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Norwegian holiday bazaar
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I had planned to write about the International Taiko Festival happening this weekend in Berkeley, but I’ve seen so many posters and press for the event it’s already reached it’s critical mass. It’s the 40th anniversary of the event, and the big drums will be out in force. And then there’s the Golden Gate Express chugging through the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. It’s a model train-lover’s dream, but with amazing and quite real vegetation landscaping the mini towns and cities.
But the event I like is the Norwegian Holiday Fair at The Norwegian Seamen’s Church in San Francisco. When you think of the ultimate holiday celebration, there’s probably no stronger image than the winter wonderland of a snow-covered country like Norway, and the most probable home to Saint Nick himself. Whether the old fat man makes an appearance, at least in uniform, is hard to say. But there’ll be plenty of elves working overtime to fill the church with Norwegian arts and crafts, holiday-themed of course, as well as plenty of food and sweets. A café will be serving traditional pastries and snacks baked and prepared by the same Norwegian grandmothers behind the counter, decked out in their colorful traditional garb. Think leftsa, a tortilla like flat bread made of potato flour and slathered with butter and cinnamon sugar.
The Norwegian Seamen’s Church was founded in 1951 by Norwegian sailors in port for extended periods. It sits halfway up the very steep Russian Hill, a block below the start of Lombard, with incredible views of the bay the bridge and beyond. Today local Scandinavian expats, nannies, students and tourists, come for the Sunday Lutheran services in Norwegian and Swedish, or drop in of a weekday for waffles and coffee. The event runs Saturday, 10am to 4pm at 2454 Hyde St., Russian Hill.
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