Travel Tips

...phenomenon in which the sun remains visible in the sky continuously for 24 hr or longer, occurring only in the polar regions. The midnight sun is due to the fact that the plane of the earth's equator is tilted about 23 1-2° to the plane of the ecliptic the great circle on the celestial sphere that lies in the plane of the earth's orbit (called the plane of the ecliptic).
Solstice [Lat.,=sun stands still].

....luminous display of various forms and colors seen in the night sky. The aurora borealis of the Northern Hemisphere is often called the northern lights. Is visible over an area centering around the geomagnetic pole of its own hemisphere. The aurora borealis is said to occur with greatest frequency along a line extending through N Norway, across central Hudson Bay, through Point Barrow, Alaska, and through N Siberia. It is often visible in Canada and the N United States and is seen most frequently at the time of the equinoxes.
Among the most magnificent of natural phenomena, auroral displays appear in shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet and are usually brightest in their most northern latitudes. The aurora is seen in a variety of forms, e.g., as patches of light, in the form of streamers, arcs, banks, rays, or resembling hanging draperies. The aurora occurs between 35 mi and 600 mi (56 km–970 km) above the earth. It is caused by high-speed electrons and protons from the sun, which are trapped in the Van Allen radiation belt high above the earth and then channeled toward the polar regions by the earth's magnetic field. These electrically charged particles enter the atmosphere and collide with air molecules (chiefly oxygen and nitrogen), thus exciting them to luminosity; near the 600-mile level, the light may be given off by electrons and protons combining to form hydrogen atoms. The auroras coincide with periods of greatest sunspot activity and with magnetic storms (disturbances of the ionosphere which interfere with long-distance radio communication). Much was learned about the aurora during the 1957–58 International Geophysical Year, when it was studied intensively by means of balloons, radar, rockets, and satellites.

Medieval wooden church building unique to Scandinavian countries. Of hundreds erected in the 11th, 12th, and 13th cent., only a score survive, and these are all in Norway. Their architecture is unique: upturned dragon heads terminate gables; elaborate wood carvings illustrate saga myths as well as biblical stories; pagodalike shingled roofs, small surrounding cloisters, and leper windows (small openings through a chancel arch or wall) are other features. Examples are Hitterdal in Telemark, Fantoft near Bergen (destroyed by fire in 1994 and now rebuilt), and Borgund near Sogne Fjord.

National Day in Norway which commemorates the signing of the Constitution at Eidsvoll i 1814.
Norwegians are very fond of their country and the day is celebrated by all Norwegians all day long.

Gjetost (in modern Norwegian usually spelled "Geitost") is a firm, brown cheese Cheese is a solid food made from the curdled milk of various mammals—most commonly cows but sometimes goats, sheep, or buffalo. Rennet is often used to induce coagulation in the milk, although some cheeses are curdled with acids such as vinegar or lemon juice, or with extracts of various species of Cynara (sometimes called vegetable rennet).
The word Gjetost consists of 'Gjet' and 'ost', Norwegian for 'goat' and 'cheese'. Other names: 'Brunost'/'Brown cheese', 'Gudbrandsdalsost'/'cheese from the Gudbrandsdal The Gudbrandsdal is a valley and landscape in the Norwegian fylke of Oppland.

Snus is a moist powder tobacco, a kind of snuff, that has gone through a fermentation In its strictest sense.
Snus is manufactured and mainly consumed in Sweden and Norway. The most usual way to consume snus is to place it beneath the upper lip, and keep it there for a time varying from a few minutes to several hours, according to taste. There are two main types of snus on the market:
original snus or lössnus is a loose, moist powder which can be portioned and rolled into a cylindrical shape with the fingertips, or using a prismaster The Prismaster is a tool for dispensing snus, usually behind the upper lip.

Portionssnus, is prepackaged powder in small bags made from the same material as teabags. It comes in smaller quantities than the loose powder but is considered easier to handle.

Alot of Norwegians use snus as an alternative to cigarettes since the laws towards smoking have become very restricted. Many sportsmen (and women) use snus as well. Ex. footballers.