Anyone been to Norway?

Going there for Christmus and haven't been before.

What do I go and see apart from the Northern Lights?

--
Ash

UKRMFBC#8 BOTAFOT#82 BOTAFOF#41 HMC#5 FTB#0
ETV1000 Caponord
http://www.theredline.co.uk
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast
enough." -- Mario Andretti

 

Mountains, rivers, Fjords, but it was light while I was there

Depends where about you are going I suppose ?

 

Ballistic fumbled, fiddled and fingered:

Swim with orcas at Tysfjord!




--
Steve Parry
K100RS SE & F650
and a 520i SE Touring for comfort

(not forgetting the SK90PY)

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

 

Flippin' eck Bruce I'm too lazy to read all that. Can't you give me a
management summary? We are flying to Oslo and using a hotel there as a
base.

--
Ash

UKRMFBC#8 BOTAFOT#82 BOTAFOF#41 HMC#5 FTB#0
ETV1000 Caponord
http://www.theredline.co.uk
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast
enough." -- Mario Andretti

 

Expensive, a bit - especially the booze but shitty? Not at all. It is a
fine, clean city.

 

Dunno about good places to visit. I went there to work for a couple of
months and really liked the place but didn't get around to sight-seeing.

This site may give you some pointers:

http://www.visitnorway.com/

 

Yes Oslo in January a few years ago for a transport conference. I don't
think I've been so cold in all my life. -11C at midday!

All of my "sightseeing" was transport related including driving an Oslo
tram.

That's of no help to you though. Sorry.

 

Being half norwegian I feel the pressure to reply even if
it will be mostly bollox.

OK, in the winter you go skiing. Downhill or cross country,
one or two skis, retro or high tech, flying or falling. But
you go skiing. OTOH if that was your thing, you would not
be asking.

Oslo is about 500 km too far south to be much good for
northern lights. There is precious little daylight too so don't
sleep late if you want do sight seeing. The food and booze
is quite expensive so you'll have to find other pastimes
during the long hours of darkness. You'll end up at the
effing Kon-Tiki and Fram museums.

I'd strongly advise that you get out of Oslo as much as
possible if you want the vacation to be about Norway and
not just another small city (even if it is a capital). IMHO
any direction except east and southeast will get you into
nice landscapes.

If you want to see mountains and stuff and you're not
used to driving in snow it might be a good idea to take a
bus or train so you will have time to see more than two
wheel tracks. Even if there is no snow in Oslo there might
be a lot once you get some hundred metres above the sea.

 

I've worked there in similar temperatures. The best thing is going down
to the waterfront and experiencing just what it would feel like to have
your face frozen off as the cold breeze blows in across the water.

 

In Oslo, some museums used to be on the "must see" list, incl. the Munch
museum (which still has some of his paintings left), the National
Gallery (ditto ++). But unfortunately many sights like that tend to be
closed during public holidays in Norway. Ask your hotel now.

Sculptures - the Vigeland park. Outdoors, inundated with tourists in the
summer. Walking distance from the city centre. To get some fresh air,
take a tram up to the Holmenkollen ski jump & Frognerseteren restaurant,
the latter known for nice hot chocolate and a pretty view over the city.

Skiing close to Oslo has not recently been what it used to be, but you
may get to ski downhill, alpine style from Tryvannshøgda. Also, ask for
this at your hotel.

Non-Oslo; for a Xmas trip, fjords etc. will not be easily within reach.
Mountains ditto, but you could check out if a day trip by train to e.g.
Finse (middle of central N. mountain plateau) is possible, being there
during daytime hours.

On-topic: check if you can find an MC dealer's. After such a visit
everything wouød seem dirt cheap when you get back home.

 

Heading due west probably isn't advisable either.

 

That doesn't sound very long boat.

 

On Tue, 6 Dec 2005 01:24:22 +0000,

Wot he says, plus I'd add the Viking Ship museum - good for a couple
of hours, tops.

If you do manage to get across to the fjords (and I would make every
effort to do so) a good trip would be:-

Through the Telemark region to Akrefjord. Either ferry it to Stavanger
or drive to Skundeneshavn and then ferry to Stavanger and back up the
Lysefjord to Lyseboten past Prekestollen. The base jumpers at
Lyseboten are worth seeing[1], as is the road up to the restaurant at
the top of the fjord. Then you can cut back across the mountains but
*check before-hand that the roads are open* or take the coast road
back. Allow two days for the round trip, or three if you take the
coast road.

At this point I'll mention that Norway is a big country. A deceptively
big country. If you pivot Norway on Oslo, the northern parts would
stretch down towards Gibraltar. Make that a *really* big country.
Obvious advice also ... if you want to make progress, stick to the
main roads, if you want to see Norway, get off them and do some back
country.

"Norway, it's like Scotland ... only more so"

HTH

[1] But may not be jumping in winter[2]
[2] Hold on ... these are Norwegians we're talking about - scratch
that.

 

PS as per http://www.tysfjord-turistsenter.no/safari/fieldnotes2005/





--
Steve Parry
K100RS SE & F650
and a 520i SE Touring for comfort


(not forgetting the SK90PY)

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

 

Did 4100 miles, over Artic circle and up to Norkapp.

Isn't Oslo too far south for the northen lights ?

 

And I need to spell......

 

Why not? The landscape around Kongsberg, Notodden and
Rjukan including the mountains south of Rjukan and the
south edge of the Hardangervidda plateau is, IMHO, nice
enough. Not the most impressive mountains in Norway but
still nice. Both Rjukan and Kongsberg have a bit of historic
interest thrown in.

Go west young man, go west!

 

If you took Norway and ironed out all the wrinkles, it would
become enormous.

 

I think you mean "crinkly bits"[/QUOTE]

They won an award you know.

 

I was thinking of the North Sea, actually, but my geography is obviously
crap :-/