Voicy does Norway

crackersa said:
Does your house have dark blinds or blackout curtains? When I lived in Alaska we had dark green pull down blinds on all the windows.
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Surely this "midnight" sun messes with your sleep patterns?
I mean, isn't it just odd to go home when the sun still shining like midday?

I can imagine jet lag must be difficult to recover from here?

I suppose if you grow up used to it, its easier.
But from sa I'm sure it's rough!
 
eg2505 said:
Surely this "midnight" sun messes with your sleep patterns?
I mean, isn't it just odd to go home when the sun still shining like midday?

I can imagine jet lag must be difficult to recover from here?

I suppose if you grow up used to it, its easier.
But from sa I'm sure it's rough!
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Well the dark blinds help immensely to keep the sleep patterns.
 
crackersa said:
Does your house have dark blinds or blackout curtains? When I lived in Alaska we had dark green pull down blinds on all the windows.
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Nah I just have regular black curtains, light still creeps in everywhere, but I sleep like a rock so it's no issue.

RVQ said:
I wanted to plan my next trip with the hopes of seeing the northern lights but there seems to be conflicting reports that from next year they may be very difficult to see. How often do you get to see the northern lights?
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Are you referring to the article about light pollution stopping 30% of the world from seeing the milky way?

The northern lights season starts around November and is visible until March or April and obviously the further away from cities you are, the clearer they are. Of course if it's cloudy then it's a no-show.

I know that the Hurtigruten cruise liner (www.hurtigruten.no) had a special where they'd give you a free trip if you went during the Aurora period and DIDN'T see any northern lights on your cruise.

My personal recommendation is to find a place to visit like Lofoten which is known for Aurora activity but also has amazing landscapes. That way you focus on the landscapes and consider the Aurora as a bonus, rather than a given that will only let down your entire trip if you don't see it. Kinda like going to the Highveld in summer to experience proper thunder, even if you're at the right place and right time, it's not an absolute given.

I took miss Voicy to the Lofoten islands last weekend, which is just an hour or so South of us. Here's what some of it looks like:

13346466_10157079980215602_8299735780184787548_n.jpg

If you google image search for "Reine Lofoten" you'll get a good idea of what it looks like in summer, winter and with the aurora. Hope it helps.
 
Voicy said:
Are you referring to the article about light pollution stopping 30% of the world from seeing the milky way?

The northern lights season starts around November and is visible until March or April and obviously the further away from cities you are, the clearer they are. Of course if it's cloudy then it's a no-show.

I know that the Hurtigruten cruise liner (www.hurtigruten.no) had a special where they'd give you a free trip if you went during the Aurora period and DIDN'T see any northern lights on your cruise.

My personal recommendation is to find a place to visit like Lofoten which is known for Aurora activity but also has amazing landscapes. That way you focus on the landscapes and consider the Aurora as a bonus, rather than a given that will only let down your entire trip if you don't see it. Kinda like going to the Highveld in summer to experience proper thunder, even if you're at the right place and right time, it's not an absolute given.

I took miss Voicy to the Lofoten islands last weekend, which is just an hour or so South of us. Here's what some of it looks like:

View attachment 369027

If you google image search for "Reine Lofoten" you'll get a good idea of what it looks like in summer, winter and with the aurora. Hope it helps.
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When I started planning THIS was the first result in my search :(

Thanks for the info. everything I read so far said don't plan your entire trip with the hopes of seeing the Northern Lights but the catch is you have to go in Winter. From what I've read all the "other stuff" only happens in Summer. Although I like that cruise idea, everyone keeps recommending that I go on a cruise, maybe one to the arctic circle might be worth it...
 
RVQ said:
When I started planning THIS was the first result in my search :(

Thanks for the info. everything I read so far said don't plan your entire trip with the hopes of seeing the Northern Lights but the catch is you have to go in Winter. From what I've read all the "other stuff" only happens in Summer. Although I like that cruise idea, everyone keeps recommending that I go on a cruise, maybe one to the arctic circle might be worth it...
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I see. It's the first I've heard of it, but I'm not going to argue with an associate professor of space physics.

I haven't read anything about this 11 year cycle he mentions, but as long as there are solar particles hitting the earth's atmosphere, there will be aurora...the strength may vary, but it won't disappear.

Not too sure about the "other stuff", I'm torn between the two seasons. Summer and the midnight sun is awesome for camping and hiking and road trips, but in winter you get aurora and snow and the ski slopes are all open. Also arctic surfing in the snow was quite an experience. :p
 
Been quiet lately on the thread as I've been caught up with work this side.

We did a generator replacement install with a 750kVA unit at a factory that breeds salmon. 1,5million fish and we lost power to the building. No stress, but anyway it was fixed and only 4 fish died. :o

So anyway I got back home last night only to be greeted by the new aurora season coming in at full swing over our town. It was very active (usually you see it shimmering when there's red and purples) and this pic was taken with a 2sec shutter speed, so a pretty good indication of what it looked like real time.

IMG_0178.jpg
 
Naaice, always refreshing to read this thread, thanks brew.
 
It's always nice to see when this thread has been updated. Love the pics!
 
I'll be in Oslo and Arendal in a weeks time.
Anything you can recommend doing while there?
 
PsYTraNc3 said:
I'll be in Oslo and Arendal in a weeks time.
Anything you can recommend doing while there?
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Oh sweet!

In Oslo you definitely wanna spend time going to the opera house as well as the palace and Karl Johansgate. (Think Long street in Cape Town, which connects the palace to the harbour)

There's a train line going directly from Gardemoen to Oslo city centre every 10mins, seeing as the airport is 50km out of town.

You also wanna check out Vigeland museum/park to see the statues of the dudes fighting babies etc.

As for Arendal, I don't really have much to say as I've only driven past it on the E6, buuuut I have a colleage (also from SA) who lives in Kristiansand and it's a pretty cool place to just hang out in from what I hear.

I live a 2 day drive north of Oslo, so not much chance of me showing you around...but there's another forumite on here who lives in Stavanger who might be able to give some more tips.
 
PsYTraNc3 said:
I'll be in Oslo and Arendal in a weeks time.
Anything you can recommend doing while there?
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In Oslo, worth taking a trip out to Holmenkollen. If you are into maritime, then the Fram museum as well as the KonTiki musuem and the Viking Ship museum are all worth a visit. The Fram and KonTiki museums are right next to each other and the Viking museum is not far from them. I recommend taking a boat from Oslo to the museums, just to enjoy a nice ride on the water :)

I have never been to Arendal, but Kristiansand is not far from there and is really a lovely town. A Norwegian fish market is a must and the one in Kristiansand is nice. If you enjoy seafood then I recommend purchasing a bag of fresh shrimp at the fish market and sitting there to enjoy the food and vibe. Norway´s second largest tourist destination, the Kristiansand Zoo is not far from the centre of town. The zoo has a pirate world as well as a village based on a famous childrens story, so not just animals. My parents in law are here for the next few weeks, but if you head up towards Stavanger let me know and I will be happy to show you around.
 
I would like to second the Kon Tiki and Fram museums in Oslo.

We also found the Akershus Fortress and the Norway Resistance Museum there interesting.

At Kristiansand there is a Canon Museum at Movik. Huge German guns that covered the entrance to Kristiansand.
 
Thanks for the suggestions!

I work for a Norwegian company so will be getting a tour of the place by colleagues who live there.
They wanted me to come up with a list of places I would like to see.

I think I will only be in Oslo for 2-3 days though :( but will be staying int eh city center.

So:
opera house
vigeland museum
more museams in Holmenkollen :D
Visit kristiansand!
Would definitely go to the cannon museum!
And about 10 in Arendal.
I have one colleague who will be taking me on a boat ride to Lyngør

One big plus is that I will be driving a Tesla S :love:
 
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Billy said:
At Kristiansand there is a Canon Museum at Movik. Huge German guns that covered the entrance to Kristiansand.
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They have huge German guns at a Canon museum? Shouldn't they remove all the Japanese cameras and rather call it a cannon museum? :p
 
Dave123 said:
Someone should gently point out to whoever wrote that what the difference between a Canon, a canon and a cannon is in English...
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I presume that the spelling comes from the Norwegian Kanon. Perhaps I should have said "Canon" museum.

I would not have termed the gun a cannon either. When we went there I was not expecting the size and type of gun, and would certainly not consider it a Cannon.
 
Billy said:
I presume that the spelling comes from the Norwegian Kanon. Perhaps I should have said "Canon" museum.

I would not have termed the gun a cannon either. When we went there I was not expecting the size and type of gun, and would certainly not consider it a Cannon.
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No need to have that word, I see that website you linked to is not updated anymore and also not the official one.

At least the Norway tourism board can spell ;)

KRISTIANSAND CANNON MUSEUM

A historical defence museum that features a heavy German coastal defence battery from 1940-45, with the world's second largest land-based cannon (337 tonnes). Plenty of other material from WWII.

Kristiansand Kanonmuseum (cannon museum) Møvik Fortress outside Kristiansand was built by the Germans during World War II. The museum houses the only remaining 380mm Krupp gun in the world.
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https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/kristiansand-cannon-museum/90299/
 
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