10 minutes ago I was alone in the DB longue.
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Sports teams really should shower and change between the match and boarding a train
I couldn't choose the quiet coach. The woman sitting diagonally in front of me hasn't stopped talking on the phone since we left Oslo, over 3 hours ago. First she talked to "pappa", then to "mamma", guess it's distant relatives now. She's drinking this: https://www.vinmonopolet.no/Land/Italia/Wine-Cup-Merlot/p/2288804
4 more hours of this
Yes I am listening to something, yes I do have the noise cancellation at the maximum. -
I couldn't choose the quiet coach. The woman sitting diagonally in front of me hasn't stopped talking on the phone since we left Oslo, over 3 hours ago. First she talked to "pappa", then to "mamma", guess it's distant relatives now. She's drinking this: https://www.vinmonopolet.no/Land/Italia/Wine-Cup-Merlot/p/2288804
4 more hours of this
Yes I am listening to something, yes I do have the noise cancellation at the maximum. I try to stay close to the railway stations because I'm carrying 25 kg, but this is ridiculous, I am basically staying on Platform 1.
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The guy diagonally in front of me has been in a video call with a female presenting person for 30ish minutes. Should I peek between the seats and ask her to tell him to put his shoes back on because his feet smell terribly?
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The Sun does set, but "Today it does not get darker than Civil Twilight." which means you can still read newspapers outside with no additional light (the definition we learned when people still read on paper). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/norway/bodo
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The Sun does set, but "Today it does not get darker than Civil Twilight." which means you can still read newspapers outside with no additional light (the definition we learned when people still read on paper). https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/norway/bodo
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I'm at the Norwegian Aviation Museum and a guide is dusting the missiles with a Swiffer. They allowed me to take a photo of them but I will not publish it here.
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It is almost midnight (I know I know DST shifts it and Bodø is almost in the centre of the time zone, so local midnight is around 1AM). It's a white night but luckily it seems like it won't be a tropical white night, the temperature should drop under 20°C for a few hours.
Bodø Stormen (The Storm) 🥰 I have a thing for libraries
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It is almost midnight (I know I know DST shifts it and Bodø is almost in the centre of the time zone, so local midnight is around 1AM). It's a white night but luckily it seems like it won't be a tropical white night, the temperature should drop under 20°C for a few hours.
Bodø Stormen (The Storm) 🥰 I have a thing for libraries
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Vegan food options are not great in Norway in general, not even in bigger cities (oh how I regret not having that all-you-can-eat buffet for 199NOK in Trondheim), and even lacto-vegetarians I shared the kitchen with complained about a lack of options in Oslo compared to other European cities.
I am in a rather small town now, just over 14 000 residents, and comparing it with similar sized towns in Germany, it is pretty much the same for vegans, but, I expected more from very touristy places, this is where the trains from Sweden end and the gateway to Lofoten.
That being said, usually there is a place that offers a vegan burger and fries, but I have had 4 vegan burgers since I arrived to the Arctic, and I had to throw one away, I just couldn't force myself to eat burgers anymore.
I had some supermarket salads with chickpeas and avocado added. Yesterday during the bus ride I ate a block of smoked tofu, with no sides.
When it comes to supermarkets, the better ones usually have 1 kind of vegan cheese, some vegan mince, and perhaps some vegan salami. Not every supermarket has soya milk, but usually at least there is some Oatly, and some Alpro yoghurts. There's even Oatly Turkish yoghurt.
Meny is the best supermarket for vegans, but not available here.
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Vegan food options are not great in Norway in general, not even in bigger cities (oh how I regret not having that all-you-can-eat buffet for 199NOK in Trondheim), and even lacto-vegetarians I shared the kitchen with complained about a lack of options in Oslo compared to other European cities.
I am in a rather small town now, just over 14 000 residents, and comparing it with similar sized towns in Germany, it is pretty much the same for vegans, but, I expected more from very touristy places, this is where the trains from Sweden end and the gateway to Lofoten.
That being said, usually there is a place that offers a vegan burger and fries, but I have had 4 vegan burgers since I arrived to the Arctic, and I had to throw one away, I just couldn't force myself to eat burgers anymore.
I had some supermarket salads with chickpeas and avocado added. Yesterday during the bus ride I ate a block of smoked tofu, with no sides.
When it comes to supermarkets, the better ones usually have 1 kind of vegan cheese, some vegan mince, and perhaps some vegan salami. Not every supermarket has soya milk, but usually at least there is some Oatly, and some Alpro yoghurts. There's even Oatly Turkish yoghurt.
Meny is the best supermarket for vegans, but not available here.
So, today I cooked a black bean and vegan mince stew, I ate it with Norwegian potato pancakes, and I have enough for tomorrow as well (won't have the kitchen anymore, but there should be a fridge).
Offering only vegan burger (or vegan pizza) is just lazy. They stock up on frozen Beyond burgers so that they can say they offer vegan food. But who can eat burgers every day? Is it so difficult to make a vegan stew? I am sure not only vegans would eat it. They could batch cook in the morning and keep it warm in insulated pots, like Backstube (a Norwegian bakery chain pretending to be German) keeps their carrot soup (now I regret not having that when I had a chance).
Make 3 kinds of vegan soup (leek & potato, minestrone, cream of broccoli), 3 kinds of vegan stew (bean stew, curry, goulash, paprikash) a day, and sell them to tourists about to board trains (trickier to eat on the bus), offer a discount if they use their own containers.
Maybe I should move to the Arctic Norway and open a vegan soup and stew restaurant
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So, today I cooked a black bean and vegan mince stew, I ate it with Norwegian potato pancakes, and I have enough for tomorrow as well (won't have the kitchen anymore, but there should be a fridge).
Offering only vegan burger (or vegan pizza) is just lazy. They stock up on frozen Beyond burgers so that they can say they offer vegan food. But who can eat burgers every day? Is it so difficult to make a vegan stew? I am sure not only vegans would eat it. They could batch cook in the morning and keep it warm in insulated pots, like Backstube (a Norwegian bakery chain pretending to be German) keeps their carrot soup (now I regret not having that when I had a chance).
Make 3 kinds of vegan soup (leek & potato, minestrone, cream of broccoli), 3 kinds of vegan stew (bean stew, curry, goulash, paprikash) a day, and sell them to tourists about to board trains (trickier to eat on the bus), offer a discount if they use their own containers.
Maybe I should move to the Arctic Norway and open a vegan soup and stew restaurant
Finally I have some use of my jacket and long sleeved shirts I've been carrying in my backpack for 13 days.
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Is it being German or is it being a cruise ship passenger that makes one feel entitled? Or both?
I've never been on a cruise, I do not see the appeal, spending too much time on the ship, and too little in each port of call, having everything organised and just following the guides. I do travel by ships sometimes, but combine them with trains and stay longer in towns and explore them on my own.
So, the Narvik mountain (Narvikfjellet) is a huge construction site and closed for visitors, except on certain days when the cruise ships arrive. Like today. Still, there are fences and the visitors are asked not to cross them for their own safety.
So, I bought the cable car ticket for today for 30 eur. I waited until the evening hoping for fewer crowds. Besides one guy with a huge backpack and me, everyone seemed to be German speaking and from the cruise ship. Some of those people did behave.
At the lower station a guide tried to give me a cable car ticket thinking I was from her ship. Could have saved 30 eur.
But once we reached the top, they started crossing the fences, smoking at the restaurant terrace/picnic tables, and one girl did some gymnastics while her guide photographed her, she was barefoot, and she did it on one of the tables.
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Is it being German or is it being a cruise ship passenger that makes one feel entitled? Or both?
I've never been on a cruise, I do not see the appeal, spending too much time on the ship, and too little in each port of call, having everything organised and just following the guides. I do travel by ships sometimes, but combine them with trains and stay longer in towns and explore them on my own.
So, the Narvik mountain (Narvikfjellet) is a huge construction site and closed for visitors, except on certain days when the cruise ships arrive. Like today. Still, there are fences and the visitors are asked not to cross them for their own safety.
So, I bought the cable car ticket for today for 30 eur. I waited until the evening hoping for fewer crowds. Besides one guy with a huge backpack and me, everyone seemed to be German speaking and from the cruise ship. Some of those people did behave.
At the lower station a guide tried to give me a cable car ticket thinking I was from her ship. Could have saved 30 eur.
But once we reached the top, they started crossing the fences, smoking at the restaurant terrace/picnic tables, and one girl did some gymnastics while her guide photographed her, she was barefoot, and she did it on one of the tables.
Whenever I encountered misbehaving children in Scandinavia, they were without exception speaking German, ever since I first visited Scandinavia 15 years ago. There are Norwegian speaking teenagers misbehaving here, but whenever a hotel breakfast (which I do not normally eat, but Scandic has vegan food) is ruined by an unruly child running around tables, screaming and touching unrelated guests, once the parents of that child have had enough of their "childfree" time (because everyone else had to watch their child instead), they speak to that child in German.
Also, I often complain about quiet coaches of Deutsche Bahn not being quiet, it is always German speakers talking, drinking alcohol with their buddies (which alone would be fine, but it exacerbates unwanted behaviours), laughing, yelling.
They bring their children into the quiet coach, and let them scream or just talk all the way from Mannheim to Hamburg, 5 hours and 9 minutes. If I remind them that it's a quiet coach, they say that there is no room elsewhere. They wanted to save on the seat reservation costs, so they have decided to ruin the ride to everyone who paid 5.90 eur to sit in the quiet coach.
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Whenever I encountered misbehaving children in Scandinavia, they were without exception speaking German, ever since I first visited Scandinavia 15 years ago. There are Norwegian speaking teenagers misbehaving here, but whenever a hotel breakfast (which I do not normally eat, but Scandic has vegan food) is ruined by an unruly child running around tables, screaming and touching unrelated guests, once the parents of that child have had enough of their "childfree" time (because everyone else had to watch their child instead), they speak to that child in German.
Also, I often complain about quiet coaches of Deutsche Bahn not being quiet, it is always German speakers talking, drinking alcohol with their buddies (which alone would be fine, but it exacerbates unwanted behaviours), laughing, yelling.
They bring their children into the quiet coach, and let them scream or just talk all the way from Mannheim to Hamburg, 5 hours and 9 minutes. If I remind them that it's a quiet coach, they say that there is no room elsewhere. They wanted to save on the seat reservation costs, so they have decided to ruin the ride to everyone who paid 5.90 eur to sit in the quiet coach.
So, is it cultural? If your parents bring you to the quiet coach and let you scream, if they let you scream and bother other guests in restaurants, if they themselves smoke next to people trying to eat in peace (regardless of if it is outdoors), if they let you dance barefoot on the tables which are used for eating, are you going to grow up to be an entitled prick as well?
I have many German mutuals here, so please enlighten me.
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So, is it cultural? If your parents bring you to the quiet coach and let you scream, if they let you scream and bother other guests in restaurants, if they themselves smoke next to people trying to eat in peace (regardless of if it is outdoors), if they let you dance barefoot on the tables which are used for eating, are you going to grow up to be an entitled prick as well?
I have many German mutuals here, so please enlighten me.
Oh well, looks like Norwegian fathers who only have their children on weekends are no better: "Avoid Sundays, as weekend daddies let their little monsters run screaming through the exhibits." https://wikitravel.org/en/Troms%C3%B8
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Oh well, looks like Norwegian fathers who only have their children on weekends are no better: "Avoid Sundays, as weekend daddies let their little monsters run screaming through the exhibits." https://wikitravel.org/en/Troms%C3%B8
My bus is cancelled because of the Arctic race (can't you people race somewhere where you won't disturb the public transport, seriously?) I had to check out at 11 and I have to wait until almost 16. So I am in the Narvik library
I love how libraries in Scandinavia truly serve the community. In some cities I couldn't even enter the library as a non-resident (Brussels, Florence) but in Scandinavia I can plug in my computer, use the Wi-Fi, bet they'd let me even borrow books if I told them I'd be staying in the city for a few days.
Libraries in larger cities are also makerspaces, they have sewing machines, 3D printers, in Oslo library one can extrude plastic waste into new products, digitise VHS tapes, etc... They have musical instruments so children whose parents can't afford to buy one can still learn to play.
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My bus is cancelled because of the Arctic race (can't you people race somewhere where you won't disturb the public transport, seriously?) I had to check out at 11 and I have to wait until almost 16. So I am in the Narvik library
I love how libraries in Scandinavia truly serve the community. In some cities I couldn't even enter the library as a non-resident (Brussels, Florence) but in Scandinavia I can plug in my computer, use the Wi-Fi, bet they'd let me even borrow books if I told them I'd be staying in the city for a few days.
Libraries in larger cities are also makerspaces, they have sewing machines, 3D printers, in Oslo library one can extrude plastic waste into new products, digitise VHS tapes, etc... They have musical instruments so children whose parents can't afford to buy one can still learn to play.
I am in Tromsø until Monday and on Monday there are no more free seats on the Narvik - Kiruna train. I had kind of given up hope of visiting Andøya and/or Senja without a car (a local told me that unlike Lofoten it is not easy). What should I do?
