Movie Time and More

I don’t want to get in the habit of writing too frequently on this blog–that may become boring for readers and repetitious for me. I think what may happen is I will write when either something interesting happens or it’s been what I consider to be ‘quite a while’.  Today’s post is being written due to both of these options.

While perusing the weekly free newspaper, Byavis, yesterday, [yes, it’s in Norwegian. No, I can’t understand most of it. I look at the pictures and read what words I can understand] I came across a large ad for the local movie theater, Moss Kino. They were advertising a bi-weekly offering for seniors called SeniorOnsdag and SeniorFridag, basically a choice of a couple of matinee showings of one or two movies at noon on Wednesdays and Fridays. AND all guests get free coffee and cake. I checked out the movies they were offering today, and one looked quite good--The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Alrighty then, can you say ‘date night [or afternoon]’?

I met up with Paul at the American College of Norway down the road where he was working this morning, and we walked the quarter mile or so to the theater. It’s in a renovated old factory along a river, several floors, winding corridors, ivy growing along the outsides, quite lovely.

There were not many people there, in fact, in our movie salon there was just one other older lady. Funny thing, when you buy your tickets (which, by the way were a bargain price of 90 NOK [$11] each), they assign you to a specific seat. And they seem to clump all guests together no matter how many there are. So, this one other lady? She was seated right behind us in a theater which probably seated 80. Just sayin’.

We didn’t buy popcorn; well, because it was $10 for a large bag, and because they had free coffee and cake. Yep, that is a concept that I would welcome at our theaters in Grand Forks. Free coffee and cake. Can’t beat that. There was a little table to the side of the ticket counter with a large thermos of coffee, insulated paper cups, a box of packaged creamers (yay! not many take cream in their coffee here, like I do.), napkins, and a plate with a kind of frosted carrot cake cut into small rectangles.  Help yourself!

 

The seats had a nice wooden table between them for your refreshments. Oh, and the requisite commercials before the movie? Several were very funny, and one was, well, let’s just say that the movie theaters in the US absolutely would not show it. I can’t remember what it was advertising because I was so taken aback at the man showering during the entire commercial. Full length. Back and side view. Welcome to Europe.

The movie was great! It’s an historical fiction based on a best seller which came out in about 2008. So well done; the casting, acting, cinematography, set design, costumes, script writing–all first rate. I was taken to another time and place for over 2 hours. Cannot recommend it enough.

Later tonight, we went to our weekly Bible Study at church–I had mentioned to a couple last night that we had brought with us some chocolates to share (for you Grand Forks folk, it’s a large gold box from Widman’s), and they immediately said that they would make coffee to go with the chocolates. (can’t have too much coffee over here). I was hoping that some people would stay for this and that there wouldn’t be just one or two pieces taken (which might mean that it wasn’t that necessary). I was glad to see that that the 15 people in attendance tonight all stayed for coffee and passed around the box several times until only three small pieces were left.

Tomorrow is Mosedagen–seems like a Crazy Daze type of deal–many stores having great sales and booths from which to shop along the pedestrian walk at the downtown mall. Grethe told me about it. I’ll be there. I’m sure I’ll need something.