Page 13 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Great Places to Stay in Europe

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NO RW AY 13

hredded birch bark and something you have to master
sserved with cabbage – to get around. English is
appear on the menu, along widely spoken – and,
with ribbe, julepølse and filling moreover, spoken well.
medisterkake – pork ribs,
sausage and dumplings. Currency The Norwegian
Reindeer steaks are available krone, written NKR.
throughout the year, either
served with boiled potatoes Shops Open 9am–5pm Mon–
and cranberry sauce, or as the Wed & Fri; 9am–6pm or 7pm
main component of a rich Thu; 9am–2pm or 3pm Sat.
stew. Venison, elk and seal
meat – the latter marinaded Tipping No extra charge is
until it is almost black and made for service on the bill,
tasting slightly of the sea – are but it’s normal to leave a tip
also occasionally offered. of around 10 per cent in
A thick gravy (brun saus)s restaurants, and 5 to 10 per
seems to be served with Oslo’s Nobel House Hotel, page 21 cent in bars.
anything meaty, but you can
get away from this if you opt come across king size or Telephoning Inside Norway,
for fish such as pickled extra king size beds. Bath- dial all 8 digits of a number,
herring or salmon, which are rooms are en-suite and many wherever you are calling from.
particularly good. Lutefisk is hotels have shared saunas If you wish to call Norway
preserved cod reconstituted to (mixed-sex). from the UK, dial 00 47
a jellylike consistency. It is followed by the number,
good with potatoes and often OTHER PRACTICAL leaving out the initial 0 from
served alongside herring INFORMATION the area code; from the US,
dishes as part of a traditional dial 011 47.
feast. Dried cod fish – soaked REAKFAST IS substantial and
to plump it up, but always B B Btypically comprises a help- Public holidays 1 January,
slightly chewy – is also tasty yourself buffet of different Maundy Thursday and Good
when served in broth. Some kinds of bread, ham, cheese, Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May,
of the simpler foods are the pickled fish, sausages, fruit 17 May (Constitution Day),
most memorable, and include juices and coffee. Ascension Day, Whit Monday
different kinds of ‘black’ Smoking has been banned and Tuesday, 15 August,
breads, fresh goat’s cheese, in all public places (including 25 and 26 December.
and wild cloudberries – from restaurants and the public
north of the Arctic circle – areas of hotels) since 1988. USEFUL WORDS
served with cream. If you are deterred by the
Beers are classed as I, II or price of evening meals, try Breakfast Frokost
III, III being the strongest and the lunchtime koldtbord that Lunch Lunsj
available in bars and shops. many restaurants offer (the Dinner Middag
Wine and spirits including the Norwegian rendition of Free room? Ledig rom?
local 40 per cent proof akevitt smörgåsbord) – all you candd How much? Hvor mye?
can only be bought from the eat for a set price. Another Single room Enkeltrom
state-controlled Vinmonopol good deal is the dagens rett – Double room Dobbeltrom
shops, or in bars. All alcoholic a daily special menu.
drink in Norway is surpris- During the summer, NORWAY PRICE BANDS
ingly expensive. businesses shut down from
Drinking is not a main- July onwards, and hotel prices HERE IS NO star (or any
stream social activity during drop considerably. Between Tother symbol) system to
the week, but at weekends October and June, too, luxury classify the comfort level of
people kick over the traces hotels suddenly become Norwegian hotels, so if you
and indulge in drinking much more affordable at the are booking a room from a
sessions complete with drink- weekends, when substantial long list of hotels without
ing songs and other ‘Viking’ discounts (often 40–50 per descriptions, the only thing to
behaviour. Drinking in Oslo cent on the usual room rate) go on is price.
is more urbane, with a fickle come into effect. Our price bands as usual
bar scene and some ‘micro- It is always worth asking what refer to the price of a
breweries’ serving real ale. the ‘special prices’ are. standard double room in high
season. Prices quoted by
BEDROOMSAND Language Norwegians hotels usually include
BATHROOMS have two mother tongues, breakfast and all taxes.
Bokmål (book language)
F YOU WANT twin beds, ask and Landsmål or Nyorsk | under 500NKR
Ifor them specifically when (based on Old Norse || 500–1000NKR
booking. Doubles are stan- dialects). Bokmål is the ||| 1000–1,500NKR
dard size – it’s not usual to commonest, but it’s not |||| over 1,500NKR