Oslo Warnings Or Dangers

We first noticed that most doors open outwards i.e into corridors, rather than into rooms, in our hotel.
Later, we found this was quite common practice in restaurants, shops etc.

WHY??? The only explanation that we could think of was that during heavy snow, if the doors opened inwards, the snow would fall in too. So why do interior doors like our hotel follow this practice.

I only had 1 near miss walking down the corridor to my room, as someone exited their room quite briskly! Luckily, I managed to swerve into the middle of the corridor and avoided getting hit by the plank of wood!

** I've since been informed that the doors open outwards in case of fire**

This is more a FYI than a warning tip. If you buy the Oslo pass and want to use it to take the free bus to Tusenfryd, make sure you have the brochure you get with it in case the chauffeur doesn't know that Oslo pass holders are entitled to a "free ride" so to speak. We had the problem on the way back to Oslo that the driver didn't know about this and we had to pay for the fare. We didn't have the brochure and just so that he won't get delayed we paid, later we got a hold of a brochure and showed him that we indeed didn't have to pay. We got his driver number and went to SL to get our money back. To say the least, they were shocked that the bus driver didn't know that.

To echo other travelers' comments, be extremely cautious of your valuables in Oslo (as well as Copenhagen and Amsterdam). Authorities are virtually helpless in combatting organized gangs of Romanian gypsies, who operate without restraint in all tourist areas. They abound in areas frequented by tourists - train stations, buses, the underground, parks, and the pedestrian mall. My wife's fanny pack (bum bag) was looted in broad daylight and she lost a large amount of money and our trip was ruined. The British Embassy's web site also warns that visitors are frequently robbed in or near the main train station, and the Oslo city council and police are helpless to prevent such thefts.

Norway, and Oslo area in particular, is one of the most expensive areas in the world. A soda or an ice cream will set you back $5 easily. Credit cards are not always accepted, so you got to bring plenty of cash. Otherwise it seemed a safe and clean place to visit.

Underneath the surface of Oslo you find a near-complete Swiss cheese of tunnels and pipes and cables. For a relatively small capital, Oslo has the most rail transport per capita, and lots of this is underground; trains, subway, roads. The maintenance of this and the putting in of new stuff always creates changed traffic patterns and troubles for motorised traffic. The best bet is to do Oslo by foot and subway. Oslo is also the scene of major construction and reconstruction an just about any time.

The main danger to your wallet in Olso is not thiefs but the high cost of living. Even the cheapest meals will run $10 USD. However with some care you can make it through without breaking the bank. One tip is to eat from convienence stores, its what the locals do.

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Norways nature is one of the main reasons for coming here in the first place. Shame on you if you only see the cities :) That being said - nature is almost as safe as the cities of Norway - and you are unlikely to run into anything dangerous unless you do extreme sports (bungyjumping, rafting, basejumping) or other hazardous activities.

In the norwegian nature you are unlikely to be attacked or bitten by any animals - however, be careful about certain bits and pieces of the flora. Always ask local people or guides to assist you if you are not certain you recognize those berries or mushrooms!

As an illustration - here's a picture of the mushroom that norwegian Vikings supposedly munched into before departing onto their plundering adventures - because it made them ravingly mad and dangerous :)

One day we had sun and rain. When visiting Oslo it is a great tip to bring an umbrella. If you forgot yours, go to the tourist information, they offer rain capes.
The other thing about the weather was: for sunday, the forecast on TV showed nothing else than rain. We thought about what to do, because we wanted to enjoy the Oslo fjord. Well, ge got up: sun was shining. We went to the ferry boat: sun was shining. We went to the islands: sun was shining. We went to Akershus: sun was shining. But we were not completely disappointed. When we were in the tourist information to buy some gifts for our grls, it suddenly started to rain. But as soon as we wanted to continue our way, rain stopped and sun was shining again.
So never trust the TV weather forecast!!!