if I had a million dollars

I'm leaving for Oslo, Norway for a conference on Monday, and will be gone for 8 days. It's a HUGE trip for me - the farthest East I've ever been - but I've been so busy these past couple of weeks that I hadn't really had the opportunity to think about it as anything other than a deadline by which many, many things need to get themselves done. I started thinking about it today, and realized pretty fast that I hadn't the slightest clue about the area, its climate, its currency...nothing. What to pack? Where to head after I get off the plane? What then? Luckily, a dear friend took it upon himself to find some deets. And I think I may be in trouble. As it turns out, most things are more expensive in Norway than in the rest of Europe. One site breaks things down pretty simply:

"A taxi from Oslo's airport to downtown costs $100(US). Smart travelers catch the shuttle train, which costs $15(US). It goes 100 miles per hour with a departure every 10 minutes, zipping non-stop to the Oslo Central Station — an easy walk from most hotels.

"...a picnic in the hotel room makes sense...Up here in Scandinavia, where the taxes on restaurant-served food and drink are so high, locals buy their beer in the grocery store.

"Even the tap water costs money — but paying $1(US) for water instead of $5(US) for a Coke takes the sting out of eating out. For a budget meal, try the daily specials in mom-and-pop restaurants rather than the big emporiums with neon signs that brag “We speak English and accept Visa cards."

Pretty darned good advice, I'd say.

Sundries bite you in the butt too. An online survey did a cross-Europe comparison of stuff: a 200ml bottle of Nivea suncream, a can of Coca-Cola, a 1.5 litre bottle of Evian water, a large tube of Pringles and a 24-exposure Kodak film - and added 10 postcards and stamps for postage within Europe to their shopping basket. Here's how that breaks down:

Germany: £16 ($36.52 CDN)
UK: £19 ($43.37 CDN)
Norway: £27 ($61.63 CDN)

And, to make it even clearer:

1 Canadian Dollar = 5.21 Norwegian Kroner
1190 NOK = 228 CDN
700 NOK = 134 CDN

Yup, it's gonna be big bucks over there. Fortunately, my travelling companion and partner in conference crime exclaimed "Oh My God - We need to pack our own Pringles!!!" So we'll be packing a good chunk of both of our suitcases full of food Sunday night. Add to that the papers and books we'll be bringing so we can work on the article version of our presentation while we're there, and we may be washing our undies in the sink!