Thank you!

I am really honoured you followed our travelblog, during several weeks.

We hope you learned some new things and that you became fascinated about what we have experienced.

I found it a nice, funny and instructive time. I had a lot of fun.
I want to thank my friends, with whom I experienced this beautiful time.

By the way: below you can find a whole sequence of pictures from our journey.

What about the economy in Norway?

Finally at our last stop: Norway! Let’s get to know a bit more about the economy in Norway. Norway is a mixed economy which means that both the state and private sector direct the economy. So the means of production are mainly under private ownership.

Norway has a very strong competitive economy with a base of openness and transparency. There exist policies that support trade and investment. It provides also effective protection of property rights. There is a strong tradition of minimum tolerance for corruption.

Norway has grown a lot if it comes to industrialization. The export sector contains shipping but nowadays also natural resources, including petroleum exploration and production, hydroelectric power, forests, minerals and fisheries.

The public sector is almost one of the largest in the world as a percentage of the overall gross domestic product(*).  The thing which surprised me a little bit is that Norway has a very high standard of living compared with other European countries. It has a very good welfare system valued at over $700 billion in January 2013. The reason why they have such a good welfare system is the fact that they have a large financial reserve from the exploitation of the North Sea oil  which accounts for the largest portion of export revenue and about 20% of government revenue.

Norway is not a member of the EU but it is a member of the European Economic Area, which contributes to the EU budget. So they are strongly integrated even if they’re not a member of the EU.

The reason why Norway is against the membership is because of the threat to the sovereignty of Norway. They are convinced that the fishing industries and agricultural world would suffer. Which would mean that there would be less favourable conditions for the welfare state. That is a logical explanation to me!

(*) The market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Norway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_economy

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/no.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway%E2%80%93European_Union_relations

http://www.heritage.org/index/country/norway

Visiting the nature by train, incredible!

Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway has a total area of 385,252 square kilometres. You can imagine there must be lots of things to see at this large area and indeed there is!

To start, Norway has a very extensive coastline which faces the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea, which is home to its famous fjords.

So a fjord is in fact formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by ice segregation and abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. A well-known fjord in Norway, Sognefjord, reaches 1,300m below sea level. So if you have the chance to catch a glimpse of this fjord, I would definitely recommend it. It’s a shame we didn’t have the chance to see it.

In Norway, the most beautiful places of interest all have something to do with nature.

There are even natural sites that are mentioned on the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Just imagine, the mountain plateaus and beaches we walked on, were once travelled by the great Vikings!

So in short: Norway has everything for people who love nature with a little bit of history!

And fortunately, the five of us love a bit of everything.

As we all  love altitude and nature, we took a trip with the Bergen Railway. This is one of the highest altitude railways in Norway and even one of the highest of northern Europe.

We travelled with the Bergen Railway from Oslo to Bergen and back. On the website of the Railway, there is a very interesting quote, namely: “When you buy a train ticket to Bergen, you are buying a ticket to one of Europe’s most spectacular adventures. We’re talking about the Bergen Line, one of the highest railways in Europe.” And I have to admit, it was the most spectacular Railway ride of my life!

Another Railway we used, was the Flam Railway. I have to admit, we were a little bit lazy in Norway. But who wouldn’t be? Walking across mountains for hours or sitting in a train and seeing much more, we knew what to choose! So the Flam Railway. This was a rather short trip, but I have to admit it was worth its money. This railway showed us some of the most spectacular mountains in all of Norway and also the cascading waterfalls. What is even more is  that the railway company has special sightseeing and event tours, you can for example participate at the rock & blues cruise. This is the same tour, but with live music on board.

The last thing we visited was a waterfall, we saw lots of them by train, but that just isn’t the same experience. We went to see the Stalheimsfossen, this is one of the most famous waterfalls in Norway. This waterfall has a height of 126m and I have to say this is very impressive if you’re standing on top of it. I find the natural landscape of this area very unique, and I believe I am not the only one. It was very crowded near the Stalheimsfossen, so I imagine this really is a hot-spot destination.

We didn’t really visit very much in Norway, but this is our final point. The company had arranged lots of meetings for us, and this was in fact the aim of our trip, doing business.

With my last blog being written, I would like to thank our company for the great opportunities. I have seen parts of the world I would have never seen on my own. I got to know lots of new people and the band between my colleagues and me has definitely improved.

I hope you all enjoyed reading are blogs, and I would definitely recommend visiting one of the countries we visited.

Bye bye!

 

                                                  Flam Railway

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fjord
http://www.norway-travel-guide.info/Norway/PlacesOfInterest.html
http://www.nsb.no/BergenRailway/
http://www.visitflam.com/flam-railway/
http://www.visitflam.com/visartikkel.asp?art=580
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalheimsfossen

Norway, the land of the midnight sun

First I want to start with a phenomenon I’ve never seen before:  the midnight sun. In Northern Norway, the sun never sets during the summer. It is surreal that it is always day. You feel like you have a lot more time, my stay in Norway felt like an endless day.
Yesterday we played golf at 11.30 pm and yesterday we made at 2 o'clock in the morning a long walk. It does not matter what time it is.

What I noticed during our visit to this country was that Norway is a wealthy country where people work hard. The social and medical care is good. Norway also takes good care of families.
During our trip we met some people from the local population  and it soon became clear that the Norwegian population is generally modest and a little distant, but also warm and welcoming.

What pleasured me very much was the fact that women and children are very well treated in this country. Norway was one of the first countries in the world where women were allowed to vote. The Norwegians pay close attention to equal rights for men and women. And also children get a lot of attention. Children have their own ombudsman who looks after their interests. They can even call him if they have a problem or question. This should be the case in Belgium too!

And when we talk about the politics in Norway , we automatically think of the mass murder on the island Utøya.  Anders Breivik killed 91 peoples, among them were 84 members of the youth organization of the Labour Party, who were at summer camp.
I , and probably all people over the world, were shocked by the news of the bloody massacre in Norway.
According to the Norwegians and many others there can be no doubt that this was a political act. It was an attack on the labor movement. His attacks was a 'statement' against the too 'soft' policy. The targets were not accidental, they were carefully selected for political reasons. The main target was the Norwegian Prime Minister Jan Stoltenberg of the Labour Party.

I'm glad he is formally charged of terrorism and murder! Such a person should be punished for his actions.

So Norway was our last stop and ,unfortunately, I have to return home and go to work. Bummer!

I hope you enjoyed our , sometimes spectacular, stories. 

Later people!

Sources :

http://www.visitnorway.com/nl/Activiteiten/Bezoekwaardige-hoogtepunten-en-cultuur/Natuurattracties-in-Noorwegen/De-middernachtzon/

http://www.noorwegen.nl/News_Events_and_Culture/Noorwegen-in-zicht/De-Noren/Bevolking/

http://www.vonk.org/201107242764/politieke-massamoord-in-noorwegen-het-is-een-aanval-op-de-arbeidersbeweging.htm

http://forum.politics.be/showthread.php?t=158304

Norway: the end of our journey

Here we are at the last country of our trip. It is very sad that it our journey is coming to an end but I have had a wonderful time. I have learned a lot new things about the different countries. I am really grateful for the opportunity to travel to these countries.

The Norwegian language is not easy to understand. There are two official written forms: Bokmål and Nynorsk. I tried to learn some easy sentences but it was very difficult.

One of the most famous paintings from Norway is without a doubt the Scream from Edvard Munch. He painted four versions of the Scream and two of them are located in the capital of the country, Oslo.

In Denmark we have seen some old Viking houses but in Norway they are really very popular. You have the Viking Ships Museum in Oslo where you can see the two best preserved wooden Viking ships in the world. This is very impressive because they both are from the ninth century and they are very large. It is almost a miracle that they are still in such a good condition.

When you take a look at the houses in Norway, you can see that there is a tradition to build some parts of the houses in wood and even the new houses are made of wood.

I don’t think this is very safe because I think a wooden house can burn easier. Nevertheless, the traditional houses are very beautiful.

The traditional folk music is still very popular in Norway. The country is also famous for the Norwegian black metal. This subgenre of Heavy metal has been put in a negative daylight because it is linked to several suicides and killings. I am glad we did not see a lot of those people around our hotel…

This was my last blog and I hope you have enjoyed reading about my journey. Maybe the company decides to go on holiday next year and then I will be writing another blog!

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Norway

http://www.visitnorway.com/en/What-to-do/Attractions-Culture/Top-5-Viking-experiences-i-Norway/

Norway: A breathtaking experience.

Right now, we are in the last country: Norway.

If you have never been to Norway and do not know a lot about it, you will never believe what I am going to tell you.

But first of all I will start by giving you some background information. Norway has a population of approximately 5.000.000 people. The country has a large number of different habitants, more than any other country. The capital and besides the largest city of the country is Oslo.
Norway is not a member of the euro area, so they do not pay with euros but with Norwegian krone (NOK). On this moment is one euro equal to 7,56 NOK.

The scenery in Norway is unbelievable. I had never expected this. I have enjoyed the natural beauty of the fjords and the breathtaking experiences of the mountains. I really swallowed one’s tongue.

Maybe you have heard already of the northern light or also called the aurora? This is visible on a dark night, when you watch in the northern direction. It is a mild glow with above colorful bands that move on.
It originates when electrically charged particles from the sun invade the atmosphere. Those particles are dangled in the space when there is a high solar activity.

The northern light is only noticeable on northern latitudes, namely: Norway, Greenland and Alaska.

Norway is one of the best places to see the aurora. If you want more information about this phenomenon you can always have a look on the internet. When I saw the pictures, I found it astonishing.

Aurora (red and green) in Norway

Bergen is a city in Norway. This city is on the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Site. There are a lot of curiosities. There is also a ski resort, wildlife safari, and so much more.

Bergen in Norway

I think this was the best country to end our journey by just relaxing and enjoying the scenery.

Sources:

• http://www.visitnorway.com/en/What-to-do/Tours-Safaris/Tour-suggestions/Follow-a-National-Tourist-Route/
• http://www.wisselkoers.nl/omrekenen
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_(astronomy)
• http://www.visitnorway.com/northern-lights
• http://geo.phys.uit.no/articl/nord_eng.html
  
  

What about trade in Denmark?

Welcome in Denmark! This trip goes so fast, we’re almost at our final stop: Norway. No, I’m not going to talk to you about Norway already, be patient! I’ll tell you some more about the trade in Denmark today..

Denmark has an open market with 86.6 percent trade freedom. Which means there are not many limitations if we talk about trade freedom and support for free trade is high. After all, globalisation is a good thing, right? Denmark has the 9th highest export per capita in the world!

Denmark’s main exports are:

• ·         Industrial production
• ·         Manufactured goods (machinery and fuels)
• ·         Agricultural products
• ·         Others for consumption for example meat and meat products

The thing that characterize Denmark is perhaps the considerable sources of oil and natural gas in the North Sea. Denmark is a huge exporter of crude oil.

So as you can tell Denmark has many advantages for exporting. As a first, Denmark is located at a very good place, it’s the only Scandinavian country connected to Europe. As a second, its position on the Baltic Sea makes Denmark a very lucrative market for EU and non-EU countries. Finally, its extensive infrastructure and high-skilled workforce also are a big asset to promote trade for foreign customers.

Germany, Sweden and the UK are Denmark’s most important export destinations. Outside the EU, the United States is the largest trading partner.

If discussed the trade in a few countries so far. So it’s not a surprise if I told you that Denmark also has a lot of trade fairs and trade shows. I guess that’s an event which happens all over the world. I mean, every country has to introduce new goods on the market. The biggest fairs I found are: Vision, HI Industry and Danfish.

See you at our next stop bloggers!

Sources

http://www.heritage.org/index/country/denmark

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark#Economy

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Denmark-INTERNATIONAL-TRADE.html

http://www.biztradeshows.com/denmark/

http://www.tradefairdates.com/Fairs-Denmark-Z57-S1.html

Denmark, land of peace and space

It's the first time I come in Denmark and I'm amazed of the quiet in this small country. The landscape undulates from horizon to horizon and there are a lot of villages, each with its own white church. 

The Danes are very friendly but distant people who give tourists there space. The long, sun-drenched beaches of Jutland, the Cliffs of Møn, the cosmopolitan capital of Copenhagen and many historic monuments are some of the main attractions. The country has something to offer for everyone.

 
To start our trip through Denmark, we let the child in us up again. 
we visited LEGOLAND, the famous family park. It has over 55 attractions and more than 50 million bricks!
There is something for everyone. First we started in Miniland, were we found famous buildings and areas of the world recreated in LEGO. It was amazing! For the youngest visitors we find DUPLO Land. This was really fun to visit.

 
Then we went to the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen.
The city is repeatedly awarded for the world's most livable city , tophotspot in the world and design capital of the world. Copenhagen is the perfect country for a shopping trip, perfect for me because I'm a shopaholic! If you come to Denmark,  do not forget your wallet!

This city also manifested itself as a culinary Mecca. Traditional Danish cost includes : pickled herring, fried plaice or other seafood. Many dishes to go along with beer and aquavit or schnapps. 
Who visits Copenhagen will especially notice that for a relatively large city, it is not as busy and chaotic as you would expect. The atmosphere is mostly pretty relaxed!

And now we go into the nature. In many areas in Denmark you can make a campfire. Very cosy! National parks and other public natural areas such as forests have sometimes even covered areas complete with benches and other facilities so you can dine here.

And when the official camping is not your thing and you would like to spend a night in nature than Denmark is the country for you. With more than 1,000 areas where it is allowed to wild camping is a natural experience waiting for you.

sources :
http://www.visitdenmark.nl/nl/denemarken/attracties/legolandr
http://www.anwb.nl/bestemmingen/landeninformatie/vakantie/bestemmingIndex.html?btiId=BTI_2
http://wikitravel.org/nl/Denemarken
http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/1901/reisnieuws/article/detail/1548611/2013/03/29/Kopenhagen-hippe-stad-op-mensenmaat.dhtml

Denmark: beautiful country

We are now in the Kingdom of Denmark. I am a bit sad because our journey is almost coming to an end.

I have to say that Denmark is a very beautiful country. Wherever you are, the coastline is not far from you. Denmark consists of more than 400 islands and also the Faroes and Greenland. Only 72 of those islands are inhabited.

Bridges connect the larger islands to each other and you can reach the smaller islands by ferry or small aircrafts.

The coastlines of Denmark are absolutely wonderful. I love to stroll on the beaches and watch the high cliffs.

Because we are in the northern of Europe, temperatures are not very high.

The nature in Denmark is fascinating. There are three national parks in the country and if you are up for an adventure, you can go camping in the wild. You can still see the untouched forests and some rare animal species.

If you love cycling, Denmark is the best place to go. You will find more than 12,000km cycle-routes.

The famous statue in Denmark is The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen. The statue is based on the fairytale of the little mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen. In spite of the popularity of the tourists, the statue is mostly the target of protests and vandalism.

Grundtvig’s Church is one of the weirdest churches I have ever seen in my life. The church is located in Copenhagen and is a rare example of the expressionism. When I first saw this, I did not realise it was a church!

Not far from the German border, you can find some reconstructed Viking houses and when you have a closer look, they seem very small.

We are now going to the last country of our travelling route. I am looking forward to going to Norway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark#Geography

http://www.visitdenmark.com/east-jutland/nature/denmarks-national-parks-0

http://www.visitdenmark.com/cycling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Mermaid_(statue)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Denmark
Picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grundvig_Memorial_Church_in_Copenhagen.jpg

So much to say about the Danish culture

Now, we’re in Denmark, not so far away from our final destination, Norway.

As I am fascinated about foreign cultures, I would like to tell you something more about the culture of this country.

The Danish culture is rich in arts, but has some general characteristics too. To start, modesty, punctuality and equality are very important aspects of the Danish way of living.

In Denmark, culture and arts are very far developed because they receive a high amount of funding from the local government, this is to involve the citizens directly. In Denmark, they have a system of grants. Thanks to this system, artists are able to devote themselves to their work and museums, theatres and film institutes receive national support.

Denmark also has a very specific architecture. In the past, Denmark was known for its Romanesque then Gothic churches. The 20^th century brought new architectural styles, the expressionism and Nordic Classicism. Danish architects entered the world with Functionalist architecture, as it is known. This has evolved into more recent world-class masterpieces like la Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris, Sydney Opera House,…  I have to say, I have seen the Arche de la Défense, but I never thought that this could by inspired by Danish architecture.

I wanted to tell you something more about the culture, but now I realise that this is too much, so I’ll pick out some different aspects that interest me.

Not only the architecture is known as functionalistic, also the design. This design is typically applied to furniture, household objects and industrial design. Something nice to know is that the functionalistic design has won many international awards.

I’ll finish with telling you something more about the music and sports in Denmark.

Denmark with its capital Copenhagen has a wide range of folk traditions. The Royal Danish Orchestra is one of the oldest in the world. Danish are known as jazz musicians. So the jazz musicians and the Copenhagen Jazz festival have acquired an international reputation.

Sports are very popular in Denmark, as well as music. The Danish people participate and watch sports in a wide variety. The national sport is football, or soccer.

In recent years, Denmark has become a strong cycling nation, with Bjarne Riis and Michael Rasmussen.

Other popular sports are golf, tennis, rugby and rowing. Concerning rowing, is Denmark specialised in light- weight rowing. They won for example three gold and two bronze Olympic medals.

Indoor sports are very popular too, these are badminton, table tennis and handball. The national handball team is the current reigning champion.

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Denmark

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/denmark-country-profile.html
http://goscandinavia.about.com/od/scandinavianculture/ss/denmarkculture.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denmark

Willkommen in Deutschland!

After our visit in the city of romance we cross the border to Germany, particularly Berlin.
We arrived at the Tegel Airport, the only major airport that is still in the city. Berlin had originally three airports but one of them is outside the state and the other is closed.

We saw it immediately, Berlin is a busy but beautiful city! There is for everyone something to see or experience. Architecture and history but also contemporary culture and a wonderful zoo.

I never was the best of the class in geography so I looked it up for you : Berlin is located in eastern Germany, and is an enclave in the state of Brandenburg. The state is also very close to the border of Poland.
In the city you can easily travel by train and trams. We were advised to buy a Berlin Welcome Card, so we can travel for free and get many discounts.

The Wall of Berlin

And of course, everyone knows him : the famous Wall of Berlin. Once, Berlin was divided by the Berlin Wall. But now the wall is demolished and Berlin is again one beautiful city, the capital of Germany. In the center of the city you still can see a part of the wall. This piece is a memorial for freedom and is decorated with more than 100 paintings by artists from different countries. It was really wonderful and colorful to see!

The Zoo of Berlin

When we walked through the city, we saw many images of a bear. Very strange, so we informed us by the local people.  They told us that this bear is the mascot of the city. The bear is also reflected in the arms of the city, monuments and in the zoos of the city.
They also told us that we definitely had to bring a visit to the Berlin Zoo, so we did. This zoo is known for the birth of Knut, the polar bear. They also have an impressive aquarium with a beautiful underwater world. On cold days you can take a stroll with penguins, which is also very special.

The city of Berlin

And of course very important for us, women. You can shop in many large modern shopping centers.  And while we shop, the men can enjoy the many terraces in the cafes or bistros.

There are many different festivities, such as the famous Christmas markets, but also numerous fairs and sporting events. In the evening there is in some beautiful streets lighted trees, giving it a romantic atmosphere. 

Now I'm going to enjoy of this great and romantic atmosphere. I'll see you in Norway!

Sources: 

- http://www.wereldspotter.nl/europa/duitsland/berlijn

- http://innovatie.de/het-turbine-landschap-van-berlijn-brandenburg-bloeit/

- http://www.wegenwiki.nl/Berlin

Copenhagen: Wonderful for so many reasons!

Last time but one, we have visited a city. We were in Denmark. The country did not attract my attention. Next to that I also did not knew a lot about it. So which city do we have to choose than? We saw no other idea than going to Copenhagen, the famous capital of Denmark.

I will tell you how we experienced the people and the tourism over there.

Copenhagen has a lot of parks and cemeteries. Besides the city has also a lot of attractions, museums, buildings, shopping places, and so on. The most famous thing of Copenhagen is  the statue of the little mermaid.

Something you can also do is buying a map, within which stands a lot of daytrips. This is always nice to do.

There is a large number of restaurants and bars. Even the nightclubs you find over there, they are open until 5 or 6 in the morning.

We could easily relocate ourselves, by the large network of transport. You can take the metro or the S-train. We also made use of the Intercity and the Express trains. We also hired a bike, because it is for certain that this city is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world.

You even have toll-free motorways. This economizes already a lot of money.

The Quay Bridge

Maybe good to know: Copenhagen is one of the most environmentally friendly cities.

The city dwellers speak Danish of course, but they understand English as well. That is quite handy, because none of us speak Danish and English is the language we speak the best, after our mother‑tongue. 

We found the people really friendly and helpful. Denmark is called the country of “the happiest people in the world”, and I have to admit that all the people over there seem to be happy.

Unfortunately we did not go a few weeks later. From the 17^th until the 19^th May there will be carnival. It is one of the major events of the year. I really regret we could not have experienced it. But you cannot want everything in life. See you one more time and then… then I will tell you about Norway.

Sources:

• http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_language_do_they_speak_in_Copenhagen_Denmark 
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen
• http://www.copenhagenet.dk/cph-events.asp
• http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/
• http://www.visitdenmark.com/denmark/tourist-frontpage
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/07/copenhagen-really-wonderful-reasons
• http://www.investindk.com/Why-Denmark/A-great-place-to-live