Sander has indicated that this thread is about Norway
Ah Sander, you should! Unfortunately, as has happened a number of times already, I won't actually be here though, but in some house in the south of Holland... but I'm more than happy to answer your questions!!
- Fireworks? (Big display run by some official organization? Lots of individual people sending stuff up in the air by themselves? Hardly any at all?)
There is quite a good fireworks show put on by the city in a number of spots. As Oslo is at the bottom of half a cauldron (not sure if that's the right way to describe it but hope you get the picture), if you get anywhere up one of the hills that come out of the center, you should have a great view back over the entire city and the fireworks.
Snowfall? (Will there be a 'guaranteed' snow cover, in or around the city?)
We just had our first real snow in downtown Oslo the other day, but there's been snow at slightly higher altitudes (ie. some of the suburbs that are higher up) for a while. Meteorologists are predicting all of Norway to have a white xmas, so chances are good it would be around at New Year's too. If not right in the centre, certainly in the hills around Oslo (if you want to ski, you could take the tram up to Songsvann from Central Station for example).
Temperature?
It was -7 C this morning, around the same yesterday. It doesn't really ever get much below -10 though. Probably between 0 and -5 in the city. Cold enough that a room with a fireplace would be very nice
Popularity? (This city isn't exactly what would come to my mind as a first choice for somewhere to go for New Years, but still, should we expect hotels to be booked already? Special high rates because of New Years, or rather low rates because it's low season?)
Oslo has a chronic problem in terms of lack of enough hotel rooms, but I think that mostly applies in the summer. I just had a quick look on booking.com and there still seems to be quite some availability, including at the (where Obama stayed) and . I wouldn't say these are cheap, but the prices returned weren't as shocking as I'd have imagined either I couldn't find anything quickly regarding massages/spas etc, but there would be a few places around there that you could use.
Also, if anyone can recommend nice hotels (not too super swanky, but like a nice boutique hotel, or someplace where you feel you're being pampered by staying there), that'd be really good. Extra double bonus-brownie points for "wellness" hotels or something in that vein (e.g. with spa/thermal pools, massages, etc. included), and the same again for hotels with a view over the city and a balcony, in case of worthwhile firework displays.
One of the hotels that immediately came to mind was which is quite a way out of the city (same tram as the skiing one), but would have a fantastic view at New Year's I'm sure. Then again, Grand and Grims Grenka both have rooftop terraces, and are much more central. One hotel I hadn't heard of before that looks kind of cool, and claims one of the city's best spas themselves, is .
Let me know what you think, and if you need me to research some more!
Actually, I forgot one of the cooler hotels: is right where the skijump was (it's being rebuilt right now) and built in traditional style. It's also got a spa etc. It's also up on that same hill that you take the tram up to go skiing, so should have great views at New Years. Not sure about price though.
Ah Sander, you should! Unfortunately, as has happened a number of times already, I won't actually be here though, but in some house in the south of Holland...
Heh, that so totally figures. I think we're doomed to never actually quite meet up. (Although... when are you flying back to Oslo? We're thinking of staying till the 4th or 5th or thereabouts...)
Thanks for the other answers and recommendations! Will go look into those hotels!
We land again on the 2nd, so there should indeed still be time to meetup! Maybe, just maybe....
So we've looked at the hotels; the ones we think are nicest are booked out for New Years already - the others are a bit more expensive than what we're wanting to spend, though we are thinking about the option of staying in them anyway, but then leaving on the 3rd already - which I guess makes the possibility of that meeting very precarious... *shakes his head* I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, if you (or anyone else) has any other hotel suggestions, they're still very welcome.
[ 17-Dec-2009, at 13:28 by Sander ]
So we've looked at the hotels; the ones we think are nicest are booked out for New Years already
Huh, turns out they're not booked out, but rather closed. Pffft!
Ah yes, I've heard of that before... a few places close for the winter
Send me a PM with what you're after if you'd like me to call around a few places.
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