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Tagged With "Norway"

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Re: Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

DrFumblefinger ·
While cashless transactions are convenient and popular, and I use them often, I am not supportive of this move. It is a little too much "Big Brother" for me. Consumers will migrate to the purchase platform of their choice. Cash, I'm sure, will become less and less popular with time. But it still has a place and I as a free individual want to make the decision on when and how I will use it. How will people make purchases if there ever is a complete shut down and hack of the bank's computers...
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Re: Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

HistoryDigger ·
Although I don't use cash every day, I sure want it when I need it. After living through Hurricane Katrina and the LONG power outage of the aftermath, I recognize when cash is crucial. And yes, DrFumblefinger poses a good question about the lack of cash during cyber warfare, which goes on regularly even if we choose to ignore it. Maybe we should go back to bartering for everything. But most of us have lost the art.
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Re: Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

Travel Rob ·
On my last trip to London, I arrived at night and the Tube stopped running. The ticket machines for the buses weren't working and now the buses are cashless. Luckily the drivers let me on anyway, but I think as more places don't accept cash ,those type of scenarios will be more common.
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Re: Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

Paul Heymont ·
I think what we're seeing here is a blindness in planning, which goes beyond questions of technology. You've identified some scenarios where cashless becomes hopeless/helpless. I see the same kind of lack of forethought when I see several huge residential towers being built in downtown Brooklyn...on top of already overcrowded subway stations, and with no forethought to larger sewer or water connections... In the bleakest possible view, we may self-destruct not through a world war, but...
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Re: Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

PortMoresby ·
I'm not surprised that this is happening in Scandinavia, of all places. Many years ago I had friends in Denmark and Erik was an electrician. There wasn't enough work for all the electricians so they rotated the work and he worked for 6 months, then had 6 months off, paid. Sounds good? However, during the 6 months he was off he wasn't allowed to do any electrical work at all, including on his own house. I (and he) found the rule regarding his own house absurd. I see it related to the banking...
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Re: Laughter Set in Stone: Fun with Statues

Paul Heymont ·
Well, here's another I would have included in the original post—except I didn't remember I had it! Unintentionally ironic or not...it speaks up for a local guy in an unusual way!
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Re: Laughter Set in Stone: Fun with Statues

DrFumblefinger ·
That's a fun piece, PHeymont! I, too, have noticed larger numbers of whimsical statues. The city this struck me in the most was Bratislava, in Slovakia. For example, here's their "Men at Work" And here's one that's a tribute to shutterbugs like you and me.
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Re: Laughter Set in Stone: Fun with Statues

Paul Heymont ·
Thanks! those are great...we need a bit more humor in everyday life!
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Re: Ultimate outdoor vacation: a year without walls

DrFumblefinger ·
I love being out of doors, including some time roughing it. But I also love showers, a nice meal and a comfortable bed. Glad to know there's adventuresome folks out there!
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Re: Polar bears: Hard to live with, hard to escape

DrFumblefinger ·
While they seem cute, polar bears are one of the few animals that actively hunt humans as a food source. They are quite dangerous and very lethal. The Norwegian town reminds me of Churchill, Manitoba, another great place to polar bear watch.
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Re: Touring Telemark County in Norway

Mac ·
A most interesting report and photos. I love the story of the building of the church.
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Re: The Sanity Clause (apologies to Groucho Marx)

Paul Heymont ·
Thanks for this! It's so easy to forget how many ancestors 'our' traditions have, and how very linked we all are!
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Re: The Sanity Clause (apologies to Groucho Marx)

GarryRF ·
That's very true Paul. I remember traditions from my childhood that have vanished years ago. I visit Sydney, Australia and find the same traditions are alive and well.
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Re: Norway's plea: Please pick up after our bears

GarryRF ·
Did you know that if you felled all the trees in Canada and laid them end to end then .... the Bears would have nowhere to take a dump !!
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Re: Norway's plea: Please pick up after our bears

DrFumblefinger ·
Originally Posted by GarryRF: Did you know that if you felled all the trees in Canada and laid them end to end then .... the Bears would have nowhere to take a dump !! Garry -- the bears are smart and would use those millions of trees to build rafts they could float to England, where they could dump often and where ever they wanted!
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Re: Norway's plea: Please pick up after our bears

GarryRF ·
Ahh ! The smell of freedom !
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Re: Drone video shows off Norway's midnight sun

DrFumblefinger ·
I was not aware that drones were becoming so popular, but why not, I suppose? I just left Yellowstone NP and there were signs everywhere specifically banning the use of drones (hope that includes from the government, too!). Nothing like trying to fish a failed drone from a boiling thermal pool, I guess.
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Re: Art Under Your Feet

DrFumblefinger ·
A fascinating collection, PHeymont! It's amazing what you can see when you look around -- and down at your feet! Here's another for your collection, from the Czech Republic.
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Making Lemonade, cont.: US $ and Norway cruises

Paul Heymont ·
The stronger U.S. dollar versus European currencies (see previous Gumbo news items on the Euro) changes the picture a bit for U.S. travelers to the most expensive countries, and Norway's Hurtigruten Voyages, which operates cruise ships along Norway's...
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Svartisdal, Norway, Part 2

Amateuremigrant ·
Bob Cranwell continues his tale of visits to the Svartisdal region in Norway, and some of the potential perils of hiking around this beautiful piece of geography.
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Svartisdal, Norway, Part 1

Amateuremigrant ·
Bob Cranwell shares wonderful travel memories of camping in the Norwegian backcountry, in the shadow of a great glacier!
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Oslo, Stockholm get hi-speed link this summer

Paul Heymont ·
A new rail link to connect Stockholm and Oslo opens in August, cutting the time from 6 to 4-1/2 hours. It's aimed at international professionals who might otherwise have chosen to fly between Scandinavian capitals.   It almost got delayed;...
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What's hot in the Arctic? A giant sauna!

Paul Heymont ·
What's being billed as the world's largest sauna, holding 100 visitors, has been set up on a beach in northern Norway, inside the Arctic Circle, for the  SALT festival of art, music and architecture on  Sandhornøya Island, near...
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Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo, Norway Captures More Than Nudity

Travel Rob ·
  Vigeland Sculpture Park in Frogner Park, Oslo, Norway was a lot more than I expected. The sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland's lifework and has more than 200 nude sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron. Vigeland not...
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Touring Telemark County in Norway

Travel Rob ·
Rick Steves, the travel author and TV personality, wrote "Frankly, if you go to Oslo and don't get out to the fjords, you should have your passport revoked." Well, it's a good thing Mr. Steves is not in charge of US passports, because our...
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Norway's plea: Please pick up after our bears

Paul Heymont ·
Norwegian Brown Bear       Photo: Per Harald Olsen In most countries these days, we're familiar with some form of poo control for pets, most often plastic bags to collect the remains and toss it in the trash. Norway's Nature...
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Norway's Trolltunga: still a danger for tourists

Paul Heymont ·
  Trolltunga, an imposing rock formation that sticks out...like a troll's tongue...from a narrow ledge 700 meters above Ringedalsvatnet lake, has become a danger spot for travelers trying to take dramatic photos from the edge.   Earlier this...
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Lausanne gets 2020 Winter Youth Olympics

Paul Heymont ·
Ice hockey at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, Innsbruck      Photo: Rolf Roletschek / Wikimedia   The Winter Youth Oympics—a relative youth itself, since the first was only held in 2012—will hold its 2020 games in...
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Non-instant messaging: Note in a bottle took 11 years

Paul Heymont ·
A Swedish family that found a message in a bottle while out in their boat near Gothenburg has now connected with the Norwegian youth who posted it eleven years ago, near his home in Frederikstad, Norway.   The Swedish family read the message, "I...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Aug. 8, 2015: On the Sognefjord

Paul Heymont ·
  One of the Sognefjord ferries that connect the towns and cities along Norway's western fjords in an area where the road network is sparse, and closes in winter. This ferry was paused as our express boat approached; minutes later the two ships...
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Polar bears: Hard to live with, hard to escape

Paul Heymont ·
  If anyone thought that drunken beach revelers or soccer hooligans could make for a bad time on vacation, they may not have considered a town where the neighbors are polar bears.   The town is Ny-Alesund, on Spitsbergen Island, Norway; it's...
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Drone video shows off Norway's midnight sun

Paul Heymont ·
A new use every day for aerial drones. This time, it's a video of the midnight sun in Norway's Arctic region, where for a few days in the summer the sun never sets below the horizon.   This video was shot by a drone flying from the top of...
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Ultimate outdoor vacation: a year without walls

Paul Heymont ·
Photo: Instagram   A Norwegian couple has just finished the real outdoorfolks' dream: they've spent the last year in Norway's Arctic regions, sleeping in tents and improvised shelters, and living off the land.   The couple, Elise Theoline...
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Even being a Viking needs a diploma these days

Paul Heymont ·
And you thought all you had to do to be a Viking was grow a beard, wear a helmet, swing an ax and raid Britain!   These days, it seems, everything requires a degree, and a continuing-education college in Norway is offering the course, including...
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What a souvenir: Hiker finds 1200-year-old sword

Paul Heymont ·
A Norwegian hiker who found a sword while traveling the ancient route between Norway's east and west has now been told that it's about 1200 years old. His find will now lead to more exploration in the area.   The sword, about 30" in length, was...
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Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

Paul Heymont ·
  Nordea, Norway's number two bank, with operations across Scandinavia, has announced that starting Monday its Norwegian branches will not handle cash. Period.   The bank's plan, surprising as it sounds, is part of Scandinavia's move toward...
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Can you believe that no one ever noticed this?

Paul Heymont ·
Sometime around 12,000 years ago, this huge rock was left behind near Ljosland village in Norway's Vest-Agder region when a glacier melted. Just another item for the lost-and-found...except that it took nearly forever for it to be found.   Over a...
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The Sanity Clause (apologies to Groucho Marx)

Amateuremigrant ·
Bob Cranwell explores the origins of the Santa Claus myth drawing on his extensive travel experiences for supportive facts.
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 28, 2014: Bergen's Historic Bryggen Waterfront

Paul Heymont ·
— Bryggen (it actually means waterfront) is the historic wharf area of Bergen, Norway, widely known for its brightly-colored warehouses and its long history. Most of the oldest buildings date to the heyday of the Hanseatic presence here from the...
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Bergen: Norway's Not-So-Second City

Paul Heymont ·
Approaching Bergen by Air   Bergen is a city of paradoxes. It's Norway's second-largest city, but it feels in many ways like a small town. It's the second-oldest city, but only in a few places does it seem older than 150 years or so. It's...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 9: Norway's Fjords

Paul Heymont ·
Cruise ship is dwarfed by steep mountains as it enters Norway’s Naeroyfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord in the rugged coastal mountains north of Bergen. A network of these deep waterways connects scattered areas of small towns and farms on...
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Laughter Set in Stone: Fun with Statues

Paul Heymont ·
This is a hold-up! This fellow (and a companion on the other side of the door) carry the weight at building entrance on Stromgaten, near Bergen, Norway rail station. Historically, statues have served a variety of serious purposes: to honor the...
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Norway told: Too many hikers on fragile trails

Paul Heymont ·
Norwegian officials and outdoor groups are concerned about the exploding numbers of visitors to fragile environments, and are asking for limits.
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New cruise ships will pioneer hybrid technology

Paul Heymont ·
Norway's coastal cruise line, Hurtigruten, is building two new ships that use hybrid engines similar to those in cars, and can be adapted to newer technology.
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Norway: Midsummer bonfire sets world record

Paul Heymont ·
Big bonfires are a Scandinavian Midsummer tradition, but this one on a Norwegian island set a new world record.
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Oslo's Viking Museum plans big expansion

Paul Heymont ·
Norway's Viking Ship Museum will soon have an addition that will triple its space and allow for more exhibitions.
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Apr. 23, 2016: Leaving Bergen, Early Morning

Paul Heymont ·
Clouds and sun create a dramatic view over Norway's coastal waters as the express boat to Flam leaves from Bergen just after sunrise.
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Norway: Are flatulent cows a real climate issue?

Paul Heymont ·
As world leaders gather in Paris for a world climate conference, Norway struggles with a possibly related issue—or at least one the Prime Minister believes is related.    Prime Minister Erna Solberg (photo above) has managed to offend...
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Norway's 'most spectacular road' opens for season

Paul Heymont ·
Summer season is starting for Norway's Trollstegen, a road that is among the most beautiful and most dangerous in Europe.
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Vikings land in North America ...again!

Paul Heymont ·
A replica Viking longship, the biggest built in modern times, has completed a month-long journey from Norway in the track of Leif Ericcson.
 
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