Queen Sonja accompanies immigrant women on a trip to the woods

Queen Sonja on a forest trip with immigrant women.Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB scanpix

With many immigrant women, Queen Sonja took a trip to the woods in Drammen. Turkish and Iranian food specialties featured on the menu.

 

Thursday’s tour was a collaboration with the Norwegian Tourist Association in Drammen, which has enjoyed great success with its multicultural trips.

‘It’s very pleasing that the queen shows a commitment to our inclusion. In recent years, we’ve been working hard to create multicultural inclusion in outdoor life, and especially for immigrant women who may be out of work, and on the margins of society’, said general manager, Simon Torgersen at DNT Drammen and Omegn.

The multicultural outdoor activity project started in 2013, and since then hundreds of multicultural participants have attended various events organized by DNT.

With support bandages on one arm, the queen and the touring party walked a little over a kilometre into Blektjern. Several food stations were set up, and the queen tasted different dishes made by the women.

The food alone was an important theme. Project Manager, Havva Cucurkaya, at Multicultural in DNT Drammen, said that the way to integrate in Norway is to learn how to go on a walking trip. But immigrant women are not necessarily so keen on brown cheese and sausages, said Cucurkaya. She said they’d rather integrate their own food.

On Thursday, Queen Sonja tried Turkish ‘turmat’ (walking food), lamb and bulgur. She also tried Iranian food, and a dessert from Sri Lanka. The queen said she thought the food tasted very good, and that she was proud of the women who were out on the walk into the deeper countryside.

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today