March 2014

ICON Meetings:

*Tuesday March 18 in Høvik--NEXT WEEK

  April 29 in Høvik

  May 20 in Høvik

  June 10 Luncheon, details to be confirmed

*Next week's meeting will have an international feel to it, but we need your help.  Our terrific hospitality team has asked for people to bring snacks from their home countries.  As for the meeting itself...Well, as usual we will have lots of fun while bringing up some familiar faces to enlighten us on some of the things that keep us busy in Oslo while we call it home. Some members will talk about Volunteering Opportunities in Oslo and others will talk about how they got employment here. You won't want to miss it!  Also, don't forget about buying your raffle tickets!  We have some great gifts that have been donated for this month's meeting!  

ICON Coffee Morning:

Friday the 29th of March 25 beginning 10:00

Swashbuckler Coffeebar Nr 1

https://foursquare.com/v/swashbuckler-coffeebar-nr1/524304fe11d262c0532d90da

Join us for a good cup of coffee and some even better company!

Meet the Partners Cocktail Party

Saturday the 29th of March

To be hosted at a member's home in Bygdøy

Invitations have already been sent out.

 Please contact 

Ruma at icon.oslo.social@gmail.com or 

Kristine at kristine.vanduffel@yahoo.com

It will be 150 nok per couple, plus a bottle of Cava, Presseco or wine.  If you are feeling extra thirsty, feel free to bring an extra bottle of wine.

SPACE IS LIMITED SO PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SPOTS

by payment to:  ICON Account # 7131.11.99433

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Explore Oslo's

Visit to Freia Chocolate Factory!

Tuesday, 1st April @ 9:30 am

Cost is 100 nok.

Numbers are limited, so if you would like to join us, please book your spot with Janet at janet.maybank@gmail.com

A highlight of the tour is the collection of 12 Munch paintings located in the dining hall, but we will also see the production process and sample some chocolate.  You will also have an opportunity to visit the chocolate shop to buy goodies at reduced prices--just in time for Easter!

Activity Coordinator Information, March 2014

A note from Patrizia our Activities Coordinator:

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED BEING A COORDINATOR FOR AN ICON ACTIVITY?

Being a coordinator for an ICON activity isn't too difficult;  you just need a lot of enthusiasm and a bit of work.  If you are interested in taking over as coordinator of an existing activity, you need to contact the current coordinator if you want to keep it running the way it has been, or you can make some changes, as well.  

However, if you would like to start a NEW activity, it's a little more complicated but still not difficult.  The first step would be to contact the Activities Coordinator (Patrizia) and explain your plan.  She can then help you organize the new group.  Together, you will prepare the description of the new activity for prospective group participants.  Then, you can work together to build up excitement and recruit members at the monthly ICON meetings, on Facebook, the ICON blog and website.  Once you have your group of interested "groupies" you can plan when and where and how often you will meet.  

To be an ICON activity, with the support of the Activities Coordinator and publicity, ALL YOUR PARTICIPANTS MUST BE PAID MEMBERS OF ICON.  If you choose to enlist members outside of ICON, it will no longer be considered and ICON activity.

If there is a FEE required for participation in a group activity, the coordinator does not necessarily NEED to be an ICON member, but it must be made clear from the beginning that to be advertised as an ICON activity, the paid members of ICON must be given a reduced price over non-ICON participants.  However, this allows the coordinator to enlist outside of ICON.

Please contact icon.oslo.activities@gmail.com

Members' Corner, March 2014

This is NOT one of our photos!  It was this impressive in person, though.

Destination Northern Lights

After reading about Mary's exciting trip last month, I felt compelled to share my family's latest adventure.

Many of our friends had gone to Tromsø to see the Northern Lights, but most of them had come home with stories of "chasing" the Lights into Finland.  Some didn't even get rewarded with a sighting, but they spent a lot of time driving.  So my husband thought that maybe it was because Tromsø is by the coast and subject to more cloud cover.  He set out to find someplace farther inland that was at about the same latitude as the border of Finland.

What he found was, Björkliden, the best kept secret of Sweden.  We flew from Oslo to Narvik, Norway.  From there, we rented a car and drove for a couple of hours to arrive at our cabin at the Fjällby Ski Resort.  At about 8:30 in the evening our first night, we left our cabin by car and drove about 15 minutes down the road to Abisko National Park, home of the Aurora Sky Station.  Here, they outfitted us in warm jumpsuits and boots over our own warm clothes so we wouldn't freeze while experiencing the most spectacular shows Mother Nature has to offer.  We rode a chairlift up to about 3000 feet above sea level.    It took us about 30 minutes to get to the top, where we had a chance to go inside to thaw our toes inside a small gift shop/cafe.  We then braced ourselves to face the cold, but we were oblivious to the weather because the Northern Lights had us in a trance.  We lost all sense of time.  It was just magical.  It reminded me of laying on the ground watching clouds changing, only the colors were amazing.  If you've not seen them, it's really impossible to describe.  It must be experienced.

As far as the resort is concerned, the cabins are not fancy, but we were comfortable.  Our second night we were supposed to do the Northern Lights Dog Sledding Tour, but it was brutally cold and visibility was ZERO.  Thankfully, they were able to reschedule for the next morning.  After all, we'd already seen the lights;  we just wanted to love on some dogs.  The sledding was a neat experience that wasn't nearly as fast-moving as I had feared it would be.  Great fun for everyone.

Of course, there were skiing opportunities for those who are confident to do that sort of thing.  My husband enjoyed both of the cross country trails, as well as all the downhill slopes.  The kids were able to ski, as well.  I chose not to because I didn't have enough confidence yet.

That's pretty much all there is in Björkliden, however.  It doesn't have the cute appeal of Tromsø, but they've got the corner market on the Northern Lights.  So if you need to check this item off your bucket list, I would highly recommend the trip.

:) Jamie

For more information:
http://www.visitabisko.com


To see a stop-action video of the Northern Lights:
*Warning:  If you see this, you'll want to go.
https://vimeo.com/85657307