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Norway - An idiosyncratic country.
I have just returned from a month in Norway visiting our son and his partner and their eight-month-old baby girl. The main reason for visiting them was to see the first and very overdue grandchild. However, we did do a few other things while there and took in the various idiosyncrasies. This is of course a little tongue in cheek bearing in mind the extremes in Australia. Norway is at the other extreme: the cold extreme.
We stayed primarily in Tromsø (pronounced Tromser, with not much emphasis on the last sylable). Tromsø is about 350Km above the artic circle, but because of the maritime location and the relatively warm gulf stream circulating from the equator, it is not quite as cold as you might expect. It rarely dips below -10°C. Most of the time we were there it ranged between -3°C and + 4°C. Wind chill factor is another issue and when high can make unpleasant difference.
Really we did not go very far afield. We hired a camper van and with our daughter and her partner, who were there for about ten days crossover time before they went South to Oslo, we travelled to the Lyngen Alps together and then back to Tromsø via Sweeden and the very tip of Finland. Travel between these Scandanavian counties is seamless.
I thought I would list a few headings here and one or two I may develop into a separate thread of their own.
Snowmobiling
Also at Lyngen we went on Snowmobiles at Camp Troll, which was great fun. They provide heavy thermal oversuits and boots and I enjoyed it hugely, but one of our party said we didn't go fast enough! :rolleyes: The ride is rugged, but you have to be brave and let the machine find it's own way to some extent. You ride in pairs and at least one pair went off into deep snow and had to be towed back out.
Just down the road from there we visited the most northerly distillery in the world, Bivrost, which takes it's name from Viking mythology. A very interesting tour of the distillery which heaps of information on their whisky journey. Now this leads me into the next topic.
Alcohol
I had, erroneously as it happens, assumed these rough tough Norwegians would be hard drinkers, and they may be, but getting the booze is not as easy as you might think. There are very few outlets in the first place. In fact there are only two in Tromsø, which is a town of around 70,000 people. The outlets are government owned, have restricted hours, are the only places allowed to sell alcohol over 4.75% and the name, Vinmonopolet, really says it all. To tell the truth, Norway tends to be a country of monopolies.
Alcohol under 4.75% can be bought in supermarkets, but only under quite restricted time frames less then the opening hours. Of course, you have to be of legal drinking age and a store member has to sign off to this effect. The consequence of this policy meant that after having a very small tasting at a distillery, a person was unable to buy what they had sampled should they wish to do so, because of the monopoly!
Roads
Tromsø itself is situated on an island and is one of several in the area. Our son lived about 45Km from Tromsø on the island of Kvaløya. When we first arrived there was considerable snow around and the snow ploughs were constantly at work. The road was rough with corrugated ice ridges. When the ice thawed a little later the road was even worse as, according to Simon, it is the worst road in the region. The snow ploughs direct the snow off the road and a wall of what looks like snow, but in reality is compacted ice. forms on the roadsides. You don't want to make a mistake and hit this wall by accident. The snow ploughs have fiberglass markers jammed into the road side so they know how far over to clear the road.
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Placed every 5meters or so, they are knocked in the ground by machines and likewise, in the late Spring and Summer are removed by a machine.
Once in Tromsø there are some spectacular bridges and tunnels. The bridge connecting Kvaløya and Tromsø has a wind warning and an indicator advising wind speed. Simon told me that during high wind events it will simply be closed. The tunnels are something else. They are extensive, have car parks, roundabouts and side turnings: All underground. There is a 70Km/hr speed limit in the tunnels and I mention this, because elsewhere in the city it is 60Km/hr or 50Km/hr. It seemed fast. In the residential areas the limit is down further to 30km/hr. You have to keep a sharp eye out for the speeds as the Norwegian police are, how can I put this, vigilant? The vehicle tyres are studded and allow near normal driving on snow covered or more likely ice covered roads, but discretion is the keyword there and it is inadvisable to push things.
The Fjord
The landscape is harsh, but spectacular. I should emphasise that I have only seen it in the snow-covered winter. I am told it is beautiful at the height of summer as the vegetation has evolved to grow quickly taking advantage of the brief period of warmth, which is up to about an average of 15°C. These are some views from Simon's house across the fjord. It is just over 3Km wide at this point and can be beautiful:
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or partially obscured through the middle
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Or pretty dam hard to see anything
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In this pic you see how the water was rough with crests on the waves due to the wind:
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The melt water flows in a multitude of small streams under the road
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and out the other side to the fjord
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The fjord itself is busy with many type of shipping including ferrys, cruise ships, cargo vessels and fishing vessels: Even the odd "tinny." This one had me a little stumped. I thought it might have been an ice breaker with my second guess being a tug. Turns out it was a heavy-duty, ocean-going tug/supply vessel, the Aurora Saltfjord. It looks like a brute:
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Ships were not the only occupants of the fjord. This is the Norwegian Sea Eagle. Not a very good shot as they are too quick for me. Unlike our own Wedge tailed eagle, they flap their wings and fly rather than relying on thermals and gliding. consequently, every time they were spotted, they had flown out of sight before I could grab a camera. This one looked like a rock at some distance and it was only when I took a chance and zoomed in with the camera it became apparent that it was a large bird. Luckily, for comparison, a gull about the size of a crow was stationed next to this Alpha winged predator. The gull wasn't too happy with the situation.
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There is quite a bit more to come: Mainly observations and probably the best bit: The sled dogs.
To be continued.
Regards
Paul
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Avalanches, Reindeer, Moose & Taxis
In the electricity thread (post#2005) NeilS showed this warning:
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Clearly a warning about falling snow and he says it roughly translates into 'ROOF AVALANCHE Proceed at own risk'
I did not see that sign myself, but in a supermarket, I did see a very large electronic notice board similar in size to the information screens we see in our supermarkets except it was advising the "Avalanche Risk" for the future. I found myself equating it to our high UV awareness signs seen on the roads.
In fact, during our Snowmobiling excursion in the Lyngen Alps we paused for a moment and I was talking with one of our three guides. He pointed to some mountains and said they were popular for skiers. He went on to say that a young man in his twenties from Tromsø had been killed there on the hills we were viewing in an avalanche the previous year.
Sami Experience
We visited a Sami camp and went on a reindeer sled ride. This involved hand feeding reindeer and then jumping on a sled and being led around in a circle by a man on foot. It was a little less than exhilarating and not helped by windy, miserable weather. I am trying not to be negative on this one as overall the experience was good. We were fed a stew and hot drinks and given a talk about the changing world for the Sami people. As the indigenous population of the North, they have many challenges. An example is the effect of climate change on their reindeer. Also the Norwegian Sea Eagles kill the newborn calves, but the eagle is protected. The Sami are allowed to kill one eagle a year and the body is removed immediately by the government instead of allowing it to remain as a warning to other birds. Apparently, the eagles learn pretty quickly when something is fraught with danger. I don't wish to diminish the importance of reindeer as the Sami are the only ones allowed to farm or rather herd reindeer and it forms a huge part of their existence. As they pointed out, it is their entire life.
Moose
While talking reindeer, I should also mention moose. The Norwegians have similar trouble with moose on the roads as we have with kangaroos. We had to take Simon's car in for a small repair at a smash repairer and he came back out and pointed to a car that happened to be the same model as his. The roof was completely caved in and the front windscreen was knocked back to the seats. It looked as though an elephant had stepped on it, but in fact a moose had landed on it. A bull moose can weigh up to 600Kg and they make a significant mess of the vehicle with all their weight up high on long legs, which is the opposite of a roo.
Taxis
I don't think uber exists in Norway. All the taxis are more traditional and include Mercedes, BMWs and many electric vehicles of course and one that surprised me, an EV Porsche. I did a double take on that one. It was a SUV type and not a 911. :)
Still a little more to come.
Regards
Paul