We have had a tradition the last five years of taking a holiday in Sweden from the second day of Xmas to the 2nd of January. Our vacation home is in an apartment building own and run by Norwegians. Each New Years Eve we have a good dinner with our family, and since in Sweden its sea food (I’ll get back to that later) and then an hour or two before midnight we all meet in the common room – this year I believe we were around 30 people of all ages – getting together for some cake and coffee avec, good conversation and friendship.
There is something special about counting down for the New Years Eve and every time it takes me down memory lane. Of course there is a celebration, but most of all from my childhood, I remember we where allowed to stay up until pass midnight to see the fireworks. I remember passing this tradition to my children and the day before we would build a big off-shoot ramp with snow and ice holding bottles for the rockets. These days for convenience and safety, I’ve changed from rockets to a box of fireworks with only one fuse. Part of the anticipation is to buy it the day before. They demonstrate all the kinds they have on a video and we bought one who lasted for a bit more than a minute. Every one goes out to see and the children have fun with sparklers :-). Since I made a similar post last year (click to read the details!), I wanted to make this one different. My blog friend, Expat Travels asked me to take pictures, but then I came up with the idea of video taping it with my Nikon Coolpix S2. Click and have fun with full speakers:
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I also promised you a fair share of our New Years Eve sea food delight. We had it all: Shrimps, crab, craw fish and not to mention(my favorite) lobster. You can read more details on how we prepare and it from my post last year, so this year I’ll make it nice and short with a movee. I like mayonnaise on top and for you I made it hearted. Bon appetit:
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You might like to read about how we celebrate in Norway too (since I was in Sweden, I mean). Then I recommend my blog friend Kristie’s – an expat from Los Angeles – who really seems to have adjusted to the Viking’s way of celebrating!
fireworks 
seafood
OK, my dear friend,
now I know what we missed on New Years Eve, besides you and your beloved ones: The food. All the heavenly dishes.
A blast of a post. Can we event a time machine?
The only thing I do think was better here, celebrating N’s 70 BD, was the view over the inner Oslofjord Bassin at 12 pm. The most spetacular Fireworks I’ve ever seen in Oslo , from the Hill just a minutes walk away from our winterhome.
btw. Our dishes were very simple: Rakefish with onion and quail eggs, Confit de Duck with green beans, souffle de pommes de Terre etc and some fresh berries (from the summerhouse). Simple as that.
hugs to all of you
A and T
Wow! And, Yum! ;-) The fireworks were great and the seafood looks divine, Renny. Makes my supper of fried eggs and homemade biscuits seem very humble, but it hit the spot nevertheless.
Happy New Year again!
Love and hugs,
Diane
wow, thats some new year celebrations Renny :) Great video and superb food. You are really tempting us all to be there next year :)
PS: I’ve tagged you… check your email .. tc
Now I know that Scandinavians are truly big fish lovers. I am too. I was born on Cape Cod and they joke that a Cape Cod girl loves fish so much that they comb their hhair with Cod fish bones! Sounds sort of yucky to me, but truly, we love to eat all fish!
Ah, looks like you had a great new years celebration in Sweden :-)
We had a bit of combined fog and hails just at the time, so it was bad sighting, never the less we saw the closest fireworks and a happy new year came on!
I’ve only eaten scallop lobster once, since we were not seafood lovers in my family when I grew up and not my ex either, but that was delicious!!!!
BTW: you’re gonna be surprised next time you visit my blog….
*making you curious*
Looks like a fun way to spend the holidays. Ours were quiet.
May I instead have fireworks and pizza??!! You know how I feel about seafood :)
I agree with Tor – we need a time machine! I’m hungry just looking at those pics and the fun!
So that totally answers my question: lots of seafood! I love it… I don’t eat much meat (not a vegetarian… just by taste) and I think I’d love to spend Yuletide and all the holiday season in Norway!
In France (and maybe in Mediterranean countries in general), we always have the stereotype of cold — not unfriendly, just cold — people in Nordic countries, and no much fun. Your blog proved my wrong from the beginning!
*Smashing stereotype*
;-)
well that was fun. we never got around to shooting our fireworks, lol. we had fun watching movies and playing cards though. happy new year renny!
Happy New Year to you also, Renny! I love your fireworks video and what a feast you had.
wat a cool new yr u had there! and my my… wat a big feast! norwegians r blessed with abundance of seafood, aren’t they? ;)
I love the firework video and the food looks delicious. I’m coming to you for New Year next year – OK? ;-)
Happy New Year!
Thanks to your beautiful pictures- hubby has decided that he definitely wants to spend next Christmas and New Year in Norway (and Sweden). Yeeeaaaaaiiiii And he wants seafood……
Thank you Renny
it sure looks yummy.
i think i’ll have a gastronomic adventure in your country haha.
That’s a lot of sea-food. :-) An apartment complex run by Norwegians in Sweden? That’s interesting…Is Sweden a popular touring destination for Norwegians?
Nice firework ! and still alive, lol ! For once we had decided to got to Brussels to watch the annual firework it was cancelled ! For the first time Brussels was under terrorist alert ! People were very angry because they think it was exaggerated and I agree in London where it’s much more dangerous they had a firework. Some people even said that the government as they are always fighting didn’t want the flemish and french speaking people together ! The tourists too were disappointed. The firework is usually very big and nice and hundred of people are in the city center with bottles of Champagne to share. So no pictures from me of fireworks.
But here in my street in Waterloo we also had a very nice firework and everybody was shouting “Bonne Année” !
Love the fireworks tradition! Wish we had that!
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A beautiful video and a beautiful slide show! Really! It seems we were at table with you and Diane! The decoration of the table is marvelous! And tomorrow I will visit Kristie to see how she celebrated the New Year!
I’m at the Lifecruiser party, dancing on the song of Cloclo and the Claudettes!
Fench people like to dance on his songs still in Night Clubs!
Today is Three Kings Day which is very much celebrated in Belgium. I wrote about it today.
Happy New Year to you and your family, Renny! That crab is a monster! :)
Thanks Renny! Its easy to adjust when its so fun :)
Happy new year Renny! Your photos are mouthwatering mmmmmm :-)
Lobster – YUM! Lobster is also our family tradition but for Christmas. My mother makes her lobster stew that is better than an restaurant. Hope you enjoyed your lobster. Happy New Year!
Godt Nytt År Renny! Sorry it took so long to get here. I showed my son D the video of your fireworks; he loves them! It sounds like y’all had a perfect celebration for bringing in the new year. Your food display is so perfectly yummy looking.
Godt nytt år Renny selv om det er litt sent hehehehe. Anyway, it is nice to see that you had a blast and wishing you more success, health and love on this new year!!!
was here again!
have a nice day Renny!
Hey thanks for adding me! Looks like your New Years was great fun! and that crab is making my mouth water, I shall chew my muesli in vain
A great feast for the New Year! Wonderful seafood and a wonderful party.
My great blog designer The Queer Chef is working on my blog and I just have to test the new features in comments :-)
Hi Renny – If you sent me an email it ended up being deleated in my spam filter. Please resend. I’ll help in any way with the Technorati Link LOve. :)