Isibar

Isibar was first opened in 1975 and quickly became an iconic institution in my home town of Sarpsborg, on the East coast of Norway. Nestled underneath big fern trees, the ice cream parlour sits comfortably at the edge of the Skjebergkilen inlet, just off the Oslo fjord, next to a marina and a short walk from Høysand beach. It’s barely big enough to fit those wanting a refreshing scoop or three, the entire inside bulging with displays of ice creams in all possible colours and flavours. The topping selection is one of a kind!

I grew up a quick 10-minute drive away from Isibar, and loved their soft-serve in a cup, complete with strawberry topping – a speciality, sour small pellets of dried strawberry mixed with sugar that would complement the sweet ice cream perfectly. My favourite bit was scooping up the mixture of melted ice cream and strawberries at the bottom of the cup – for all my travels internationally, including places where warmer weather is more commonplace than in Norway, no other place in the world has been able to match the Isibar "Diplom Is" ice cream.

After being in the same family from 1975 to mid-2010s, Isibar has changed owners several times in the last few years, and the queues never seem to be as long outside anymore; a reminder that treasures from the past need to be cared for and frequented if we want to keep them around for future generations to enjoy too.