Scandinavian Festival 2013

“Newstead overrun with Vikings!”

 

But there was no raping nor pillaging this time and just as well:  10,000 + people were present in Austin Street. [The Scandinavian community is big here]

Now set to become an annual event, the second Scandinavian festival was in full swing on September 8th and all the Nordic clubs attended. It was wonderful to see not only the craft from the Icelandic community, but the Finnish club as well, (their donuts were to die for).

But the food did not end with Swedish meatballs and Danish pølse med remoulade ( Hot dogs with mustard sauce ). There was also icecream, pytt i panna (a kind of bubble and squeak), organic Breads and Danish pastries, as well as Norwegian waffles,Danish Christmas decorations, Norwegian handicrafts, (including my Rosemaling), stunning watercolours, from Norwegian artist Marianne Seldon, Vintage Danish furniture, historical group Saga Vikings displays and Ikea products.

Very very Scandinavian!

It was such a warm day, as days can be in this region, so one had to really use the imagination to believe you were in Scandinavia, but there were moments when many of us forgot the sub tropical conditions and reminisced about the homelands, or for others, discovered for the first time, the real delights of this ethnic region and its cultures.

 

Just as well I was kept busy on the Norwegian craft group stall, else I would have gained several kilos in weight stuffing myself with good Nordic tucker! Pity I missed the smorgastørta, (it sold out early), and the entertainment: folk dancing, and the Scandi choir, but there is always next year. However, I managed to snavel some Copenhagen Ice- cream and Icelandic Kleiner (they are also Danish, but who wants to quibble) and not pressure the waistline too much! I should ponder about that.