  Norway
Click to get the inside scoop from
real travelers here at VirtualTourist. See the Norway Travel GuideInside advice from real people on:Overview, Hotels, Things to Do, Restaurants, Nightlife, Shopping, General Tips, Transportation, Off the Beaten Path, Tourist Traps, Warnings or Dangers, Local Customs, Packing Lists or Sports Travel.
 12829 Norway Tips.24571 Norway Photos.0 Norway Videos. Norway Pages by FletteMette Sponsored Links for Norway
Oslo Hotel
Photos, Customer Ratings & Reviews. Save on Hotels in Oslo.
Norwegian Cruises on Sale
Huge Discounts on Norwegian Cruises Save up to 81%. Service You Trust!
Plan A Tour Of Norway
Explore Norway In Comfort & Style On Your Own Schedule And Budget!
Norway Cheap Hotels
Discounts on Norway Hotels. Unbeatable Rates. Book It Today!
Norway
Book now on www.Fjordtravel.no- Amazing Fjord Cruises & Roundtrips!
|
| Page Views: 40,038 Last Visit to Norway: - I Live Here | NORWAY - by a Norwegian by FletteMette - last update: May 5, 2008 |
Bits and pieces...
* Capital: Oslo
* 4.6 million inhabitants
* The northernmost country in Europe
* Norway is a constitutional monarchy - our king is Harald V.
* Ranked 1st on UN's Human Development Index.
* Contrary to popular belief: Norway is *not* the capital of Sweden!
* World's third largest exporter of crude oil. (2003)
* Other exports: metals, machinery, chemicals, fish and ships.
* Famous for the spectacular fjords on the western coast. (See pic below!)
* Mountains, waterfalls & glaciers.
* Only a very small part (3%) of the country is arable.
* In the northern parts of the country you can experience the midnight sun - or the polar night.
* Northern lights
* Polar bears *do* roam the streets of Norway...but only on the islands of Svalbard.
* Other wild animals found in Norway include: brown bear, elk, reindeer, lynx, wolf, wolverine and arctic fox. (But unfortunately only small numbers of arctic fox and the large carnivores)
* The traditional food can be quite a challenge for foreigners (and many locals alike) - or how about some Smalahove (cured and salted, then steamed sheep's head, served eyes and all) or Lutefisk (dried cod soaked in a lye solution before boiling to give it a somewhat gelatinous texture)
* Each year Norwegians consume around 11,000 tons of the "delicious" frozen pizza called Pizza Grandiosa. (Yuck!)
* Skiing is the national sports - but most of us prefer watching (with extreme enthusiasm!) the national teams compete on tv rather than being out in the ski trails ourselves.. ;o)
* Norway appears in the international news once a year - when the winner of the Nobel Peace Price is announced in Oslo.
* Norwegian words that are now used in English include fjord, ski and troll.
* "Norway: nil points!" is an expression familiar to all those who enjoy watching the Eurovision Song Contest
* ...but there really is some Norwegian music worth checking out, my personal favourites include Turbonegro, Madrugada, Kings of Convenience and Kurt Nilsen (who won the World Idol)
* Smoking is prohibited in public buildings, including all cafés, restaurants and bars.
* Wine & spirits for home consumption can only be bought in special state-run (and incredibly expensive!!!) stores: Vinmonopolet
* Troll figures and knitwear are the most popular souvenirs - in addition to elk warning signs "found" somewhere by the road.
* Norwegian viking Leiv Eiriksson visited America almost 500 years before Columbus.
* Some Norwegians you might have heard of: playwright Henrik Ibsen, painter Edvard Munch, composer Edvard Grieg, scientist & explorer Thor Heyerdahl, eighties band A-ha, and explorers Amundsen & Nansen.
* And a Norwegian invention...: the paper clip!
|
|  | A bit about my page...:
Under "General tips" you'll find "general" stuff about Norway - such as info about the midnight sun, language, currency...This means the tips really don't fit very well into the VT template... :o)
In the "Restaurant" section I'll write about Norwegian food and some traditional dishes - you'll find proper restaurant tips in my pages on various Norwegian destinations, I don't think there's a huge point in me listing restaurants from all over the country on this page... :o) Some of my "restaurant" tips could just as well have been listed under "local customs".
In the "Accommodation" section I'll write about various hotels worth noticing, and I'll probably (eventually...;o) write about the general accommodation options you've got in this country (ie hotels, cabins, "rorbuer", camping...)
* * * |
You might also want to take a look at my pages about various regions, cities and towns in Norway:
Bergen - the city where I've lived most of my life
Tromsø - the Arctic town where I'm currently studying
Oslo - our capital
Sogn og fjordane county - in the fjord region of Norway
Troms county - in the Arctic circle
Fedje - group of islands near Bergen
Røros - old mining town and a UNESCO world heritage site
Lillehammer - host to the 1994 Winter Olympics
...and a few smaller pages, see my travel map to find those.
* * * |
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
| Pros: | "Fantastic nature...! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else during summer...!" | | Cons: | "November! A horrible time of the year... And yes, Norway is quite expensive...but enjoying the nature is free...;o)" | | In A Nutshell: | "Home Sweet Home..." |
FletteMette's Norway Travel Tips
 FletteMette's Norway Travelogues | | | |
|
 Comments for FletteMette about Norway | | | | |
momornes Thu Mar 20, 2008 21:44 UTC
My husband's family is from Rogaland. Pinnekjot and smalahove are traditional holiday and fall meals. I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the process of both entrees. Very interesting and surprisingly tasty! | Lne Thu Mar 6, 2008 13:31 UTC
Hi, Thanks for all the tips you've given! I'm thinking of going to Bergen/Oslo at the beginning of April. Do you think this is a good time to see the sights? | laceytreigh Fri Feb 1, 2008 07:59 UTC
That's funny about the gamalost... 'it's ready to eat when it crawls out by itself'.... we have abalone in Australia. They say you boil it in a pan with an old boot and when the boot is tender, you throw away the abalone and eat the boot!! | fitwhi Wed Dec 19, 2007 06:48 UTC
Hi Mette! I'm visiting Norway for the first time in a few days, and found your site very informative. Oh, and I found it through Google. Though, people still say I'm crazy for being a Californian visiting Norway in winter...I can't wait! |
|
|
Photos (229)
email me
add as friend
