(no subject)
Things I now know about Norway:
Everyone assumes you speak Norwegian. But, they will very kindly switch to English if you apologize and look sort of lost. Everyone speaks English except a few kebab places.
The bus system makes no more sense here. Perhaps less. I don't use it if I can avoid it. ^^ A tram (trikk) or a train (tog) is better. Get a 7 day pass if you're staying that long. It will pay for itself.
Police wear light blue shirts and will sometimes come up and ask who you are and to see your passport for no evident reason. Carry your passport. At least they will speak English. (Also if you ask nicely, many of them will agree to be in a photo with you.)
for me, at least, all directions are in relation to Oslo S, the central station. If I know where it is from there, I can find it. If you give me other directions, I will have to find a point I can find from the station.
It's really nice to sit on the steps outside the station and have a snack and chat and watch the people. It's always busy, but never really crowded.
Norway thinks of itself as a small country, which is weird, because I think it's quite big.
There is probably the single most awesome shop I have ever been to in my life here, a second-hand/surplus military place called Pentagon. Go there if you have any interest at all in military things or cool hats or bags. It is way sweet.
When there is a cafe or something with seats out on the sidewalk, you can just walk over and sit down and someone will come to serve you. They will not give you the bill until you ask for it. Tipping, I hear, is around %10 if you're pleased. (this does not apply to cafes and stuff in train stations, which do not always have clearly marked seating areas. Just assume you can't sit there unless you get something from the nearest cafe unless it's not near any at all.)
Useful words:
takk = thanks
tog = train
trikk = tram (but trykk = click, as in all these ads google gives me here.)
gratis = free
prøv = try (dressing rooms are sometimes marked like this.)
til = to (trains and stuff are marked like this, "lokaltog til Eidsvoll" telling you it is a local train going to Eidsvoll.)Fra = from.
jordbær = strawberry
Eurovision = Eurovision. XD "flashmob" is also exactly what it would be in English.
nå = now, on signs that tell you when the next tram is coming
ikke is some kind of negation. It's on out of service buses and on signs telling you not to do things.
billett = ticket
og = and
er = is (in trains, you get, "første stasjon er Kløfte" meaning "the next station is Kløfte"(If you can't figure out what stasjon is, you fail words forever.)
Okay, time to gte ready to go be in Eurovision. Because Tris and I are performing in the interval. XD See you later.
Everyone assumes you speak Norwegian. But, they will very kindly switch to English if you apologize and look sort of lost. Everyone speaks English except a few kebab places.
The bus system makes no more sense here. Perhaps less. I don't use it if I can avoid it. ^^ A tram (trikk) or a train (tog) is better. Get a 7 day pass if you're staying that long. It will pay for itself.
Police wear light blue shirts and will sometimes come up and ask who you are and to see your passport for no evident reason. Carry your passport. At least they will speak English. (Also if you ask nicely, many of them will agree to be in a photo with you.)
for me, at least, all directions are in relation to Oslo S, the central station. If I know where it is from there, I can find it. If you give me other directions, I will have to find a point I can find from the station.
It's really nice to sit on the steps outside the station and have a snack and chat and watch the people. It's always busy, but never really crowded.
Norway thinks of itself as a small country, which is weird, because I think it's quite big.
There is probably the single most awesome shop I have ever been to in my life here, a second-hand/surplus military place called Pentagon. Go there if you have any interest at all in military things or cool hats or bags. It is way sweet.
When there is a cafe or something with seats out on the sidewalk, you can just walk over and sit down and someone will come to serve you. They will not give you the bill until you ask for it. Tipping, I hear, is around %10 if you're pleased. (this does not apply to cafes and stuff in train stations, which do not always have clearly marked seating areas. Just assume you can't sit there unless you get something from the nearest cafe unless it's not near any at all.)
Useful words:
takk = thanks
tog = train
trikk = tram (but trykk = click, as in all these ads google gives me here.)
gratis = free
prøv = try (dressing rooms are sometimes marked like this.)
til = to (trains and stuff are marked like this, "lokaltog til Eidsvoll" telling you it is a local train going to Eidsvoll.)Fra = from.
jordbær = strawberry
Eurovision = Eurovision. XD "flashmob" is also exactly what it would be in English.
nå = now, on signs that tell you when the next tram is coming
ikke is some kind of negation. It's on out of service buses and on signs telling you not to do things.
billett = ticket
og = and
er = is (in trains, you get, "første stasjon er Kløfte" meaning "the next station is Kløfte"(If you can't figure out what stasjon is, you fail words forever.)
Okay, time to gte ready to go be in Eurovision. Because Tris and I are performing in the interval. XD See you later.