Delhi is not only a stopover on the way to Taj Mahal… it’s worth staying here’: Norwegian Ambassador

She has been Ambassador of Norway to India since August 29, 2023. Since November 5, 2023, she has been accredited arsenic an ambassador of Norway to Sri Lanka.

Apart from Norwegian, she is fluent successful English and has a bully cognition of French and German. She is married, with 1 big girl and 2 big stepchildren

Stener spoke to The Indian Express for the 5th successful a series of interviews with Ambassadors astir Delhi — their home.

Edited excerpts:

What is 1 spot successful the metropolis that you emotion to sojourn often?

Nehru Park — I emotion going determination and moving connected the way astir the park. I besides admit everyone other who’s determination for a run, a walk, oregon to bash yoga successful the morning. It’s similar the city, radical successful the metropolis are waking up, truthful that’s the spot I sojourn mostly.

Three things that stood retired for you successful this 1 year?

… There are truthful galore but firstly, Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk. It’s precise vibrant and lively and I’ve been determination connected walks, guided walks, guided bicycling… It’s a spot wherever I ever instrumentality guests and it truly shows the mediate of what is India for the Norwegians. The 2nd spot I similar is the Lodhi Art District. It’s bully to locomotion astir and look astatine the partition paintings and consciousness the vibe. And the 3rd spot I would notation is Humayun’s Tomb and Sunder Nursery astir it.

Any encounters with radical that happened during your enactment that you’ll astir apt retrieve for life?

I person been present for a year, truthful I don’t possibly person the perspective… but 1 brushwood and representation that I’m definite volition enactment with maine is erstwhile I delivered credentials to the President successful Rashtrapati Bhavan and successful the Ashoka Hall. It’s a beauteous building… erstwhile I came determination and had the gathering with the President… I had 2 pistillate diplomats with maine and the President said erstwhile we entered the room, ‘Nari Shakti’, truthful that was besides a peculiar infinitesimal that volition enactment with me… This was really 36 hours aft I came to the state — August 29, 2023.

Cafes oregon bookstores you similar to visit?

Delhi has a batch of bully bookstores. They are precise antithetic from the stores we person successful Oslo and different European cities. Everything is stacked successful antithetic ways and organised successful antithetic ways. A truly bully bookshop is the 1 successful Lodhi Art Colony… I can’t retrieve the name… I’ve been to Faqir Chand and Bahrisons successful Khan Market respective times… arsenic Khan Market is simply a small adjacent to the embassy.

Favourite food?

You cognize successful Delhi what I similar is the variety… Being an ambassador, I don’t find that overmuch clip to spell retired and eat. I would person liked to bash it overmuch more. We are present astatine the embassy rather a lot… but we besides service nutrient present astatine the embassy and radical similar to travel to devour salmon particularly. An Indian cook present prepares salmon successful galore antithetic ways that I deliberation Indians admit adjacent if they lone similar Indian food.

Maybe 1 crockery I person learned astir and appreciated since I came to Delhi a twelvemonth agone — Parantha. Not each time but sometimes I person it for breakfast. I similar thoroughfare nutrient from Old Delhi – truthful I would notation that also.

Is determination thing you would miss astir the metropolis erstwhile you spell back?

… I’ve lone been present a twelvemonth and I person different 3 years of my enactment here… It’s a spot hard to accidental is determination thing I volition oregon won’t deliberation that I volition miss. I’m present present and I’m truly enjoying it. But the 1 happening I tin accidental for definite is erstwhile I permission Delhi, Delhi volition enactment with me… I volition miss immoderate things and I volition instrumentality them with maine if I spell backmost to Oslo oregon wherever other I go.

If you had to present Delhi to idiosyncratic backmost home, what would you accidental astir it?

I’m doing it each the clip truthful that’s easy…. what I’m saying to radical is that Delhi has a batch to offer… It’s not lone a stopover connected the mode to the Taj Mahal oregon determination other but the vibe is fantabulous and it’s worthy staying here.