-Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following.

-The Stavanger region, adventurous shores, deep fjords, lively towns, and the iconic Preikestolen.

The Edge of Norway.

-Norwegian Alpinco, connecting mountain spots, steep slopes, alpine villages, and outdoor activities all year round.

-In Sigdal, Norway, where mountains rise and forests whisper, Anne Line and Courtney create Norwegian gifts so you can bring a piece of Norway with you.

Nordic Box, memories from Norway.

-♪ Lord, take me home, take me home where I belong ♪ -VGAN chocolate, Norwegian flavor.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Welcome to Fosnavag on the beautiful Norwegian western coast.

It looks like it can be an adventure.

And what are your plans, Sigrid?

-I'm planning to find a fishing boat and go out on the ocean and find some fresh fish.

-And Stig, what have you in mind for this expedition?

-I hope I will meet some interesting people and hopefully help Sigrid in the kitchen in the end.

-Yes!

Welcome to "People of the North."

♪♪ ♪♪ Join me on a journey where we will meet people who live, work, and enjoy life right here in the far North.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm taking you to meet the fantastic people of the North.

♪♪ Fosnavag is a leading coastal community known for its many entrepreneurs and very able fishermen.

They like to bring back to the community the values created in the deep sea.

Rita Saevig started life on an orphanage in Ecuador.

She is an experienced chief officer, a ship owner, and a lot of other things, too.

Rita, this is a very vibrant business community.

How much has this influenced your business?

-I think I, early, grown up with some values that have really defined my life.

My father was a fisherman and I early wanted to be a fisherman like my father.

And he always told me that you can do whatever you want to do if you believe in yourself.

I think I was only 5 years old, I went to the North Sea, fishing for herring with him, and from that day, I always told him that I want to be a fisherman.

And I did for many, many years.

-And it's a dramatic place.

Working with the sea is dangerous.

-You know, there could be accidents, of course, but I think we have more focus on the safety in the seas, especially the last decades.

-But in the old days, the wives didn't know if the husband would come back.

-No.

That's true.

-So, there, it must have affected, I mean, the culture, also, that.

-I do understand now what my mother must have felt when I left to the sea.

-I also understand that being a part of the local congregation has had a lot of meaning for you in personal life and in business.

-When you grown up with these Christian values, one of the most important things I learned was that you have to give back, and that's a huge motivation for the business.

-And up here, it's also... you have to work hard to achieve your goals.

-Yeah, we learned that very, very early, when we were really, really young.

Because that's the way it has been developed, all the business around you from all the people.

So, it's quite a hard-working community around you.

I think it has to affect you in a good way.

♪♪ -Sigrid has found two young aspiring fishermen, Isak and Thomas.

Isak is already captain of his own ship.

-Isak, how old are you?

-I'm 18 years old.

-18 years old, but this is your second boat, is that right?

-Yes, that's right.

-So, the last one was smaller?

-Yes.

Next one might be a bigger one.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's how a businessman does it.

[ Chuckles ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -When you grow up here on the rugged coast, the dream for many youngsters is a life at sea.

It's a tough job, but it delivers great rewards, excitement, and freedom.

-It's a bit of a dangerous job, isn't it?

-Yeah, it can be.

-You have to be focused.

You don't want to be attached to this one.

♪♪ ♪♪ -While Sigrid is out fishing, Stig is curious on the congregation, which is so important for this coastal community.

He meets Pastor Knut Magne.

-Now, we're here in this local Free Lutheran church.

Traditionally, what kind of role have religion and this prayer house meant for this community?

-You know, people here are from... from, traditionally, from big families.

eight or nine siblings, and they were fishermen, and they were farmers on the side, so people here are from... from a harsh life, traditionally.

And when you grow up near the sea and you don't know if your father will come back or not after the fishing trip, religion is where you go.

You go to the living God and talk to him.

-But this is not part of the official Norwegian church.

This is an independent Lutheran church.

How is that different from... -Yeah, you know, it was a response to the state-led church.

It was the government who decided which priest we would get and how to run the church.

This church is run more by the locals and more from the ground up.

-Mm.

-Yeah.

-So, it's all about the connection between the people and the church, and between the people and God.

-Do you think this has anything to do with this successful community, as well?

-Yeah, I think so.

You know, when you feel like God has given you a lot of blessings, and also financial blessings, and then you feel like this is something he has given me to govern, not just creating success for themselves, but also for the community.

So, they're giving back to the community and giving back to the church.

-So, I think these prayer houses will have a strong position, even into the future, as well.

-Yeah, I hope so.

I really hope so.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Sigrid is very happy with her crew.

There is nothing as popular in these parts as a young, sturdy fisherman who knows what they are doing.

-I'm impressed!

We are with a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old.

The 18-year-old is the captain and they've done this their whole life.

So, I can see that they have full control.

But I'm impressed.

It's a dangerous job.

I can see that you guys have done this before.

Aye, aye, Captain.

♪♪ ♪♪ It was a little shark!

Wow!

[ Laughs ] Look at this!

[ Singsong voice ] We got fish for dinner!

Whoo-hoo!

[ Laughs ] I think we can get filled up for tonight's dinner.

It's 100 kilos of fish.

Different kind of fish.

We can invite all of Fosnavag tonight.

Wow, look at this!

Great monkfish.

You don't want to put your fingers in there.

Seagulls are happy now.

-Yeah.

-Want some breakfast?

-For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net.

-They are happy.

♪♪ -It looks like we will all be eating very well tonight.

But Rita is not only into fisheries.

Her passion for art has resulted in a well-known gallery and one of Norway's leading contemporary artists, Kenneth Blom, is opening a new exhibition tonight.

We're all the way out on the Norwegian coast.

And fancy meeting you here, Kenneth.

-Yeah, likewise.

-Being one of our international renowned painters, you travel the world, but now, you have this exhibition here.

How did you end up here?

-I met this fascinating director of the gallery, Rita.

And if you meet her, you will never forget her.

So, when she showed me this gallery and I met her, I thought this would be amazing to show her.

Big honor, really.

-It is a gift because, tonight, there will be a lot of people coming here being able to see your art.

And now, we see that you have, um, you have more colors than your earlier work.

-Lighter colors, maybe.

Yeah, yeah I do.

I think I work like a chef at a restaurant.

I try new courses and new tastes.

I hate to put art, like, up here.

It's a handcraft, it's academia, it's a long education.

And then, I change, every day in my studio, new colors, and figure that out.

And when I've done that for maybe a month, I change, you know?

So, now, I'm into this.

-And in your paintings, you have been compared to literature and I see a lot of architecture, contemporary architecture.

Why?

-I was studying in Dusseldorf and I saw Mies van der Rohe's Funkis houses in Krefeld way back, and I thought they were so, uh, was kind of a melancholic feeling to be in a Funkis house.

They're beautiful, but they're empty.

And to be alone there Saturday night, I don't know.

So, I just felt like those grids and these lines I could use for my people, would be perfect.

-Is it different for you, I mean, if you go to the big cities in the world, the big galleries, and then you come here to Little Fosnavag, does it do anything to you?

-I don't think so.

I worked in Berlin.

I worked in Rome for a year, Spain.

It didn't change me a lot.

No, it didn't.

No.

I got more fat because it's better food.

[ Both laugh ] But... But not the paintings!

No.

No, it didn't.

-And what do you think this will bring to people when they come into this room?

I mean, what do you want them to experience inside?

-Nothing.

I'm not this kind of person, like, you know, you have to understand this and get this experience.

But I think this medium, painting, is interesting because it can be a quiet window in our time.

It's like walking around in Berlin or in Manhattan, and you go into a church or a library and it's quiet.

Maybe the only places which are quiet are those two places.

And I think a painting can be quiet, and I think I need it, and I can see people need that, too.

It's a break from the noise and something else just shows up.

And that's important.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Hello!

-Hi!

Did you get anything today?

-We got 100 kilos of fish!

-Oh, my God!

Oh, I'm looking forward to it.

-Oy, oy, oy, oy, oy!

This is heavy!

♪♪ Is it enough, you think?

-[ Laughs ] -Heavy!

♪♪ ♪♪ -Quite the fishing expedition you had this morning.

It was an adventure!

And with these impressive young guys who control the boat and the fishing in a perfect way.

And this is today's catch.

This is a flounder called plaice, and I'm gonna fry it in butter in a pan.

This is the skate wings, and this one we're gonna grill.

I've never tried this fish before, so I'm excited to see how it will work out.

Monkfish, and I think we will steam it.

And the haddock, and Arne is telling me he can make the world's best fishcakes out of this haddock.

So, we're gonna put him to do that.

Maybe with Stig as an assistant.

-Really, Sigrid, I'm really looking forward for the dinner.

-Let's start to work.

-Yes.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Very impressive.

♪♪ -I'm making haddock fillets, and I'm sure that Stig is also very helpful, somewhere around here.

♪♪ ♪♪ Fantastic, fresh haddock!

Now, this is the dough for the fishcakes.

It's made with fresh haddock, chili, ginger, parsley, dill, and nutmeg.

Happy Christmas!

♪♪ So, now, we are making perfect fishcakes.

Got a wonderful helper.

And the recipe is, I know a guy who knows a guy who has a great-grandmother from Batsfjord in Finnmark.

We have a professional, but actually, we didn't need it.

For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net.

-Bing!

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -So, now, we have finally reached the point of this program where I'm going to make this dry martini.

And today, I'm using a local gin from this area, from the distillery Brennevinsgrova, together with vermouth and some heather, as well.

♪♪ ♪♪ And then, you have this dry martini with juniper berries picked just around the corner.

-What have you made here, Stig?

-I made a dry martini, and I used some local juniper berries, and I used, actually, the green ones.

They are more piney, so this gives it a more juniper-forward and intense dry martini, I would say.

You have to try it.

-Oh, nice.

-And since you are an art collector, for me, this is art, as well.

It doesn't last that long, but... -This is really, really good.

Yeah.

I like the taste.

-Talking about art, you have quite a massive art collection here.

How did your interest for art start?

-It started in 2010, and in that year, we were supposed to move the whole family to Denmark, in Skagen, to build a multi-purpose vessel, Christina E. And my youngest son was, I think he was almost 8 months, and he was really, really sick, we almost lost him, but we managed to travel and move.

So, I think it was a little bit tough for me and I started jogging, and the other thing I did was to go to the galleries, and I was thinking, "Okay, I can buy some art because I can put it in the ship."

So, that's how it actually started.

So, I think the art became a really, really huge source for me to... to find some hope, and creation, and energy to actually go through the process of the building of the ship, and...yeah.

-Before we go in, is there any particular artwork you kind of have a strong connection to?

-I think it's quite well known that Magne Furuholmen is my favorite artist, and in 2002, when I was really, really struggling, this period, I was visiting him in his gallery in Oslo.

And when I stepped inside, the first thing I was looking at was this really, really huge painting.

Everything is possible.

And that hits me really, really hard.

So, yeah, so that has been the leading art.

-Let's go in and have a look.

-Yes, let's do that.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -I'm amazed what Rita has achieved in fish, art, food, and this magnificent multi-purpose architectural gem, Horisont.

It is time for food, art, and fun.

♪♪ [ Indistinct conversation ] [ Laughter ] [ Indistinct conversation continues ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Beeping ] ♪♪ We are now in Finnmark.

We are far north in a very rough waters.

And what have we just done?

-So, now, we have set the nets on the starboard side, and we are pulling the nets together on the bottom.

And it was difficult to find a direction, but hopefully, the skipper has managed to find a direction in which they are swimming.

-It's his job.

-Yeah, it's his job.

-[ Chuckles ] -Yes, it is.

-And the whole idea of the net is to make a bag, sink it down, and then pull in all the herring.

-Yeah, yeah.

That's true.

Yeah.

-It's going to be exciting.

-Yeah.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Whoo-hoo!

We have catched some herring in the fjord.

And the weather is just perfect.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -This is what we came for, Stig.

-We got a couple of these.

-We got actually 400,000 pounds of this in one net.

-Yeah.

-Wonderful food.

Oops!

[ Laughter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Laughter ] Look at that!

♪♪ [ Indistinct conversations ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net.

♪♪ Are you looking for whales, Rita?

-No, I'm looking for herring.

-And it's been quite a night.

-Yes, we have actually been working since 6:00 p.m.

yesterday.

-And now, it's 8:00 a.m.

-Yes.

So, it's, uh, 14 hours.

-Wow.

-Yes.

Three catches.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And uh, the last one is the biggest one.

Hopefully, 300 tons of herring.

-That's about 600,000 pounds of herring.

-Yes.

-So, the crew is happy.

-It's amazing.

I just love the atmosphere among the crew.

My colleagues, the fishermen, and uh... So, it doesn't matter that we are working so many hours.

It's a really, really special environment on board.

[ Indistinct conversation ] ♪♪ -It's been an amazing night.

We have set three nets into the sea.

There's lots and lots of herring on board.

Beautiful winter light.

And there are whales everywhere!

A magical experience.

It's very nice when you see when they lift the tail.

That's a big one.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Tellus Works.

-For more inspiration, visit our website, peopleofthenorth.net.

-Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following.

-The Stavanger region, adventurous shores, deep fjords, lively towns, and the iconic Preikestolen.

The Edge of Norway.

-Norwegian Alpinco, connecting mountain spots, steep slopes, alpine villages, and outdoor activities all year round.

-In Sigdal, Norway, where mountains rise and forests whisper, Anne Line and Courtney create Norwegian gifts so you can bring a piece of Norway with you.

Nordic Box, memories from Norway.

-♪ Lord, take me home, take me home where I belong ♪ -VGAN chocolate, Norwegian flavor.