Norway

[agentsteel53]

gonna be posting 7 days of Norway photos ... here is a teaser!

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2010/01/06/norway-part-0/

[Chris]

Awesome stories!

[agentsteel53]

the first installment:

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2010/01/09/norway-0/

[Truvelo]

I always end up being near the wing which obstructs the view.

[Chris]

Landed safely in Stockholm. Here's a billboard that discusses the USA. Land of 14 million Swedish invaders! I'm not 100% sure what it says, as my Swedish is just barely to the east of nonexistent. Hey, look over there, an umlaut!

It says something about the USA having 14 million people of it's population of Swedish heritage.

Ursprung means heritage or background, invånare means population. Swedish (and Norwegian and Danish) is quite easy to read for a Dutchmen, even if you have never learned about it.

If you thought Swedish had a lot of umlauts, try Finnish or Hungarian 

[shoptb1]

the first installment:

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2010/01/09/norway-0/

BEAUTIFUL pictures!!

[agentsteel53]

If you thought Swedish had a lot of umlauts, try Finnish or Hungarian 

I was born in Hungary so I am very aware of that language 

Norway I is up

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2010/01/11/norway-i/

[agentsteel53]

zer oops, I had comments disabled (damn Wordpress!) - now they are enabled correctly.

[wytout]

I don't comment much on the albums, as I usually just do what I'm supposed to with them... LOOK at them, lol.  BUT I have to say that you take some absolutely killer pictures, Agentsteel! 

[Truvelo]

How did you take the northern light pictures? Tripod or just use high ISO?

[agentsteel53]

tripod.  the photos tend to be 10-60 second exposures

[agentsteel53]

Norway III is up!

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2010/01/14/norway-iii/

[Chris]

Awesome story. The distances in Scandinavia are huge, compared to Western Europe. In the Netherlands, a commute of over 30 miles is very far, and driving 60 miles is like "whoa, I might need to gas up for that". Not to me of course, but Kirkenes is 2,000 miles from my city... one way. I may want to drive all the way up there one day though. If I would drive the same distance south, I would end up somewhere in the Sahara desert. The center of Europe is actually somewhere in Lithuania.

Where did you spent the night? Please don't tell me you've slept in that Getz...

[agentsteel53]

I tried to minimize the sleep, but alas sometimes it had to happen.  I was on the ground for 136 hours and I slept for 11 of that!

[Scott5114]

It's a good thing I've already read all this, twice, or else I would be clamoring for Norway IV

[Truvelo]

Google Maps now has parts of Sweden in Street View. You may be able to retrace some of your route

[agentsteel53]

another day of Norway is up!

https://www.aaroads.com/blog/2010/01/22/norway-iv/

[Chris]

You turn your engine off downhill? I would never do that, no power braking, no power steering. If you really want to turn it off, you might as well have put it in neutral. I usually let it in 3rd gear, and just blow downhill at 70 km/h. Engine braking. Costs no fuel, it reached 65 mpg with it as well.

[Truvelo]

Isn't it more economical to leave the car in gear going downhill than putting it in neutral?

I like that Russian border area sign. Personnel is spelt wrong, Russia should have a capital R. Then there's the thing about 200mm lenses so I wonder if I pointed my 70-200 lens handheld towards the border would cause a stir?

[agentsteel53]

You turn your engine off downhill? I would never do that, no power braking, no power steering. If you really want to turn it off, you might as well have put it in neutral. I usually let it in 3rd gear, and just blow downhill at 70 km/h. Engine braking. Costs no fuel, it reached 65 mpg with it as well.

yeah, 99% of the time I just threw the car in neutral - that one time, though, I had to totally toss it.  Idling while going downhill gets you maybe 300-500 mpg or something.

[shoptb1]

I notice that you refer to Russia as Soviet Russia several times in your blog.  Is it still considered as such?  I guess I was under the impression that the word Soviet referred to the former Soviet Union, which has since been dissolved.  Very cool either way....just wondering

[mightyace]

^^^
Ditto on that question.

I'm also curious about the doors on the tunnel.  Why are they there?  To keep snow out?  How do the open/close?  Motion sensors, timers?

But, still nice photos.

[Dougtone]

I notice that you refer to Russia as Soviet Russia several times in your blog.  Is it still considered as such?  I guess I was under the impression that the word Soviet referred to the former Soviet Union, which has since been dissolved.  Very cool either way....just wondering

Maybe he's a fan of Yakov Smirnoff?

[Chris]

The word "Soviet" came into disuse 19 years ago. Now it's the "Russian federation".

[agentsteel53]

I'm quite aware that there has not been a Soviet Union since approximately August, 1991... I just labeled it that way on the map as a subtle protest against their continuing "your papers, please" attitude!  Apparently it takes many months to get the correct paperwork done to enter, and even more if you successfully intend to leave.  

Meanwhile, to fly into Norway from the United States, you buy a plane ticket and make sure you have a passport and that is all you need - and to travel from Norway to Sweden, you point your car in the right direction and hit the gas for the requisite quantity of kilometers!  Both of those countries are sensible about international travel, but Russia seems to be caught in the pre-glasnost era, thus the label.