Bob and
Joyce
Adventurers in Norway, 2004
Facts, fiction, and
Interesting Information
1. The coast of Norway is warmed by the Gulf Stream which flows south of Iceland and North of Great Britain. It does not freeze in the winter. During our trip from Bergen to Kirkenes (near the Russian Border), the water temperature ranged from 11-16 degree C (50-60 degrees F).
2. If one were to rotate the country around Oslo so that the Northeastern part (near Kirkenes) were pointed to the southeast, then it would reach all the way to Rome.
3. Kirkenes is about the same longitude as Cairo.
4. During our trip we were at the most northern point of mainland Europe and also near the most western part of Norway (similar to Amsterdam, Brussels, Marseilles). Oslo and Bergen are at the same latitude (60 degrees) as the top of Newfoundland, the bottom of the Yukon, Seward-Alaska, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg. Incidentally, latitude 71 degrees South is on the main part of Anarctica - it is very cold there in the winter.
5. The sun sets in the Northern part of Norway around August 1 for an hour. It goes down and stays there on November 21 and rises again on January 21 - for an hour. The midnight sun (24 hours) lasts from late May until August 1. It is at the low point near midnight in the North and high point near noon in the South. There are no visible stars or planets in the high summer.
6. Temperatures on our trip ranged from 10-27 degrees C ( 48 - 80 F). We had no rain and only a few hours of fog during the last 24 hours of the cruise.
7. While it doesn't get very dark, the light is diminished and photography gets challenging in the dark even though it looks bright outside.
8. The ship stops at 35 ports in the summer. A wide variety of freight is taken on and off the ship. Stops range from 15 minutes to over 4 hours. People and cars are also transported.
9. For resident passengers the trip is similar to a luxury cruise (food and sleeping are at least as good). However, the entertainment is outside on the water and scenery.
10. Food and alcoholic beverages are very expensive by American standards. Beer is $7-9 in a bar or restaurant; about $4 per half liter can in the supermarket with a 15 cent deposit. Big Mac is over $6. Coffee, Coca Cola, or water is $2-3 as are many ice cream cones. A restaurant dinner is seldom less than $20 each not including drinks. Tap water is free and good quality. We had a "luxury" dinner on our first night and paid the most ever in our lives for a dinner for two; it was good, but .....
11. The smallest unit of currency is about 15 cents. ATM is available everywhere and credit cards are quite acceptable in most places.
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