What are you getting into?
By jax. Wednesday, 13. September 2006, 20:06:03
Norway is a North European country. It is not in the EU, but it is a Schengen country so the entry/visa requirements are the same as most EU countries and you can travel easily from one such country to the next.
The electricity is 230V/50Hz and uses C type plugs (two round pins, like most of western europe). The phone networks are GSM 900/1800 as well as 3G (UMTS) networks. Norwegians use the metric system and are not familiar with imperial units (though most might know that a pint of beer is roughly a half litre).
Driving in Norway is largely like driving elsewhere in Europe (UK drivers that have survived this far on the journey have probably switched to right hand side driving by now), however by European standards the distances are large and the population density low. You will be seeing a lot of mountains—from the inside. Driving in Oslo can be a bigger challenge, primarily due to the labyrinthine one-way street. Unless you really need a car you might be better off using public transport, taxis (not cheap, but cheaper than a fine), walk, or (for longer stays) use the city bikes.
Norwegians speak Norwegian, and in most cases they also speak decent English, and if you are really lucky or patient you might scrape by with German or French too.
Like the rest of coastal Norway warmed by the Golf current Oslo has a temperate climate for being so far to the North. The temperatures in winter typically hover around freezing (and the regular freeze/thaw cycle will turn any snow into ice pretty quickly), but cold spells are not uncommon, it has a relatively late spring, usually warm summers, and wet autumns.
Oslo is sometimes rated as the world's most expensive city, and it certainly isn't cheap, but with a little forethought it shouldn't be dramatically more expensive than most other European cities.
Oslo has a relatively low crime rate, but it isn't crime-free. Normal sense applies.
The electricity is 230V/50Hz and uses C type plugs (two round pins, like most of western europe). The phone networks are GSM 900/1800 as well as 3G (UMTS) networks. Norwegians use the metric system and are not familiar with imperial units (though most might know that a pint of beer is roughly a half litre).
Driving in Norway is largely like driving elsewhere in Europe (UK drivers that have survived this far on the journey have probably switched to right hand side driving by now), however by European standards the distances are large and the population density low. You will be seeing a lot of mountains—from the inside. Driving in Oslo can be a bigger challenge, primarily due to the labyrinthine one-way street. Unless you really need a car you might be better off using public transport, taxis (not cheap, but cheaper than a fine), walk, or (for longer stays) use the city bikes.
Norwegians speak Norwegian, and in most cases they also speak decent English, and if you are really lucky or patient you might scrape by with German or French too.
Like the rest of coastal Norway warmed by the Golf current Oslo has a temperate climate for being so far to the North. The temperatures in winter typically hover around freezing (and the regular freeze/thaw cycle will turn any snow into ice pretty quickly), but cold spells are not uncommon, it has a relatively late spring, usually warm summers, and wet autumns.
Oslo is sometimes rated as the world's most expensive city, and it certainly isn't cheap, but with a little forethought it shouldn't be dramatically more expensive than most other European cities.
Oslo has a relatively low crime rate, but it isn't crime-free. Normal sense applies.
