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I've been to these countries/states:
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NORWAY (+47)
Welcome if you want to come to our country! It's safe, beautiful and child friendly. Most people will understand English, Swedish and/or Danish. Come see my region if you want to!
CURRENCY
Our currency is Norwegian "krone". At the time of writing, there's about 8 kroner to a Euro. Don't expect to be able to use any other currency than the krone anywhere -the krone is safe and stable and can be exchanged (both ways) from all IMF currencies in all banks or post offices. Hotels will change for you, but ask if it's much more expensive than in banks. No need to change money in dark alleys and such.
CREDIT CARDS
Visa is the most used credit-card in Norway, closely followed by MasterCard. You can use these in almost all large stores, most taxis, all hotels and so on. You can not use credit-cards on all trains, but you can usually pay your ticket with it on the station, and/or there's usually an ATM close by. Credit cards are mostly useless with street and fair-vendors -use cash here. Most taxis accept credit-cards -ask before you go.
SAFETY
The beautiful thing in Norway -people as a rule won't lie to you -most people earn enough money so they don't have to lie/scam to make a living! If some guy says he wants to show you a site or something -he probably wants to do just that! Taxi's are fixed rates (high), but they won't rip you off by going in circles or anything like that. No need to bribe people -most people will take it as an offense. HIV rate is only 0.1 per cent of the adult population,-but smart people like you practice safe sex anyway, right?
Avoid down town Oslo Friday and Saturday night after 10pm. The Norwegian police are practicing a local variant of the Blue Flu and the result seem to be violence and unimpeded drug sales after dark. Hopefully, the police will start using legal ways of protesting soon and we will then once again have one of the safest capitols in the world.
GEOGRAPHY AND OTHER FACTS
We've got the longest beach in northern Europe, high mountains excellent for trekking with sleeping cabins spread all over the mountains thanks to Norwegian Mountain Touring Association. We've got our aborigines -the Laplander's. Most people in Norway are more or less ethnically Christians, but we've got most religions represented here; Islam, Hindu, Sikh, Hare Krishna, Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism, Mormons, Jehovah witnesses, and Åsatru -the old Norse religion.
THINGS TO DO
Well, what are you looking for? Sports, clubbing, trekking/hiking, shopping
Extreme sports ekstremsport week at Hafjell, skiing in Sinnes. Cool city life in Stavanger -even more in Stavanger.
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to Norway: Amazon Link Here's the chapter on Norway from CIA fact book.
Some friends and me decided to go to Africa. We chose Zimbabwe, but when they started killing white people, we reconsidered and went to Kenya. We were impressed with the country's airline, and when we arrived at the four star hotel, we were even more impressed.
Everyone speaks English, but you get even more friendly smiles if if you learn some polite phrases in Swahili while you're there. You probably know a few already: Hakuna Matata and Safari. By the way, when someone says karibou (welcome) you answer azante (thank you).
It's good the be a tourist in Kenya -excellent food, safaris, and the best of all -the feeling of being in Africa.
I recommend getting whole-board in a great hotel. Don't expect to be able to wander alone in the streets -I guess people do, but you'll get bothered by boys selling souvenirs, drugs or prostitutes. I did travel in neighborhoods that made even natives nervous!
Travel by the local bus-taxis (Matatus) if you've got the guts for it -they're mini-buses that they shove full of people (literally). They're cheap (ask someone at the hotel what the going rate is) don't let them scam you. They are all over and in huge numbers, and they're licensed (stickers on the windshields). Taxis don't have taxi-signs on the roof, but license papers stuck to the windshields.
Don't drink "freshly squeezed" fruit juice -it may be several weeks old, and will give you diarrhea.
If you feel romantic, remember that 13.95 percent of the adult population is HIV positive. Pack your own luggage -if someone slips drugs into it, you'll serve a minimum of six years in a local prison!
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to Kenya: AmazonLink
Sand, cigars, sun, beautiful people, and classic cars. It's really great!
It's safe -there's police and/or security guards all over. I used to offer them cigarettes and chat with them -friendly people.
Bring lots of dollars -all imported goods are brought in in spite of the US embargo, so they have to import goods from more remote countries, bringing the cost up. You can safely use local "pesos convertiblos" -you don't want regular pesos. Withdraw pesos convertiblos in the bank in the largest hotel in downtown Havana -in the ATM (convertiblos) or over the counter (US dollars) -you'll need to bring your passport to the bank.
There's taxis (both official and pirate) all over. From the most recent models to classic cars and even three-wheel scooter taxis (coco-taxi). I guess you should haggle, but I never bothered -I just asked for the price in advance -you should always do that, also in other countries.
Cigars -everyone wants to sell you some. Either buy in a government approved shop or privately. The cigars you buy privately are much cheaper, but you risk getting fake brand cigars (never mind -your uncle probably won't taste the difference). It's probably illegal to buy them outside the stores, but everyone does.
I heard only bad stuff about the Cuban Cuisine, and was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. Try the local 4-table cafes -they're privately run and you can get anything except beef (cow/bull) there. And all the money you pay goes to the people you see there and not to part officials.
Have a drink -the local beer -Cristal is supposed to be excellent (I don't drink beer). The popular longdrink is Mojito -it's great. Also Cuba libre with brown Havana Club rum is good. The local cola is good fresh and even after a few hours(!)
If you buy cigars, go to the local crafts market (ask the taxi to go to "La feria") and buy a humidor for them. You'll probably find lots of other crafts you want, too. Haggle!
Cuba is not a democracy, but I have the unpopular opinion that democracy on the western model isn't the only alternative for all nations. It's my understanding that current rule is better that the regime before the revolution. Don't get me wrong -Cuba does violate human rights (but so did the regime before communism)!
I do not approve of the US embargo expanding to other countries; US can refuse to trade with whoever they want to, but I protest that they make other nations enforce their embargo. I believe that the embargo actually strengthen "la revolutcion" by giving the people of Cuba the impression "it's us against everyone else" (remember Albania, anyone?). And the US let ethnic Cubans go to Cuba once in a while, and they bring huge amounts of money and goods -all feeding Castro's system. The ironic thing is that the exile Cubans are subdued by a few extreme-right exile-Cubans that refuse the US and all other exile Cubans to even negotiate with Castro.
The US blew it before the revolution -Castro wasn't a member of the communist party until after the revolution -They didn't support him, but the dictator Batista, so Castro had to go to the Russians for support. If the US had stopped supporting Batista, maybe Cuba would be a better community today?
When Castro dies, I don't know what's going to happen, they'll probably be flooded with American cruise-ship tourists, they won't starve, but Cuba won't stay Cuba. It's going to be land of pizza-hut's, foot-locker, the Gap and so on. It's going to be just another cruise destination Island. So go now!
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to Cuba: AmazonLink
Some speak English and the rest understand Serbian, since the language is pretty close. I guess if you spoke a little Russian, that help too.
I went there to party, and I wasn't disappointed -I recommend the Irish bar at the Raddisson SAS hotel. If you like grappa, ask for the local "rakhie" in any bar, and the bartender is at once your friend. Rakhie is very similar to grappa, and it's clean booze, so you won't feel as bad in the mourning. The locals drink it together with a glass of water -a nip of rakhie, a nip of water and so on.
You can go skiing and probably a lot of other activities -I wouldn't know.
It's not to safe -avoid dark alleys, under-passages and similar places. You can't see it, but many locals are armed for their own protection. The hotel will probably give you safety-advice.
You'll probably get great service, one bartender actually left the bar and went out of the hotel and down the street to a shop a pack of cigarettes for me. Tip people like this generously!
They've got shops, malls, restaurants, the lot. I bought five cameras from Camera Classics.
The local currency was Leva, and the rate was 2 leva per 1 German Mark, so I guess, it should be around 4 leva to one Euro just after the conversion. Be careful changing money -I know many people that was cheated.
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to Bulgaria: AmazonLink
Beautiful people, nice climate, good food, good coffee, cool nightlife, good drinks served everywhere you go -you can get a glass of whisky while getting your hair done!
Lovely, pretty safe and beautiful! A modern country with ancient history.
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to Greece: AmazonLink
Hungary with it's ancient history is a great place to visit! See the architecture, experience the culture and drink the excellent wine!
In Budapest, I always stayed at Hotel Flamenco and partied at Park Cafe, Irish Cat, Fat Mo’s Music Club and other places -it's a gas!
Budapest's finest restaurant is of course the world famous Gundel Restaurant -men need to wear a suit -bring your own or borrow one from the Restaurant. It's not cheap, but it's worth it.
Most taxi's want to scam you, so agree on a price before you leave. One taxi-company is owned by the city council -they all use the meter, so they're all OK. All taxi's want to bring you to brothels or nudie-bars -do so at your own risk.
The language is perhaps one of the hardest languages one can learn -It's closest relative is in fact Finnish!
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to Budapest: AmazonLink
Well, they've been reunited since over ten years ago now, and I was there at the ten years reunion celebration at Brandeburger Tor.
Berlin is now the party capital of Europe, and the obvious highlight is of course the annual Love Parade -non stop music and partying.
In my experience, you're lost without knowledge of basic phrases in German, but if you start a conversation with these few phases, they're more likely to help you out with a little English.
Good eating -both traditional German and all kind of ethnic food from it's immigrants.
It's getting more safe -the "TERRORISTEN" posters are more far apart than a few years ago, but they arrest some alleged AlQuida-members once in a while. Neo-nazis are also supposed to be a problem. Kind of ironic, since Germany has one of the worlds highest rates of conversions to Judaism these days!
I went to Am Zoo to see where Cristiane F spent her youth as a junkie/prostitute and described in her book and was portrayed in the movie about her life -It's not a story with a happy ending.
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to Germany: AmazonLink
Excellent for both partying and families -we Norwegians love going there -the marketing jingle is "It's lovely to be Norwegian -In Denmark!".
It's liberal and laid-back compared to a lot of countries, and that's why we love it.
If you bring the kids, there's fun-parks and camp-sites all over the country. Bring your tent, book into a hotel or rent a Dane's home for the summer.
If you want to party in summer-time, then go to Kristiania in Copenhagen and sit drinking beer with friends and watch the marijuana plants grow around you! It's pretty surreal.. Don't have any fears about being "branded" for going there -It's one of Copenhagen's largest tourist attractions, so it's pretty mainstream.
The only "bad" things about Denmark I could think of: Cigarettes are just as expensive as in Norway, and RedBull is illegal just as in Norway. They don't have the Euro currency in spite of EU membership.
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to Denmark: AmazonLink
The underground system is great -always carry the
underground map, and you'll never be lost. Buy day or weekend passes
to the zones you need. Keep the ticket ready also when you exit the
station.
The UK don't have the Euro -you'll have to change into British ponds (£). Some of the really old small coins are still in circulation, so sometimes when you've got an old coin, you have to compare it's size with a more recent one to find it's value today. Tipping with copper coins is considered bad manners.
Pickpockets are supposed to be around, but none I know has been robbed. Some places, like portobello road the police recommend that you keep backpacks backwards, so you're harder to steal from.
Scams are happening all over London -all the classics, so when someone invites you to see a beautiful woman, cheap hi-fi and cameras auction or anything else that you need to enter a building or an alley to see -don't talk -walk away!
My last time in London (I don't want to sound boasting, so I'll state now that I've only been in the UK thrice), I stayed at Jolly Hotel StErmin -I do not recommend this hotel. The locales and the local staff was fine, but it is under foreign management, and all these foreigners that worked there messed up the fine British system. This is not a racist opinion, as the foreigners in question looks more like me than many of the British employees I'm boasting about here.
This is the only hotel in the world where I have had to waste up to half an hour standing in line for breakfast, and had to pay extra for bacon and eggs (I missed this info, so I guess I stole food for three days).
A GREAT RESTAURANT
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the only English style pub I had the pleasure of eating in was "Feathers" directions, but this was superb. This is where I'm going my next time -excellent food, drink and service! The food isn't fast-food, so order starters.
There's only one Dutch pub in London, and that's in Soho -my company stumbled in pretty late, but received great service -the staff had good knowledge of beer, and was very friendly.
Here's Lonely Planet's guide to England: AmazonLink
I've been three times in this nice Northern British city: I love the shopping both in Eldon Square down town or in the Metro Centre in Gateshead county. The restaurants are great and everyone I visited had several veggie meals on the menu and they all served great cider like Magners or Strongbow.
Unfortunately, the ferry ride to Newcastle has been discontinued, so I guess I have to go by plane next time -or I guess I can combine my trip there with a visit to Holland -they still have an operational ferry route to and from Newcastle.
Gordies are great people: I've worked with them both in the army and as a civilian and love visiting them.
You can see Roman era structures still in the middle of town and even visit Hadrian's wall while you're there. The "Angel of the North " is a taxi-ride away and is supposedly worth a visit. Newcastle has a lot of galleries and art/cultural institutions.
I'm very please to see the police presence in Newcastle -at home, people can get away with murder (well almost murder) and the police don't seem to bother even if you call them about gangs selling fake jewelry and harassing beggars. In Newcastle, the law is the law, it seems.
Most information may be outdated by now: Well it would be nice for me, but I don't think it's ready for mass tourism just yet, but hey -I don't mind if you go.
Kosovo has some beautiful parts and beautiful, hospitable, friendly people that for the most part hasn't done anything to deserve all the hardship they've been put through.
It's highlights are nature and cozy small farms like farms used to be in the rest of Europe. The downside is massive pollution from the two power-plants, industry and farming. Oh -did I mention land-mines and UXO's?
Both Albanians, Serbs and Romani's (gypsies) live
there. Serbs are orthodox Christians and the Albanians are mainly
Muslims. I've met many lovely people (and very few assholes) among
all these ethnic groups.
Kosovo was formally a part of Serbia,
but placed under UN/NATO control -it has now declared independence.
The money I used when I was there was German marks, but I suspect
they use Euro or US dollars now. The Serbs use Serbian money, and
aren't able to trade with the Albanians that doesn't accept that
currency.
Cell phones work in Pristina and Kosovo Polje
-there's GSM operators represented from Yugoslavia, Monaco and Greece
-CHOOSE WISELY -there are huge differences in price.
You can buy Serbian pre-paid GSM sim-cards and
refill-cards from street-vendors. They work just fine, and is pretty
cheap in use, but SMS across borders doesn't work.
Shopping is
best in Pristina, where there's a mall. Outside Pristina -on the road
towards Kosovo Polje has a large mall called Maxi -It's owned by some
greedy Norwegians that I personally dislike. Cheap CD's (both audio
and computer software) are for sale all over from street-vendors.
Bringing these pirated CD's home may be illegal where you live! If
your car was stolen anywhere in Europe, you may find it in Kosovo but
don't count on being able to reclaim it!
Kosovo - Bradt Travel Guide: AmazonLink
The
book "Kosovo -A short history": AmazonLink
All rights reserved. Copyright Einar Kramer.
