My first major trip as Brunost Ambassador was a three-day trip to Berlin. Here is the story of what I did during my trip and how my mission of bringing brunost to the people of Berlin worked out.
Day 1
My first day in Berlin was a day of sightseeing. I saw all the major sights, such as Brandenburger Tor, Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and Berliner Dom. There is so much to see in Berlin, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. The weather was lovely, which was great, but it also made it hard to keep the brunost cool. The solution to this problem was to buy frozen vegetables at a grocery store and use them as ice packs. Worked like a charm until I froze the proper ice packs. For lunch on this first sightseeing day, I enjoyed some homemade granola bars containing pieces of brunost in front of Berliner Dom.
In the evening I went along to Street Food Thursday at Markthalle Neun. The purpose behind this was to have some food, but also to find people who might want to try brunost. I shared a table with a group of people who all wanted to try brunost. They said it was very tasty, that it tasted like Dulce de leche (a highly popular Latin American dessert) and that brunost would go great with coffee.
To read more about Street Food Thursday click here.
Day 2
On my second day in Berlin, I carried out my first major assignment as Brunost Ambassador. I went to a workplace in Berlin to serve Norwegian vafler with brunost at lunch break. The workplace in question, Geschenkidee, has employees from all over the world, so I truly got to spread awareness of brunost to nationalities from all around the world. I also got to add lots of new countries to my “Brunost-lovers’ map”.
The waffles with brunost were a big hit, and the majority of the people loved them. I thought I had brought plenty of both brunost and waffles, but I cannot believe how fast they disappeared. People kept returning for seconds, and they came up with all kinds of new uses for brunost. One girl even added brunost to the risotto she was having for lunch! Several people asked where they could find brunost in Berlin, and happily, I could tell them that brunost can be found in some of the larger supermarkets in Berlin!
Lunch today was enjoyed at Alexanderplatz, where the Fernsehturm (TV Tower) is located. I had some homemade crispbreads topped with brunost in front of the fountain at Alexanderplatz. I also tried a German currywurst for some local food, as this dish was invented in Berlin. Both were very tasty. I often bring homemade crispbread when I’m out travelling, as it can last a long time without going bad.
Day 3:
The weather was good for most of my trip to Berlin. Leaving the rain behind to go to a relatively sunny city was great, and, of course, the weather had to be enjoyed. On my last day in Berlin I therefore invited a group of Norwegians for ice-cream/picnic/BBQ in Volkspark Friedrichshain. This is one of the parks where you can have a BBQ in Berlin! Although not as many people showed up as I had originally hoped for, I think the ones who came had an enjoyable time. We all agreed that grilled white baguette topped with brunost was surprisingly tasty. I will definitely be grilling brunost again! While I was setting up the barbecue, two random people who were out running in the park recognised the brunost and the Norwegian flag. Turned out they were a Norwegian couple who lived in Berlin, and they were very happy when I offered them brunost as a workout-break snack.
On my last evening in Berlin I went to have some proper German food together with a friend. Lana from Syria, who is currently studying in Berlin, was the last of many people from all around the world who got to try brunost on my trip to Berlin. Like most people before her, she loved it as well. With regard to my mission of spreading love of brunost around the world, I feel my trip to Berlin was a major success and I think we now have some new “brunost fans” in Berlin!
