However, it was also just about as fantastic as I hoped it would be too. A general overview of the weeklong trip that our class took as a sort of field trip: We visited Roros, Trondheim, and Kristiansund to try to learn more about Norwegian society and culture. What ended up happening included a lot of hiking and sightseeing, but also a lot of meetings with local politicians and oil infrastructure executives. Once again, I'll reference Kelley's Picasa website because her photos serve as a far more specific document than I have space to make right here. I also am going to steal a couple of her pictures in this entry. But I do want to talk about the things that I found really cool, so I will do that right now. Roros was notable for its age; the city was founded in the early 1600s and large parts of it remain unchanged because it's a UNESCO world heritage site now. This not only means that the buildings are protected by law, but also that people who buy property there have to live on that property year-round and they can't change the exterior or interior design of their house. So basically you can't paint your house and you can't tear down walls between your kitchen and your living room if you live in Roros. That was kind of interesting, but not as interesting as the random desert in the middle of the city. Don't know how to explain this, because all the interpretive signs were in Norwegian, but it was definitely a desert. Just a really, really small one. Here's a picture:
I don't really even know what to say about that; it was just kind of weird. Good view from the top, though. It wasn't hot at this desert, but this would be the only time for the rest of the trip that I wouldn't at least be uncomfortably warm. The train that night took us to Trondheim, which is more or less the last big city as you go north in Norway. From a political standpoint, it's interesting for its leftist policies, even by Norway's standards. We talked with a member of the Labour Party our first morning who talked to us surprisingly directly about rifts within the Labour Party, about the success and failure of certain policies, and about the way politics works in Norway. This was interesting enough to me that I actually stayed awake for the whole hour he talked (even on 5 hours of sleep). I guess I've never heard a politician really speak honestly and/or give such an insider's account. Trondheim also happens to be a big city, and we walked around it a lot. And by a lot, I mean like a lot. It seems like that's all we did for the 2 days we were there. Luckily, this allowed for a pretty comprehensive look at the city, including the largest unversity and the 2nd-largest cathedral in Norway. But (and I don't mean this to be a slight against Trondheim because it was a really neat city) the best part of Trondheim was leaving. The only reason for this is because the boat ride from Trondheim to Kristiansund was absolutely awesome. It's one of those situations where transportation really should be billed as a tourist attraction, and though I understand that there's fjord boat tours in places like Bergen, the ride through the fjord and out into the North Sea on this commuter vessel would be pretty tough to top on any sightseeing boat. The walls of the fjord were sometimes populated by small villages, sometimes by sheep, sometimes by strawberry fields, and sometimes just by trees, but the view was consistently beautiful. To think that this is the trip that oil tankers and commuters make (who apparently live in Trondheim and work in Kristiansund) seemed to me to a be a point of envy. But it would be too tough to get work in Norway, even though they need plenty of oil employees. All because I'm not an EU citizen and I don't speak Norwegian. What a shame. Because I would definitely live and work in Kristiansund if they would have me. The town is an interesting mixture of industry and scenery. For a person who tends to equate oil drilling and all that with deserts and wastelands, (e.g. large parts of Nevada) it was somewhat eye-opening. Also interesting was what we learned about the relationship between government and oil over the course of our stay in Kristiansund. The government in Norway would be considered extremely liberal on the American political spectrum, and in the current American political debate liberal=no offshore drilling. But let's just say that the Norwegian government is pro-offshore drilling in a big way. It's the reason that they're one of the richest countries in the world (they tax oil companies 80% of the revenue and that's not a typo) and the citizens of Norway have what seems to be a relatively trustful and positive relationship with the oil companies. This all seems really foreign from my point of view, but that's probably because it is. But my experience of Kristiansund was more about enjoying hikes and walks through the surrounding area, which can't really be described without pictures. So as I (finally) wrap this entry up, I'll just say that Northern Norway is an outdoor socialist's paradise, but it's a bit hotter than you'd expect it to be in September. Especially that bus ride home. Man, that was miserable. Here's a final picture of Kristiansund- Beaches by evening light make good pictures I think:
I don't really even know what to say about that; it was just kind of weird. Good view from the top, though. It wasn't hot at this desert, but this would be the only time for the rest of the trip that I wouldn't at least be uncomfortably warm. The train that night took us to Trondheim, which is more or less the last big city as you go north in Norway. From a political standpoint, it's interesting for its leftist policies, even by Norway's standards. We talked with a member of the Labour Party our first morning who talked to us surprisingly directly about rifts within the Labour Party, about the success and failure of certain policies, and about the way politics works in Norway. This was interesting enough to me that I actually stayed awake for the whole hour he talked (even on 5 hours of sleep). I guess I've never heard a politician really speak honestly and/or give such an insider's account. Trondheim also happens to be a big city, and we walked around it a lot. And by a lot, I mean like a lot. It seems like that's all we did for the 2 days we were there. Luckily, this allowed for a pretty comprehensive look at the city, including the largest unversity and the 2nd-largest cathedral in Norway. But (and I don't mean this to be a slight against Trondheim because it was a really neat city) the best part of Trondheim was leaving. The only reason for this is because the boat ride from Trondheim to Kristiansund was absolutely awesome. It's one of those situations where transportation really should be billed as a tourist attraction, and though I understand that there's fjord boat tours in places like Bergen, the ride through the fjord and out into the North Sea on this commuter vessel would be pretty tough to top on any sightseeing boat. The walls of the fjord were sometimes populated by small villages, sometimes by sheep, sometimes by strawberry fields, and sometimes just by trees, but the view was consistently beautiful. To think that this is the trip that oil tankers and commuters make (who apparently live in Trondheim and work in Kristiansund) seemed to me to a be a point of envy. But it would be too tough to get work in Norway, even though they need plenty of oil employees. All because I'm not an EU citizen and I don't speak Norwegian. What a shame. Because I would definitely live and work in Kristiansund if they would have me. The town is an interesting mixture of industry and scenery. For a person who tends to equate oil drilling and all that with deserts and wastelands, (e.g. large parts of Nevada) it was somewhat eye-opening. Also interesting was what we learned about the relationship between government and oil over the course of our stay in Kristiansund. The government in Norway would be considered extremely liberal on the American political spectrum, and in the current American political debate liberal=no offshore drilling. But let's just say that the Norwegian government is pro-offshore drilling in a big way. It's the reason that they're one of the richest countries in the world (they tax oil companies 80% of the revenue and that's not a typo) and the citizens of Norway have what seems to be a relatively trustful and positive relationship with the oil companies. This all seems really foreign from my point of view, but that's probably because it is. But my experience of Kristiansund was more about enjoying hikes and walks through the surrounding area, which can't really be described without pictures. So as I (finally) wrap this entry up, I'll just say that Northern Norway is an outdoor socialist's paradise, but it's a bit hotter than you'd expect it to be in September. Especially that bus ride home. Man, that was miserable. Here's a final picture of Kristiansund- Beaches by evening light make good pictures I think:
2 comments:
I can't help myself...just to be technically accurate (since the rest was so awesome), there really isn't much oil and gas drilling in Nevada. Now if you want to talk oil and gas and wastelands, look no further than our current president's home state.
Way fun. Great job.
Hey Glenn, this is Adam.
I'm glad to hear that you are having a good time i Norge. And as far as the relationship between the citizens of Norway and the Oil Companies, it is an interesting relationship. In countries or states, such as Norway or Alaska, if the government has done their job when making the oil contract, the relationship is mutually beneficial. In Alaska, we don't mind the oil companies as much because along with helping the economy with their product, they reintroduce a lot of the money back into the state of Alaska, through different programs and such. What they give might not even be a fraction of what they make, but it is a lot of money, and it is used well. It is one of those things that you have to live with to truly understand it.
Ha det bra,
Adam
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