As I collect my suitcase and head through the city of oslo airport and out to where I see my name being held high on a flash card by an overly excited driver, I gather all my thought’s together and wonder what kind of trip this one will turn out as.
I have been to norway numerous time’s with work and every year was different, the first time I travelled here in 2002 I literally got in the hotel, showered and went straight out into town.
Skien….. Where dream’s are made, that first taxi ride must have been marty mcfly picking me up in his delorian because in that short distance we must have gone back in time, nothing that I was not expecting at the time but still, lot’s of fairisle oversized knitwear, blonde floppy hair, copper & brass wall art and pot’s and quite strong beer, it will do.
My first year saw me get into a lot of mischief and the local meeting point of a small piano bar had a lot to answer for, with women in tennis skirt’s and knitwear draped over shoulder’s falling for cheeseball line’s it was like a step back in time….happy day’s I thought and cleaned up for the 2 week’s I was there, I was like a british wrecking ball leaving a trail of carnage behind me, on the top floor of our hotel was a jacuzzi and sauna, ace… so out of the piano bar and into there for a roof top party, we ended up forgetting to turn everything off and at 7am some fire engines came as the alarm’s were going off and the hotel was emptied onto the carpark, there I was stood in my boxer’s, bottle in hand pleading innocence, I would like to think that single handedly in those two week’s I changed the state of play in this little old fashioned norwegian town (obviously it’s just natural growth but I like to think the progression has a little bit of me in it).
So I turned out here every year following up until 2006, sometime’s twice a year, nothing changed, similar people, same lifestyle, same music, same outlook, dated……Until now.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not generalising Norway, not at all, like anywhere in the world everywhere has it’s different place’s and I’m positive if some norwegian’s were travelling in the u.k and were found trekking around norwich they would probably be writing something similar on their scandinavian blog, I’m talking about skien and it’s neighbouring town’s.
From previous trip’s here I have gone walking at around 4pm in the afternoon and everything was shut, bar’s pub’s bank’s café’s shut, just a burger joint and 3 odd restaurant’s, because it cost’s so much to do thing’s here nobody go’s out until 10/11pm so nobody open’s up, a glass of beer is between £5-7, and that can be a 0.4l glass depending on what bar your in so less than half a pint for £6.… rude in my book, and £9/10 for a tequila or gin & orange or whiskey etc, the local independent burger shop charge’s 169 krone for burger chip’s & salad which equal’s out to £16, so you can imagine the restaurant price’s, it’s a rich country imo and they charge you for the luxury’s, the company I work for have a house now on the riverside so instead of a hotel this year I have a house to myself, it’s nice enough even if it did feel like it had been designed and decorated by norman bate’s motel company, lounge had a single vintage chair with matching footstool propped in front of a t.v, a light in the corner and some old brass framed picture’s on the wall, I laughed when I walked in as all the horror movie’s with certain setting’s sprung to mind and all the different scenario’s where I could visualise myself being butchered were running through my mind, dark sense of humour at time’s you see…
I checked the bathroom though and not a shower curtain in sight.
On all my other trip’s here they were jolly’s more than anything, skiing fishing drinking dancing and whatever else came at the front of the que but this trip was different I had work to do so I wasn’t free until 4pm’ish not that it was hard working on the river side, i've saw worse place's...
Monday & Tuesday evening I took a walk into town and was surprised at how vibrant the place was, 7/8/9pm and the bar’s were open with people out and around, there were bbq’s on the grass and restaurant boat’s bubbling with atmosphere, the smell of food and cigarette’s filled the clean norwegian air with a smell of excitement, it was nice to just take it all in, there were lot’s of new apartment’s on the riverside and all the balcony’s were full of drinker’s smoker’s and socialite’s, a new café bar was there and it was literally heaving, I certainly was not expecting this, fishermen and boat’s were still here but not as much, they have kept the amazing town building’s and original designed restaurant’s & hotel’s as they were just refurbished, but it is almost as if they have built a little city inside of the dated original surrounding area’s and it had built up a new life for so many, the scenery was as nice as ever and the sun was blaring, temp up to 27 degree’s a couple of the day’s, very nice, I am writing this as the house they have bought is still being sorted out, so there is no wi’fi connection in here leaving me plenty of time to myself with my ipod as norwegian tv is’nt the greatest, I’ve got a fish bbq tomorrow night at a lad’s house over here and then a night out in town all set for Thursday which I’m looking forward to now, then a free day Friday to do as I please, can’t be bad, I have added a few photo’s, as you can see a beautiful country…. Let them have paris, I’ll take Skien.
By Shaun Dangerfield
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