News from Norway.com September, 2000

1. Virtual Cities
2. Interactive Maps
3. Trondheim Information
4. Stavanger Information
5. Scandinavia Links
6. Uff-da Jokes

1. Virtual Cities

In the past months we have developed new features and produced lots of content for the Norwegian cities that we presently cover. In order to have a one-stop site for each city, we have placed everything under the Virtual City umbrella. In each Virtual City you will find MyGuides for tourists and business travellers, Interactive Maps, a Business Center, a Virtual Sightseeing, a Travel Planner and directories for business and tourist travellers.

We currently have Virtual Cities for:
Oslo: http://www.virtualoslo.com
Bergen: http://www.virtualbergen.com/
Lillehammer: http://www.virtuallillehammer.com/
Trondheim: http://www.virtualtrondheim.com/
Stavanger: http://www.virtualstavanger.com/

Please note that not all features are ready for all of our cities.
The Oslo Virtual City at: http://www.virtualoslo.com has the most features available.

2. Interactive Map

Visitors to our sites have different needs and different ways of gathering and absorbing information. One of the challenges we face at www.norway.com is finding ways to meet those needs. In past months we have brought out the MyGuide series that enables our visitors to make tailor-made personalized guides. Now, for those who like maps and prefer to get their information in a visual format, we are starting our Interactive Map series.

With our Interactive Maps you will be able to navigate and zoom in and out of detailed city maps. You choose what you want shown on the map, such as restaurants, hotels, museums and attractions. When you find what you are looking for you can make a reservation or get more information by clicking on the link. You can also print out your map and bring it with you on your trip.

We will be launching Interactive Maps for all of our destinations. The first to be launched is the Oslo Interactive Map at:http://www.osloguide.net/ 

Situated on a fjord and with the Nidelva River meandering through its center, the historic city of Trondheim (its over 1000 years old!) offers a nice balance between town and country. In addition to fine historic sights and museums, Trondheim's large student population gives this city a large dose of vitality.

Pilgrims have travelled to Trondheim for centuries to visit the site of St. Olav's grave at the Nidaros Cathedral, considered by many to be the finest Cathedral in Scandinavia. It is possible to retrace the old pilgrim's route and hike it all the way from Oslo to Trondheim. For more information and a day-by-day route, go to:http://www.trondheim.com/engelsk/psmaler/eng_2_pictures.asp?thisId=954225278

For those who would rather travel by computer than foot to Trondheim, a slide show, panorama pictures and a video of the major sights can be seen at:http://www.virtualtrondheim.com/virtualsightseeing/

One of my favorite museums in Norway is the Ringve National Museum. The museum specializes in musical instruments from all over the world. What makes this museum unique are the music students who demonstrate how the various instruments can be played as they guide you around the museum. The museum is situated at Ringve estate, which dates back to the 1740s. The museum has a web site with some information in English at:http://www.ringve.com/

If you actually plan to travel to Trondheim (desktop travel is fun - but the real thing is better), then you should check out the most detailed online guide for Trondheim available anywhere at:http://www.my-guide-trondheim.com

For other Trondheim sites, including the official city site, look under Trondheim at:http://www.scandinavialinks.com/viewframe.asp?mappe_id=5168

Located on Norway's southwest coast, Stavanger has managed to gracefully blend the old and the new. A medieval cathedral, whitewashed wooden buildings from the 18th century, and modern office buildings connected with the petroleum industry all exist harmoniously together. While many visit Stavanger in connection with business, tourists will appreciate it not only for its own charm, but also as a gateway to the fjords of western Norway.

Stavanger is a very picturesque city. To see a Stavanger slide show along with, panorama pictures and videos, go to:http://www.virtualstavanger.com/virtualsightseeing/

Anyone considering visiting Stavanger should look at the most comprehensive online guidebook for this city at:http://www.my-guide-stavanger.com/profile.asp

For links to Stavanger, including the official tourist information site, look under Stavanger at:http://www.norwaylinks.net/viewframe.asp?mappe_id=300

In our quest to create the best one-stop information source for travellers to Scandinavia, we have now put online the most extensive Scandinavia travel link site on the Internet at:http://www.scandinavialinks.com

We have organized the hundreds of useful travel sites into categories that will enable you to quickly find sites of interest for you. You can search by destination or by subjects of interest like accommodations, airlines, cultural sites, culinary sites, and many more. We are constantly updating our travel links. If you know of any links that you think we should include, please tell us at:http://www.norwayexperience.com/system/addlink.asp

6. Uff-da Jokes

"Uff-da" is a word commonly used in Norway. It can be used as an expression of sympathy for the plight of another person, or as a cry of despair when one finds oneself in a confusing or embarrassing situation. Uff-da jokes are told by Norwegian Americans, and they often make fun of other Norwegian Americans - especially the characters of Ole and Lena. Every day we put online a new Uff-da joke. To read it, just click on "Today's uff-da" in the Services section at: http://www.norway.com After reading the joke you can also subscribe to have a new Uff-da joke emailed to you each day.

By the way, we don't tell Uff-da jokes in Norway - we tell Swedish jokes. Funny thing is that they tell exactly the same jokes about us in Sweden.