Remote and not-so-remote - that's Norway

You never know these days what kind of service you’ll get on an airline. This month JD Power ranked Air Canada below par, especially for high air fares. That may be true. But I’ve found AC generally provides better service than some other airlines. Its entertainment system and selection of movies is superior to other transcontinental airlines like Air Transat, El Al and SAS. And it still serves wine or beer with meals – gratis. But on a recent Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight from Toronto to Copenhagen, not only were the movies more limited but you had to pay for booze unless you wanted to upgrade to a “premium” dinner. It was enough to make me reconsider the airline next time I fly. And on a connecting flight from Copenhagen to Norway, SAS even charged for the water, though they made a fuss about coffee and tea being “complimentary.” 

On the plus side, a feature I liked both at the Copenhagen and Norway airports was the loading of the passengers from both front and rear doors (photo). So much easier than having all passengers wait as those in front take their blessed time stowing luggage.

While on a seven-day cruise (my first) along the northwest coast of Norway, including above the Arctic Circle, I lucked out in that travel coincided with Norway’s Constitution Day May 17 (the equivalent of Canada Day or US Independence Day). But what a difference! The streets were packed with people in traditional costume. Women wore long dresses and embroidered blouses known as “bunads.” (photo). Some men donned traditional garb, others in their Sunday best. I was amazed by this personal celebratory form of patriotism that certainly doesn’t exist in North America and other countries. Joyous and happy, I was with the crowds in the city of Trondheim, while our vessel, Hurtigruten’s Nordkapp, was in port.

I’ve never been one for cruising but the Hurtigruten voyage was one of the “least touristy” excursions I could find. The ship is hardly a “Disney” behemoth but offers subdued tourism while a working vessel calling at ports large and small, loading and unloading supplies and local passengers. Plus, I’ve always wanted to go up to Norway’s top, having jettisoned driving there last year after learning I could only be in Europe for a total of 90 out of 180 days per Schengen rules. Back in 2019 I’d driven from Oslo to Bergen up the southwest coast but never further north. The coastal mountain scenery is staggering. But even among these remote hinterlands Norwegian villages pop up out of nowhere. I booked a “full board” (three daily meals) but was disappointed that Hurtigruten charged substantially for every extra - hundreds of dollars for on shore excursions to “wine packages” (the “basic” was four bottles for about $75 CAD). Many of my fellow passengers chose to take the reverse trip from Kirkenes but that’s where I got off. I enjoyed the cruise but seven days was enough and I didn’t feel like backtracking along the same route. Kirkenes is as far north and east as you can go in Norway, only 15 km from the Russian border. Did it feel remote? Yes and no. The Thon hotel chain had every bit the contemporary hotel there. And there were regular Airbus 320 jet flights to Oslo (just over two hours). Remote and not-so-remote – that’s Norway.

- Ron Stang, a frequent traveller, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

So now my ArriveCAN experiences totally make sense

The federal government’s ArriveCAN app, developed during the pandemic to regulate travel documents and proof of vaccinations, is now the focus of a probe into a $60 million scandal. A Parliamentary committee is looking into how an app that one tech firm said could have been developed for less than $1 million, was contracted for, well, $59.5 mil., and to just two people, with a background in securing government contracts, GC Strategies. They in turn subcontracted to a couple of dozen programmers. An Auditor General’s report slammed the contract, saying the developers showed "glaring disregard for basic management and contracting practices" and that taxpayers "paid too much." The app not only was expensive but subject to flaws. Such as when it told travellers to quarantine when they didn’t need to or discouraging Americans from visiting and shopping in Canada. But, in hindsight, all of this makes perfect sense in light of my own problems with the app.

Incident 1 – Athens, August 2021. My first trip after travel rules eased was also my first time in Greece for a very hot but delightful week, touring Athens, north to Delphi and a few of the Saronic Islands southwest of the city. All went swimmingly until the day prior to my return to Canada. I whipped out my cellphone and tried to log on to the app, uploading my vaccine information. I couldn’t log on! I tried several times but no go. I wondered if a computer would be easier. Ever try to find a computer in a strange city? I went to the office in my hotel. They let me use a staff computer. But it was taking too much time, and I didn’t want to impose. So off I went downtown, about a 20-minute walk, to the Air Canada office. Except the Air Canada office is one office on, like, the sixth floor of a nondescript building shared by several airlines. And the door was locked, and you could only talk by intercom. I told my problem and they said to go to the Canadian Embassy. Great! So I took a cab across town arriving just before lunch, when the embassy closes down. Come back at 1 pm, the receptionist, who knew nothing about ArriveCAN, said. “Try the McDonald’s Wi-Fi a block away.” I did – and met a great Canadian guy, a lawyer, from Montreal with family in Greece and who was temporarily living there – but it didn’t work at the resto either. Back to the embassy. Luckily the embassy had a public computer kiosk, to which I was sent. And the app finally worked! My fear was I would have shown up at the airport and, without an updated app, they wouldn’t let me on the plane. No fear, because when I arrived at Toronto Pearson Customs, I was pleasantly told, “You could have done that here!”

Incident 2 – Frankfurt, May 2022. We arrived at check-in and this time the Air Canada rep (I can still picture his humorous demeanor and bald head) wouldn’t give us boarding passes until I showed an updated ArriveCAN, the reverse of the Athens situation. It took several minutes to scroll through my phone documents and finally find the certificates. Phew!

So, my friends, as it turned out, my ArriveCAN experiences totally made sense considering the nonsensical incompetence that was built into this boondoggle. 

- Ron Stang, a frequent traveller, Windsor Ontario Canada