Travelling to Norway

[renderman]

In a related thread to Deviants Malaysia trip (https://forum.defcon.org/showthread.php?t=8839)

I've been invited to speak at Hackcon in Norway in February.

I've elected to stay the week and see the sights since it will be unlikely I'll be back any time soon.

Anything around Oslo worth checking out? Any local laws I need to be aware of so I can actually leave once I'm there (DMCA, anti hacking kind of stuff).

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Travelling to Norway

well, since i can speak with experience on this one i'll mention a few points that i came across...

1. the weather - heh, not like you really need to be told this one, but it will be consistently cold when you're there. oddly, i went during a time of an incredible deep freeze back home... so while people near philly were digging out of snow and experiencing sub-zero conditions, i encountered merely flurries and temps that ranged from 15 to 25 degrees F. the lack of huge blizzard snowdrifts was notable, it just sort of was this hazy, constant flutter of minuscule snowflakes all the time.

2. the food - very western fare is the norm. cheese burgers, pizza (which they inexplicably always top with pineapple, not exactly a native commodity), and such is everywhere. national stocks of fish are also very signature. i'd recommend trying a fishburger ("ishavurger" in norwegian) at a pub. major, i, and one other speaker were taken to a splendid place one evening where the organizers paid and we all had these huge, tasty fish steaks... like the size of NY Strips. beer is terrific and plentiful. (hackcon is great about getting sponsors to pick up the bills, btw... so enjoy all that you are offered, you likely won't have to pay for anything yourself if you're speaking)

3. the sights - the one thing that so many people say you shouldn't miss is Vigeland Park. the sculptures there are very unique and it's a short train ride from almost anywhere that you may be staying. (google image search link)

there's also a viking museum but we were unable to see that due to its operating hours. check before going, i'm told it's good. instead of that we went to see a museum of the Norwegian underground movement from WWII. while the French (and to a lesser degree, the Dutch) resistance forces have gotten more attention in popular accounts, the Norwegians actually planned and carried out the most successful sabotage and anti-Nazi guerrilla attacks of the whole war. lots of good stuff in the museum.

4. tech - they use the standard "two round prong" euro plug there and run on 220 volt power. my laptop handled it fine with a basic plug adapter, no voltage regulation. other appliances maybe need a better converter. heck, even here in .my we're all running our laptops and other gear direct into the walls (with the huge .uk style outlets) and things are fine. the only thing we fried was the power adapter to our vonage box.

5. other - make sure your skype account is alright and that you have things installed ok to communicate back home cheaply. put a load of good DVDs and music in your back to ensure entertainment content since local TV is generally bad everwhere in the world. but these are givens for anytime you're away speaking, so you know them already. ;-)

have fun and share some stories upon your return!

[renderman]

Re: Travelling to Norway

well, since i can speak with experience on this one i'll mention a few points that i came across...

1. the weather - heh, not like you really need to be told this one, but it will be consistently cold when you're there. oddly, i went during a time of an incredible deep freeze back home... so while people near philly were digging out of snow and experiencing sub-zero conditions, i encountered merely flurries and temps that ranged from 15 to 25 degrees F. the lack of huge blizzard snowdrifts was notable, it just sort of was this hazy, constant flutter of minuscule snowflakes all the time.

I can handle anything when it comes to weather. Canadian winters, Vegas summers, I'm good.

2. the food - very western fare is the norm. cheese burgers, pizza (which they inexplicably always top with pineapple, not exactly a native commodity), and such is everywhere. national stocks of fish are also very signature. i'd recommend trying a fishburger ("ishavurger" in norwegian) at a pub. major, i, and one other speaker were taken to a splendid place one evening where the organizers paid and we all had these huge, tasty fish steaks... like the size of NY Strips. beer is terrific and plentiful. (hackcon is great about getting sponsors to pick up the bills, btw... so enjoy all that you are offered, you likely won't have to pay for anything yourself if you're speaking)

I've been to finland/sweden half a lifetime ago, so I know the food is edible. My heritage is Scandinavian so I'm familiar with much of the 'regional' fare as well.

3. the sights - the one thing that so many people say you shouldn't miss is Vigeland Park. the sculptures there are very unique and it's a short train ride from almost anywhere that you may be staying. (google image search link)

How was the transit? Easy to navigate for english only speakers or will I be doing alot of gesturing and pointing with locals?

there's also a viking museum but we were unable to see that due to its operating hours. check before going, i'm told it's good. instead of that we went to see a museum of the Norwegian underground movement from WWII. while the French (and to a lesser degree, the Dutch) resistance forces have gotten more attention in popular accounts, the Norwegians actually planned and carried out the most successful sabotage and anti-Nazi guerrilla attacks of the whole war. lots of good stuff in the museum.

Id be curious about the name of the museums you mentioned, both sound really interesting (viking heritage and an affinity for hats and all)

4. tech - they use the standard "two round prong" euro plug there and run on 220 volt power. my laptop handled it fine with a basic plug adapter, no voltage regulation. other appliances maybe need a better converter. heck, even here in .my we're all running our laptops and other gear direct into the walls (with the huge .uk style outlets) and things are fine. the only thing we fried was the power adapter to our vonage box.

Hadn't even thought about that. I'll have to invest in a converter before I go.

5. other - make sure your skype account is alright and that you have things installed ok to communicate back home cheaply. put a load of good DVDs and music in your back to ensure entertainment content since local TV is generally bad everwhere in the world. but these are givens for anytime you're away speaking, so you know them already. ;-)

Yeah, I'm usually set for entertainment. This might actually provide enough time for me to read my dead tree version of cryptonomicon which I've been trying to read for about 8 cons worth of travel.

have fun and share some stories upon your return!

Defiantly will do.

I'll post any other questions that come up.

Anyone else planning on going? I'm sure that there will be a few familiar faces that can show me the local brews at the pubs :)

Render

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Travelling to Norway

How was the transit? Easy to navigate for english only speakers or will I be doing alot of gesturing and pointing with locals?

a very interesting phenomenon with respect to language there... about 10 to 15 years ago or so the public educational apparatus decided upon universal english language teaching.

so what you have now is a huge generational language gap, where middle-aged folks you meet on the street will look bewildered or use gestures but 20-somethings standing right next to them will step in and address you in perfect english.

nearly all service sector folk have a decent command of english, no matter their age.

[TheSpork]

Re: Travelling to Norway

Wow Deviant.. It seems like you know Norway about as well as I do, and I live there! (I'm the guy who had the pleasure of taking care of you, Major M and Lin0xx last year (nice talking to you again at Def Con this summer)). I just came by this forum after being absent for a while, and noticed this thread..

I was going to reply to your post, Renderman, but I found out Deviant answered as well as I would! So Renderman, if you got any other questions, either Deviant or I will be able to answer! ;)

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Travelling to Norway

hey man, nice to hear from you again! yes, i remember you, bro. was a good time out there this past winter. i'm actually coming back to Norway in a week, but i don't know if you're involved in that event or not... this time i'm headed to Bergen.

any recommendations you care to provide in terms of sights/restaurants/bars/brothels/etc that are not to be missed in that region? i know i'll be much closer to the fjords there and they are at the top of my list... as much information as you care to provide in that vein would be greatly appreciated.

[TheSpork]

Re: Travelling to Norway

I will show up in Bergen myself, so we'll meet again! ;) I'm only going to be around the days of the event, but I hope you still will be able to look around in the Bergen-area. Bergen is quite a different city from Oslo, and the surroundings are more like postcards there!

One thing you might want to check out is this tram / cable car. Not the average city cable car though.. If you like animals, you might want to visit the aquarium. Both of these are within a short walk from your hotel and the center of the city. For lots of information about Bergen, take a look at the city's visitor pages.

[TheSpork]

Re: Travelling to Norway

Id be curious about the name of the museums you mentioned, both sound really interesting (viking heritage and an affinity for hats and all)

More information about the viking museum can be found here. The other museum Deviant mentioned is probably Norway's Resistance Museum.

Renderman, if you find anything you want to see in Oslo, let me know, and I'll try my best to help you in February!

[xor]

Re: Travelling to Norway

In a related thread to Deviants Malaysia trip (http://forum.defcon.org/showthread.php?t=8839)

I've been invited to speak at Hackcon in Norway in February.

I've elected to stay the week and see the sights since it will be unlikely I'll be back any time soon.

Anything around Oslo worth checking out? Any local laws I need to be aware of so I can actually leave once I'm there (DMCA, anti hacking kind of stuff).

Are you into techno, trance or other forms of electronic music?

xor

If you are you are in luck. But then again if you are you already know this.

[xor]

Re: Travelling to Norway

Here are 3 phases that you will need in Norway;

Hi, Would you like to have a beer; Would you like to have sex

hei vil du liker til å ha et øl vil du liker til å ha kjønn

Have fun.

xor

[TheSpork]

Re: Travelling to Norway

Here are 3 phases that you will need in Norway;

Hi, Would you like to have a beer; Would you like to have sex

hei vil du liker til å ha et øl vil du liker til å ha kjønn

That might not be of much help.. I don't think anyone should depend on babelfish or other internet sites! ;)

The first word "hei" is correct..

The second sentence might be recognized, but the grammar is way off!

The last part here means: "would you liking to have gender" "liking" is not a correct word, but it's close to what it would be in norwegian!

If you need the correct translation, let me know! ;)

[xor]

Re: Travelling to Norway

That might not be of much help.. I don't think anyone should depend on babelfish or other internet sites! ;)

The first word "hei" is correct..

The second sentence might be recognized, but the grammar is way off!

The last part here means: "would you liking to have gender" "liking" is not a correct word, but it's close to what it would be in norwegian!

If you need the correct translation, let me know! ;)

Ahh, it was an attempt no matter how bad at humor. Obviously lost in translation :)

xor

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Travelling to Norway

well, i'm here in Bergen... checked in and showered after such a long series of flights. feels good to be in fresh clothes. still, i have to say that after making that Malaysia trip, absolutely anything seems like a cake-walk as far as travel is concerned. i just wish i had an auxiliary laptop battery.

oh, i forgot to mention one last detail about Norway... not really a fact that will help you plan your travels but a note about an activity you can do while you're here.

when visiting norway, take the opportunity to experience what it's like to be able to lie on your bed, reach out with your arms and legs, and touch all four walls of your hotel room at the same time.

don't misconstrue my comments... the accommodations here are delightfully cozy and modern and lovely, but out of some sort of concern for the environment perhaps or maybe due to newer, space-efficient designs, every room i've stayed in here has been about the size of the bathrooms at the Riviera.

P.S. - i may be joining you here in february!

[TheSpork]

Re: Travelling to Norway

when visiting norway, take the opportunity to experience what it's like to be able to lie on your bed, reach out with your arms and legs, and touch all four walls of your hotel room at the same time.

Hmm.. The hotel you are staying at now might not be Bergens biggest hotel, but yeah.. Compared to Las Vegas, the rooms are small.. Very small! I stayed at Planet Hollywood / Aladdin this summer, and the bathroom was of very reasonable size (to say it modestly and politically correct)..

But.. I will do my research in Oslo, and try to get you a big room in February (as long as someone pays for it.. ) I guess hotels in Norway are for sleeping in, not staying in?!

See you in about 10 hours!

And.. I hope the weather will be better tomorrow!

TheSpork

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Travelling to Norway

But.. I will do my research in Oslo, and try to get you a big room in February

instead of trying to get us bigger rooms, why don't you just arrange for us to spend time in our small, standard rooms with some special guests. i think that would be better than getting us large rooms at other hotels. ;-)