peculiarly, the photo below, the one which is the most popular of all my flickr photos of Norway, was taken behind the port. The patterns simply jumps out and leave without a modicum of doubt how Bryggen remains to be an amalgam of tradition, function and drama.


houses behind the Bryggen port

Marilyn Monroe is in Haugesund

There is a little known trivia that Marilyn Monroe, who is arguably the most recognizable movie star ever, is half-Norwegian. Her father is Martin Edward Mortensen, an emigrant from the village of Skjold, 20 km outside Haugesund, Norway. However, he abandoned his family early and he was killed in a motorcycle accident without ever seeing his daughter. This is why there is a statue of Marilyn Monroe in the harbor of the city, as created by legendary Norwegian artist Nils Aas.

I am a trivia buff but I did not know this. I only was made aware of this back story when I came to Haugesund. And to my pleasure, the statue even is located in front of Rica Maritim Hotel where I stayed.

For now, and maybe always, the sexy lady would sit on the docks. With her back to the ocean, she looks as if she’s seeking company. By design perhaps, the hotel hosts the Norwegian International Film Festival every year. That must be making Marilyn happy.




the statue as seen from the restaurant at the hotel