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UAE: It’s Cold Outside
I like warm and sunny weather. The climate in Abu Dhabi feels like heaven. Temperatures around 30°C, sunny and bright every day. I know that my Norwegian friends would imagine it being like a sauna, something I can perfectly understand. It is not long that I got used to much lower temperature levels and at 20°C I happily lounged on my balcony with a fjord view and enjoyed rare rays of sunshine. I was proud at myself for being able to lower my “feeling cold treshold”, as I had always been very sensitive about being cold. It did not last long enough, though. Now I sometimes think I would appreciate…
UAE: Abu Dhabi, first impressions
Abu Dhabi is certainly a very large city – Wikipedia confirms it is the second largest city in the country as well as the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – with population estimated at more than three million at end-2012. The city spreads across several islands on the coast of the Persian or Arabian Gulf. Population is divided 1:9 for home : expats, respectively. That means, only one tenth of the UAE population are native Emiratis, the remainder is expats and gastarbeiters. This mix of people gives the city a multi-culti atmosphere and on every street corner you can find restaurants cooking different cuisines, yet mostly Lebanese, Indian,…
UAE: Broadening horizons
After several work- and study-related stops all around Europe, I decided to venture further afield. The offer to work and live for a few months in Abu Dhabi (UAE) brings many novelties in one package. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Vocation – after several years analyzing the oil markets, forecasting oil prices and writing company reports, I step into renewables energy fiels combined with web design and content management. And project management on top of it. Lifestyle – back to the city, with a lot of people, skyscapers and restaurants. Lifegoals – yes, it ticks the “I want to live in a warm and sunny country for a while” and the…
Nórsko XY: Koniec? Snáď nie..
Všetkým, ktorým som to doteraz osobne nezaželala, prajem všetko naj v tomto roku. Aj sa mi zdalo, že som sa už dlhšiu dobu neozvala. Ale to, že posledný príspevok bol viac ako osem mesiacov starý, ma naozaj vyplašilo. Nebudem teraz rozpisovať dôvody, prečo sa zo mňa vykľula Šípková Ruženka. Aj tak by vás to buď nudilo, alebo zdeprimovalo, lebo, v skratke, rozprávky neexistujú a človek sa musí prebudiť sám. Vďaka patrí rodine a priateľom, ktorí pravidelne nastavujú budík. 🙂 Zdroj: nakedcapitalism.com Radšej budem pokračovať tam, kde som prestala. MR foto: Júlový výstup na Preikestolen Za ten čas v Nórsku prišlo aj odišlo leto a jeseň. Leto bolo skvelé, nielen vďaka početným…
Norway 6: Summer is here!
Along with a heatwave in Europe, the summer arrived also to the north. Today’s temperature climbed to an amazing 15°C and the sun shone the whole day (no clouds, no rain – yeeees!). Some natives, probably those already trained during a barbecue on the beach in January, pulled out a T-shirt, shorts and sandals. On the beach, it looked like in Rio. Some people were even sunbathing ina swimsuit. And other went for a swim in the sea, of course in a neoprene.
Nórsko 6: Prišlo leto!
Spolu s vlnou horúčav v Európe zavítalo leto aj na sem na sever. Dnešná teplota sa vyšplhala na úžasne príjemných 15°C a slniečko svietilo celý deň ostošesť (nepretržite!). Niektorí domáci, zrejme tí už vycvičení pri januárových grilovačkách na pláži, vytiahli tričká s krátkymi rukávmi, šortky a sandále. Na pláži to vyzeralo ako v Riu. Podaktorí chytali bronz v plavkách, tí menej otužilí v teplých bundách. No a tí najsamotužilejší sa čvachtali v mori, aj keď v neopréne.
Nórsko 5: Lysefjord
Po neplánovanej, dlhšej odmlke kvôli urputnej jarnej únave pokračujeme plavbou po fjorde. V prístave som nasadla spolu s ďalšími tridsiatimi zvedavcami na loď a vydala sa na trojhodinový výlet. Lysefjord sa nachádza neďaleko Stavangeru a najznámejšími bodmi počas výletu boli: Ostrov Tingholmen, kde v roku 998 zasadala vláda kráľa Olava Tryggvasona Høgsfjorden, ktorého brehy sú posiate víkendovými domčekmi. Vodopády Hengjane, kde tečie priezračná horská voda, pitná. Fantahala – jaskyňa pirátov A samozrejme Preikestolen (Kazateľňa) – plochá skala, asi 25 x 25 m, ktorá sa čnie 600 m nad fjordom a ponúka úžasný výhľad – o tom potom. A tu nájdete kompletnú fotogalériu: https://picasaweb.google.com/116206765620310565654/Lysefjord?authkey=Gv1sRgCJryqaHo5KvvHg#
Norway 5: Lysefjord
After an unplanned break due to spring fatigue, here are some pictures from my recent boat trip to the fjords. I joined approximately thirty other tourists on a three-hour trip to Lysefjorden, near Stavanger, with most famous sights: Tingholmen island, where king Olav Tryggvason held national assembly in 998. Høgsfjorden, with lovely weekend houses. Hengjane waterfalls, with crystal-clear water, potable. Fantahala – vagabond’s cave. And, of course, Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) – a massive cliff 600 m above the fjord, with the top of approximately 25 x 25 m. It offers a magnificent view of the fjord, but we will get to that later. And here is the promised photo…
Nórsko 4: Autobusové dobrodružstvo
Ráno vstávam ešte za tmy. Pomaly rozlepím oči, odvlečiem sa pod sprchu, oblečiem sa a odchádzam na autobus. Ten väčšinou mešká, ale aj tak sa snažím byť na zastávke načas. Čo keby práve vtedy nemeškal. Leje ako z krhly. Ale aspoň sa trochu oteplilo. Už sa blíži. Zdvíham ruku na znamenie, že chcem nastúpiť. Vzadu zbadám voľné dvojsedadlo. Skvelé! Usadím sa pri okne, vytiahnem mobil a začínam pracovať. Čítaním správ v autobuse ušetrím čas v práci. Hmmm, ceny ropy zase stúpli. Kvôli poklesu kurzu eura voči doláru platia teraz Európania najvyššiu cenu za barel ropy vôbec. Nepoteším vás, cena benzínu pôjde znovu hore. Po nejakej dobe ma vytrhne zo sústredenia…
Norway 4: Bus Adventure
I am waking up in the morning. It is still dark outside. I am getting slowly under the shower, dressing myself and leaving for the bus. Usually it’ s late, but I try to be at the bus stop on time anyway. Maybe this time it is on time. It’s pouring rain. But at least, it is a little bit warmer. I’m raising my hand to signal to the driver. I can see a free double seat in the back. Excellent! I sit down, pulling out my smart phone and starting to work. I utilize the time spent on the bus to save some in the office. Hmmm, oil prices…
Nórsko 3: Pár slov na aktuálnu tému: Počasie
Keď som svetu oznámila, že sa sťahujem do Nórska, kde-kto si klopal na čelo – „Kto so zdravým rozumom sa sťahuje do Nórska v januári?“ No Martinka predsa! A nie, nie je tu (teraz mám na mysli len Stavanger) taká treskúca sibírska zima, ako by ste si mysleli. Zvyšok krajiny a Európa sú na tom momentálne horšie. Teplota sa tu pohybuje v poslednej dobe medzi -8°C a nulou plus k tomu občas veje mierny víchor. Keď prvýkrát nasnežilo (19.1.), vytešovala som sa z „normálneho“ snehu. Teploty sa však vtedy ešte držali nad nulou a tak mi bolo akurát ľúto, že sa to rýchlo topí. Kolegovia sa dosť pobavene pozerali, keď…
Norway 3: A few words about hot topic: Weather
When I announced that I am moving to Norway, people wondered – “Who would move to Norway in January?” Well, me of course! And no, it’s not such a freezing Siberian winter here (in Stavanger) as you would imagine. The rest of Norway and Europe are much worse off now. The temperature here ranges between only -8 ° C and zero, but with frequent strong winds. When the snow appeared for the first time (1.19), it made my day. However, temperatures were still above zero and it melted quickly. Colleagues were amused when I tried to take photos from the office window. They only warned me about icy roads in…
Norway 2: How to get to know you neighbours (or A workshop about Norwegian culture)
I live in a quite comfy apartment here in Stavanger. It is just opposite the shopping centre, in-between a very nice lake and a fjord. There are three modern recently-built buildings and my apartment is in the middle one. I haven’t met any of my neighbours since I moved in, despite living in a 6 storey building with 6 flats on each floor (Is this obsession by number 6 just a coincidence?). Today, I took part in an interesting workshop about Norwegian culture organised by HR. I will elaborate on this workshop and Norwegian culture as soon as I manage to get the PowerPoint copies as I rather ate those…
Norway 1: Two weeks and counting…
It‘s two weeks since I moved a bit more to the north, to Scandinavia. I took up a temporary (but never say never) residence in Stavanger, southwest Norway, the so called „oil capital“. The city itself has a population of over 100 000 people, with the metropolitan area inhabited by almost 300 000 (in case someone is too lazy to google it). Right, I became an oil market analyst for a certain Norwegian company. Here is a couple of my first minor observations: I live in an apartment on the fifth floor, with a view of the local shopping centre. I was happy to discover the local supermarket is open…
Nórsko 1: Už je to dva týždne…
… odkedy som sa „presťahovala“ na sever. Mojím novým domovom, s veľkou pravdepodobnosťou dočasným (ale nikdy nehovor nikdy), je Stavanger na juhozápade Nórska, označované často ako hlavné mesto ropného priemyslu. Mestečko samotné má vyše sto tisíc obyvateľov, celá aglomerácia takmer dvesto tisíc a je to tretie najväčšie mesto krajiny (pre prípad, že by sa niekomu nechcelo googliť). No a keby niekto náhodou náhodou chcel vedieť čo tu vlastne robím – prijala som miesto analytika ropných trhov pre istú nórsku spoločnosť. A tak som sa presunula z Paríža trošku severnejšie. Na začiatok pár drobných postrehov: Bývam na piatom poschodí, s výhľadom na tunajší ekvivalent Auparku. Najskôr som sa potešila, lebo potraviny…
