Rich Norway but icy pavements
Thought for the day…”Every failure is a step to success.”
“There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” (Franklin Roosevelt)
Today’s photo is of some rare winter sunshine in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. One thing that you will notice if you visit Oslo in winter is how bad the Norwegians are at coping with snow, even in the capital. For some reason, the arrival of snow in WINTER seems to surprise Norwegians, leading to travel chaos. It is also very surprising that the local council in Oslo seems to be so bad at treating the pavements. On some days, walking around is extremely dangerous due to ice on the streets, yet the Norwegians seem very bad at treating the pavements. Compared with cities such as Helsinki in Finland, Oslo is a long way behind. So why is it that the arrival of snow causes so many problems in a country that should be used to it? As most of the country lies above 60 degrees north (and some parts of it are over 70 degrees north) then snow and ice should not be a surprise to them, but it is. And with all the money that rich Norway has, then why are the pavements so dangerous because the local councils have not cleared or treated them?? It is another surprise in a country that many think of as modern and advanced. As an example of how much money Norway has, the Opera House seen in the photo below cost around 4.1 BILLION Norwegian kronor, or about USD 700 million. Just to the left of the Opera house, the large new building being built is a new library. Estimated cost of that is 1.8 BILLION Norwegian Kronor. So, with all this money, why are the pavements being neglected when it is icy ???
and another photo from the archives….the legs have it…
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Oslo, Norway – Not the modern, organized place that you think…..
Thought for the day..”It is better to rust out than wear out.”
“We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.” (Charlotte Wilton).
One of the great mysteries of life is why in Norway, the arrival of snow in winter causes such chaos. Norway lies mostly above 60 degrees north (parts of it are over 70 degrees north) so is Artic or sub-Artic, yet the arrival in WINTER of snow seems to cause such chaos. Do the Norwegians not expect snow in WINTER? Are they not used to snow arriving in WINTER? It appears not. As anyone who has been in Oslo recently will have experienced, the streets have been extremely difficult to negotiate. Pavements have alternated between sheet ice and deep snow, all of this in the CAPITAL of a country that is rich and that is supposed to be modern. It sure shatters a lot of images when you work in Norway, those images that many people have of a modern, well-organized society soon change when you see how it really is. And I just cannot but help wondering what the local council in Oslo is doing (or rather, not doing). The one plus side to the chaos caused by the snow and ice is that is has forced many of the begging gypsies off the streets. Again, the gypsy problem is something that the Norwegian government and police seem unable to deal with, same as with the heroin problem in Oslo. Whilst drug sellers operate openly in the city centre, nothing appears to be done about the problem. Oslo has been called the “heroin capital of Europe’, with the statistics showing the big problem with heroin addiction and deaths in the city, but the authorities do not seem to be doing enough. Have a look at some of the videos of the problem on YouTube. So if you have any ideas that Norway is a modern, clean and well-run society, then a short visit may change your views !!
One photo of the Norwegian capital, Oslo, taken before the snows arrived…..
and another photo from the archives Rafsundet near Svolvaer in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.
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Time to Delete…..
Thought for the day….”Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.”
“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.”
Autumn is a good time to get around to sorting the thousands of photos that are sitting on discs and hard drives. Those of us over about 30 years old will remember that at one time, you only got 36 pictures (37 if you were lucky) on a roll of film, and even on a long holiday, you did not come back with thousands of photos. But with digital cameras, it is far too easy to click away and end up with hundreds of photos. I am looking back at my earlier photos and putting them through a test. First question is “would I be proud to show this photo to somebody else? ” and the second question “is this photo special to me?” If the answer to both questions is NO then it is time to hit the delete button. Rather like pruning trees after the summer, it will result in a leaner, cleaner and better photo collection. Hit that delete button !
Classical buildings in the Frogner part of Oslo for the photo today, originally a colour photo that I have converted to Black & White.
and another photo, the lunchtime Wideroe Dash 8 Q300 aircraft arriving in Honningsvag, in North Norway. This is only about 30km from the North Cape, which is claimed to be the top of Europe at over 71 degrees north. That said, North Cape is actually on an island (Mageroya) so whether or not it is actually the northernmost point of Europe is debatable. 
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Think before you install……that app may not be so innocent
Thought for the day…”What happens is not as important as how you react to what happens.”
“If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.”
It is amazing that so many people install apps on their mobile phones without any regard for just how much information those apps may collect. I recently wanted to install an app to control the flashlight on my mobile phone, but refused to install it when I discovered that it wanted access to my camera, email contacts and microphone. Absolutely no need for a glorified light switch to need access to my emails or the microphone on my telephone. And a second flashlight program proved just as bad.
Now there is the news on the internet about Amazon, and their plans to open physical stores in the USA. Apparently, they are going to monitor shoppers mobile phones, and will block their internet access if they attempt to check prices at other stores or online. So not only will Amazon be able to see what you are interested in, they will also be able to stop you comparing prices, and presumably, will also be able to see other sites on the internet that you are interested in. No doubt many people will quickly install a new Amazon app, without thinking about the loss of privacy. 50 years ago, people would have demonstrated against the idea of carrying something that gave authorities the power to see where they were within a few metres, and also what they were reading/eating/shopping/listening to. Even installing a flashlight app may now mean that somebody is listening to your conversations. Privacy is important, yet many people are now readily giving it up.
A photo from Spitsbergen of the Artic poppy flower, braving the cold weather…
and another photo….early morning in Riverton, in the far south of New Zealand. At one time, this port received freight boats from Australia before the estuary silted up. Now the railway and the larger boats have long since gone, leaving just the small fishing boats and a few tourists who pass through Riverton whilst driving the Southern Scenic Route.
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Flying variety – old and new, north and south
Thought for the day….”Success – keeping your mind awake and your desire asleep.”
“Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.”
Two photos from the opposite sides of the Earth….the first is a Tiger Moth aircraft seen here in Pembroke, New Zealand. This type of aircraft was designed in the 1930s by the De Havilland company, who went on to make over 8800 of them. Many pilots learnt to fly in these, and they are still popular for teaching pilots their initial tail wheel training. Typically, it had a 120hp Gypsy Moth engine, which required hand starting as there was no electrical system in the aircraft. Top speed was 140 knots.
and another photo….the lunchtime Wideroe Dash 8 aircraft arriving at Honningsvag in Artic Norway. The aircraft carries 50 passengers, and is often used in Norway on the ‘milk run’ service in northern Norway, stopping at many of the isolated towns along the coast.
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Not a nuclear explosion, but sunset over the Baltic Sea
Thought for the day…”Well done is better than well said.” (Benjamin Franklin).
“To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.”
A wonderful story in the news at the moment from Washington, DC, about ‘Steve’, the security robot who fell down some steps into a water fountain. The high-tech robot was fitted with ultra-sonic sensors, infra-red sensors and HD video, yet still managed to fall down the steps and into the water below. His makers, Knightscope, have been providing updates on his ‘condition’ from ‘hospital’. The security robot is quoted as thanking his human helpers for saving him, and he is also quoted as saying that he did not see the ‘No Swimming’ sign before entering the water. Apparently the water has played havoc with his electronics (natually). His condition was reported as ‘critical’. So despite all the high technology, the ‘intelligent’ robot still managed to end up wet and useless. And this is supposed to be the future !!
Not a nuclear explosion, but sunset over the Baltic Sea near Sweden for the photo today…
and another photo…Lake Hawea on the South Island of New Zealand, another Fuji X-T20 photo..
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The Far North of Norway
Thought for the day…”Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be.”
“We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.”
Two more photos from the far north of Norway (70 degrees north). At this time of year, there is 24 hours of daylight, as the sun never goes below the horizon. Whilst the Norwegians may get excited about having 24 hours of daylight, it is not in fact very useful, because you still have to sleep. And the other side of the coin is that in winter it has 24 hours of darkness (the so-called ‘eternal night’) so it must be extremely depressing then. Seen here in the photo is one of the many cruise ships which visit at this time of year, this one the ‘Mein Schiff’ from TUI Cruises. Built in Finland at a cost of some 360 million euros, it carries around 2500 passengers, so is much smaller than the 6000+ passenger ships that cruise the Caribbean. Seen here in Honningsvag, Finnmark, Norway.
and another photo….Mehamn in the far north of Norway
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KFC goes into space
Thought for the day…” Do not watch the clock, do what it does…keep going”
“You can’t expect to hit the jackpot if you don’t put a few nickels in the machine.”
Saw an interesting story in the news recently about KFC, who are going to send one of their ‘Zinger Burger’ chicken sandwiches into space, through a company called World View. The project is partly being finance by KFC. So it will be interesting to see the effects of zero gravity and no oxygen on the burger. Of course, KFC will be posting the details on their webpages live. Not that KFC are first with their idea, previously a pie company has sent one of its meat pies into space to space to study the effects of space on it. Interesting, that ‘launch’ took place from outside a pub in northern England !!
Today’s photo comes from 70 degrees north, in Finnmark province at the top of Norway. The reindeer are easy to spot at this time of year, especially as they come near the towns lower down to feed on spring grass. The photo was taken hand-held using the Fuji X-T20 and Fuji 100-400mm lens.
and another photo….a cross country train starts it trip from Penzance, Cornwall, England
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Money well spent, or not ???
Thought for the day…” Hope but never expect, Look forward but never wait”
“Obstacles are those frightful things that you see when you take your mind off your goal” (Henry Ford)
The waterfront of the Norwegian capital, Oslo is changing fast. Currently it is a mass of cranes and building sites. A photo from yesterday taken in perfect weather and warm temperatures, showing just how much building is going on. The white building on the right is the Opera House, which was completed in 2007, supposedly based on an iceberg shape. The exterior is covered with Italian marble, Carrara marble. This is an odd choice to use, as the architects had perhaps not read about the problems that this same type of marble had when it was used for the Finlandia concert hall in Helsinki. Whilst Italian marble may be very suitable for use in the Mediterranean, it does not handle the extreme cold temperatures of Scandinavia well. Much of the marble used in Helsinki on the Finlandia Hall had to be replaced, so it is interesting to see it used in Oslo, which has a similar climate. Time will tell ! The cost of the Opera House in Oslo was over 4 BILLION Norwegian kronor, or over USD 700 million. Would this money have been better spent on a new medical centre??
and another photo showing the whole building….
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Norway duo – the Fuji X-T10 camera at work
Thought for the day….”If we were meant to stay in one place then we would have roots instead of feet’
“Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die’ (Buddha)
The photo today comes from Svolvaer, the ‘capital’ of the Lofoten Islands in Norway. About 4500 people live in this town which was built on cod fishing. Nowadays, summer tourism is very important with about 200 000 tourists visiting each year. It is served by ferries from Bodo on the mainland and also by a regional airport. Day trips operate from here to the nearby Trollfjord and also Rafsundet. Being Norway, everything is VERY VERY expensive, making a holiday here a costly trip. When a Norwegian is asked to name something that is cheap in Norway, they usually struggle to think of ANYTHING that is cheap. The words ‘cheap’ and ‘Norway’ do not go together.
and another photo…..the very small village of Urke in the Norwegian fjords. Both of the photos today were taken as jpegs using the Fuji X-T10 camera.
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