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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2022 8:25:23 GMT
Just to add my recent experience in, we've just got back from a cruise up to Tromso to see the Northern Lights among other things, really nice scenery obviously, but I never realised how small a country Norway actually is in terms of population and settlements. The people are lovely, the streets are clean, the weather not bad at all considering the time of year, but prices are weird. Clothes are roughly the same prices as you'd expect, but food can be horrendously expensive if you're not careful. We spotted a place where a pizza would set you back £27! Alcohol is apparently much the same. Everyone seems to speak English, and bizarrely, despite leaving the ship four times ashore, we didn't need our passport once!
The ship is a different thing though, if - like us - you've never sailed on the North Sea, be prepared for a less than calm ride, on a couple of days sick bags were put out by the lifts in dispensers! It was an adults only cruise (not in that sense!) which meant that even just a few years off my pension I was still in the younger section agewise, and I discovered that old people are really quite rude!
Covid may have reared it's ugly head during the trip as we spotted a couple of cabins on our deck which were getting regular room service and the staff were wearing extra PPE during the visits. All was well looked after in hygiene terms and the ship was kept spotlessly clean.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2022 11:53:58 GMT
Know what you mean about the North Sea. Did the Newcastle - Stavanger- Bergen route a few years ago. Fine going out, but coming back there was a Force 7 and 2 metre swell, which the ship went through diagonally for most of the voyage back, wallowing all the way. Me and half a dozen people for breakfast and that was it.
My wife was still ill two days later...
Today have the delights of the Stena Cairnryan to Belfast ferry. It's blowing a Hooley and the skipper's advice is not to go outside as the combined wind speed (40-50mph) and ship speed equals about 80mph!
Driving up from Kent endlessly amazed at the lack of litter. We really are the UK shithole, it seems...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2022 12:14:00 GMT
Just to add my recent experience in, we've just got back from a cruise up to Tromso to see the Northern Lights among other things, really nice scenery obviously, but I never realised how small a country Norway actually is in terms of population and settlements. The people are lovely, the streets are clean, the weather not bad at all considering the time of year, but prices are weird. Clothes are roughly the same prices as you'd expect, but food can be horrendously expensive if you're not careful. We spotted a place where a pizza would set you back £27! Alcohol is apparently much the same. Everyone seems to speak English, and bizarrely, despite leaving the ship four times ashore, we didn't need our passport once! The ship is a different thing though, if - like us - you've never sailed on the North Sea, be prepared for a less than calm ride, on a couple of days sick bags were put out by the lifts in dispensers! It was an adults only cruise (not in that sense!) which meant that even just a few years off my pension I was still in the younger section agewise, and I discovered that old people are really quite rude! Covid may have reared it's ugly head during the trip as we spotted a couple of cabins on our deck which were getting regular room service and the staff were wearing extra PPE during the visits. All was well looked after in hygiene terms and the ship was kept spotlessly clean. My wife and I recently went to Oslo for a city break / mini walking holiday. I'd been before, but forgot how insanely expensive it is - a pint is easily £9+ and grabbing a few bits for lunch from a supermarket would end up being £35 / £40 for a few snacks and a sandwich. Would recommend it though - beautiful country, lovely people and lots to do. Everyone is abnormally beautiful as well: nobody seems to have aged past 40 years old, everyone wears insanely expensive clothes and all of them speak great English. Something in the air up in the nordics I think. I've been to see a few games in Norway / Sweden / Denmark too - great atmosphere every time I've been, no matter what leagues the teams have been in. Scandinavian football atmosphere is the one! |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2022 13:16:27 GMT
As you say, lovely country. One of its many foibles is that getting busted for drink driving is much more serious than here and can easily involve a jail sentence. However, you have the option of choosing when, so it is not unknown for offenders to book a few weeks off work to go inside! So we were all told anyway.
We took a big box of wine and tried to make it last. Most wine in Norway isn't worth drinking anyway.
Another thing we found interesting was English speaking TV uses subtitles, as opposed to being dubbed. Remember watching My Cousin Vinny and trying to work out what the swear words are in Norwegian.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2022 5:39:00 GMT
Know what you mean about the North Sea. Did the Newcastle - Stavanger- Bergen route a few years ago. Fine going out, but coming back there was a Force 7 and 2 metre swell, which the ship went through diagonally for most of the voyage back, wallowing all the way. Me and half a dozen people for breakfast and that was it. My wife was still ill two days later... Today have the delights of the Stena Cairnryan to Belfast ferry. It's blowing a Hooley and the skipper's advice is not to go outside as the combined wind speed (40-50mph) and ship speed equals about 80mph! Driving up from Kent endlessly amazed at the lack of litter. We really are the UK shithole, it seems...
2 metre swells, by god you were lucky.... On a cruise setting out from Taiwan to Japan a few years ago when a typhoon hit and the boat had to turnaround to go back to port. However lying in bed at night we were genuinely holding on for fear of being tossed out. Back to Taipei and we were fortunate to get one of the few flights not cancelled as we were flying on a 747 and it was one of the few planes with the inertia to take off in the storm.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2022 21:58:57 GMT
As you say, lovely country. One of its many foibles is that getting busted for drink driving is much more serious than here and can easily involve a jail sentence. However, you have the option of choosing when, so it is not unknown for offenders to book a few weeks off work to go inside! So we were all told anyway. We took a big box of wine and tried to make it last. Most wine in Norway isn't worth drinking anyway. Another thing we found interesting was English speaking TV uses subtitles, as opposed to being dubbed. Remember watching My Cousin Vinny and trying to work out what the swear words are in Norwegian. Unlike France,Spain , Italy and Germany, Scandinavian countries,along with Portugal and Holland and the flemmish speaking region of Belgium,prefer to show foreign movies in the original language with subtitles. This is another reason why their command of the English language is so good! The only time you will find dubbed programmes or movies is kids telly and films. I remember my Dutch mates little 3 year old boy Jim singing "Bob the builder" to me in dutch,it roughly sound like " Bob the builder will he make it?" |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2022 7:58:51 GMT
Know what you mean about the North Sea. Did the Newcastle - Stavanger- Bergen route a few years ago. Fine going out, but coming back there was a Force 7 and 2 metre swell, which the ship went through diagonally for most of the voyage back, wallowing all the way. Me and half a dozen people for breakfast and that was it. My wife was still ill two days later... Today have the delights of the Stena Cairnryan to Belfast ferry. It's blowing a Hooley and the skipper's advice is not to go outside as the combined wind speed (40-50mph) and ship speed equals about 80mph! Driving up from Kent endlessly amazed at the lack of litter. We really are the UK shithole, it seems... 2 metres? There were times my other half was praying for that! For one afternoon and evening we were treated to five metre swells! It was a black tie evening and of course we were booked in for posh dining, sat down and ordered - sensibly declining the soup option - then when the starter arrived, she looked at me and said "nah, this isn't happening" I ate mine and then we left. The staff were brilliant and sent the rest of the meal to our cabin, but again one mouthful and that was it - she was off to the loo and stayed there for twenty minutes!  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2023 7:52:13 GMT
Currently returning from a five day trip, by train to Bordeaux - hopefully not meeting up with King Chas and his entourage. Quietly impressed by French railways, especially the TGV. Paris to Bordeaux in just over two hours at up to 200mph.
There is a much nicer ambience on French trains - contrast the journey to St Pancras on the Javelin (where one is regaled with people having loud phone conversions and/or sharing execrable rap music on their phones), with the sedate hush of a French carriage, where people actually talk in whispers and children are not allowed to make a noise it seems!
Did several local journeys too, which were just as pleasant and always on time. Bordeaux station worth a visit in its own right - amazing architecture and cathedral like interior. The city centre is very elegant and well served by a remarkably efficient tramway system where there is never more than two minutes before the next one arrives and an hour's ticket costs just 1 euro 80.
Scratch beneath the surface though and like many big cities in France there are some very run down parts which you probably wouldn't fancy after dark. Not especially cheap either, especially if you just want a cup of tea. A cup of not exactly boiling water and a tea bag is about four quid...
Food is good though - quaint local delicacies aside. Options here included the Andoullette sausage ((best not to ask about ingredients) and calves head (hopefully not a whole one). Butcher's piece always makes us smile, while duck or goose gizzards are very nice.
Take care when ordering steak though. The meat is always very good, but can be served uncooked, while rare will be very bloody...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2023 16:19:00 GMT
That’s how I like my steak. We call it blue in this country. Seared on the outside, virtually raw in the middle
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2023 7:04:31 GMT
Steak hache is another. One variation we tried in the Auvergne was essentially a raw beefburger, which included a raw egg in the consist. They like their duck only just dead too.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2023 8:26:58 GMT
Speaking of which, it seems the meal of choice in Arras. Lovely town with an excellent Christmas market. Met Simon Calder, travel expert for the Independent, BBC et al, who was having breakfast in our hotel, checking alternative places to Paris for the summer Olympics. Nice chap,seemed genuinely surprised we recognised him.
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