Correction: The photo of the Harbour transportation centre claimed that a catamaran runs between Namsos and Trondheim, almost at the southern end of the map. This is not true. The catamaran runs between Namsos and Rørvik, further north.
Namsos is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. It occupies 779 square-kilometres (301 square miles) and has a population of 13,051. The town is located on a small bay, about 24 kilometers (15 miles) from the sea, near the head of Namsenfjorden and at the mouth of the Namsen River, one of the richest salmon rivers in Europe. The municipality also includes the islands of Otterøya and Hoddøya and the south-western half of Elvalandet island.
Patricia and I decided to play hooky on Wednesday, 2019-02-20 and drove off to Namsos for the day. For those unfamiliar with our dialect, playing hooky is skipping school. At our age, no one actually cares what we do, as long as we are civil and law abiding. We contributed to the local economy by buying two books and lunch.
The above map is a bit out of date, since Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag amalgamated 2018-01-01. However, the map shows Namsos almost directly North of Steinkjer. The coat of arms for Namsos dates from 1961. It shows a golden moose head on a red background. The moose was chosen as a symbol, since Namsos is the capital of the forest-rich Namdalen region, and the moose is the “king of the forest”.
The climate in Namsos is generally maritime. The average temperature in January is −2.4 °C (27.7 °F), in July it is 13.3 °C (55.9 °F). The mean annual temperature is 5 °C (41 °F) and the annual precipitation is 1 340 millimetres (53 inches).
The shopping centre in Namsos. A mishmash of styles, architectural and otherwise.From the Himmel & Hav (Sky & Sea) Restaurant. Parking/ mooring is available for your boat, if you would prefer to use it shopping, rather than your car.
The Harbour transportation center. Express catamarans travel between Namsos and Rørvik. Not everyone drives a car in Namsos. John Deere tractors are sold by Felleskjøpet (the Farmers’ Co-operative).A typical Norwegian bus.There is not much life at this square in February. The bust is that of Norwegian author Olav Duun (1876 – 1939). From 1907-38 he published 25 novels, four short story collections (he called them “sagas”) and two children’s books. Most incorporate local dialects of peasants, fishermen and farmers. Psychological and spiritual characteristics of rural life, family traditions, and awareness of those who have lived before dominate his books. His most notable work is the six volume, The People of Juvik, about four generations of peasant landowners. In English this work was published as: The Trough of the Waves (1930), The Blind Man (1931), The Big Wedding (1932), Odin in Fairyland (1932), Odin Grows Up (1934) and Storm (1935). The upper secondary school in Namsos also bears his name.Four sparks sitting outside a sporting goods store awaiting owners. A spark consisting of a chair mounted on a pair of flexible metal runners that extend backward to about twice the chair’s length. The sled is propelled by kicking (“sparka” or “sparke” in the Scandinavian languages) the ground by foot. They are in common use in Sweden, Norway and Finland, especially where roads are not sanded or salted. They are also excellent means of travel over frozen lakes to go ice fishing or just to explore a lake. The first definite record of a spark was in a newspaper in northern Sweden around 1870. In that era stiff, heavy wooden runners were used. In 1909 the design of the modern spark, with flexible metal runners was introduced by the Swedish factory Orsasparken, This quickly became the standard in Sweden, Finland and Norway.
Many Thanks to Wikipedia for providing detailed information.
2 Replies to “The Charm of Namsos”
Love the art work on the wall of the Harbour transportation center.
Love the art work on the wall of the Harbour transportation center.
Thanks, Clive Michael. It was that building that inspired me to take most of the photos, most of which are close by.