Now in rainy Norway

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Hi folks

Now sitting in an internet cafe at Oslo Station before Heather and I wing it north to Spitsbergen tomorrow. We met safely at Bangkok Airport and had a reasonable flight overnight via Copenhagen to Oslo. The next leg was not so good -- apparently like on Virgin you need to buy food or pack a picnic on SAS domestic. As we had no Danish kroner the answer was easy, but it would have been useful to know. Tomorrow we will be ordering picnic packs from our lovely SAS Radisson Hotel, just across the road from the terminal!

Haven't been to Oslo since 1971 and it comes across as a very pleasant little city -- less than half the size of Perth but probably a bit more charm. Interesting mix of old buildings and brand new, and pretty site on the harbour. H & I have wandered around for the afternoon and will head back to the airport shortly on the express train.

A few impressions: had forgotten how many Europeans still smoke constantly and if Norway looks expensive, I'd better stop converting to Oz dollars well before I reach Iceland and beyond. Even a coffee here is around the equivalent of seven dollars!

This will probably be the last message until Reykjavic as contact is possible on the ship but costs massively, and those remote settlements on the Greenland east coast are probably worse -- if they have heard of it.

Polar fleeces on tomorrow, so looking forward to the Arctic at last

Cheers

Georgie

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Comments

[alison]

Have made the giant step into Blogland and it didn't hurt a bit. Look forward to the Icelandic edition. Alison

[Georgiana]

Bravo Alison
A lot of the people I sent my first message to still haven´t worked out that you have to subscribe, so well done! Cheers Georgie