Last week, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette–Marit went to Østfold to meet people. The delayed county trip is the first since the pandemic hit Norway.
Originally, the trip was set to take place last year. However, like much else, it had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Recently, Crown Prince and Crown Princess were finally ready for a packed tour of Østfold, which is now located in Viken county.
The trip started on Tuesday, September 28, with a small dose of war history in Indre Østfold, as well as a visit to Høytorp Fort, the War Scene (“krigsskueplassen”) and the Refugee Route (“flyktningruta”). They then continued to Askim Fruit and Berry Press, which produces apple juice, berry juices, jellies, jams, and rapeseed oils.
On Wednesday, the trip continued to Våler and Moss. First out was Bergtunet and the sports field in Våler, before the trip went to Moss and Skoggata care home. Wednesday ended with a trip to Gallery F15 in Moss.
Beach cleaning in Fredrikstad
Thursday started with a visit to Cafe Hanco in Fredrikstad. Here, young people who, for various reasons, are not pursuing upper secondary education get the opportunity to develop and find their way to a career by testing their own potential, according to the website.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess then boarded the city ferry with a course towards the Old Town in Fredrikstad.
The three-day county trip ended with beach cleaning, an activity which the Crown Prince and Crown Princess have participated in several times before.
Normally two county trips are arranged each year, one for the royal couple and one for the crown prince couple. It is common for them to visit 4-6 municipalities over 2-3 days.
It has now been exactly two years since the last time the Crown Prince and Crown Princess went on a county trip. In September 2019, the trip went to Oppland. The royal couple’s previous county trip was to Hordaland in 2019.
More normal times
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary at Skaugum. They were initially supposed to celebrate the anniversary on the wedding day itself, but then Princess Ingrid Alexandra tested positive for Covid-19, and the celebration had to be postponed.
Norwegian society has now reopened, which facilitates a more normal everyday life. The change also affects the daily lives of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and the rest of the royal family, who have had to carry out many of their usual tasks digitally through the pandemic rather than traveling around as they usually do.
“I think it has been important for many people this year to find strategies to keep their spirits up, and I think outdoor life is one of the smartest things you can do to take care of your own mental health, not to mention physical health,” Crown Princess Mette-Marit said to NTB this summer.
Source: ©️ NTB Scanpix / #NorwayTodayTravel
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