I'm in Norway now, although I was at a friend's mountain cabin

[Lydia Leftcoast]

When the bombing and shootings occurred. There's no TV there, so I didn't even hear about the incidents until Saturday morning, when my hosts turned on the radio. My Norwegian is tourist-level, so I couldn't understand it, and even the Norwegian house guests couldn't quite process it. When my American friend ( who has lived inNorway for 35 years) said, "He shot eighty (aatti) kids," the Norwegians said, "You mean he shot eight (aatte) kids?" She had to repeat "aatti" several times before it sank in.

I left for Oslo by bus on Sunday as scheduled. (Travel note: the trip between Bergen and Oslo, whether by bus or by train, has to be one of the most magnificent in the world, with national park-level scenery most of the way). The last part of the trip ran along the coast, and suddenly we came upon a crowd of reporters and photographers standing at a point where the road runs along a sort of beach. My first thought was that there must have been a boating accident, and then I saw the signs for the turnoff to Utoya (there should be a liner rough the o, but my iPad keyboard won't allow it).

The bus had to make a slight detour, but even after we were back on the main road, there was still police tape strung along the edge of the road, with cops posted at the turnoffs. At one point, a crime scene tent was set up on the shore.

We didn't pass the site of the bombing in Oslo, but as I watched local news coverage in my hotel room while unpacking, I realized that I was only a few blocks from the Oslo (Lutheran) cathedral, where the official memorial had taken place earlier in the day. I walked over and saw that people had set up an ad hoc memorial site with flowers, candles, Norwegian flags, dolls, and messages.

The other main indication of the Incidents was that many of the stores in the area had hand-painted signs saying that they would be closed over the weekend out of respect.

There will be a nationwide minute of silence at noon today.

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[EFerrari]

2. After the bomb went off, there was a report that the police

thought there were one or two more bombs. After reading that, I was hoping that was an excess of caution or something. Later the news of the shooting.

:grouphug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. The police have been criticized for the slowness of their response and the inadequacy of their

equipment, But you have to remember that this is a society with very little violent crime. I'm sure that every police department in the US trains for what to do about a crazy gunman, but Norway had no reason to expect that the worst non-war gun massacre in modern times would occur on one of it's thousands of islands.

Furthermore, the roads, while in very good condition, are limited by the topography. Even between Oslo and Utoya, the road goes up, down, and around, and at one point, it's carved into the side of a cliff. Most roads are narrow, very few freeways.

[EFerrari]

4. Some people lash out like that because they don't know what else

to do with their distress.

Are you settled in for a while? What a sad turn to your visit. :(

[Diclotican]

7. Lydia Leftcoast

Lydia Leftcoast

Its sound like our country is a real hilly one - even tho the roads is better today, than it was, just a decade ago. I guess you was traveling by the "old road" who are in far worse condition, than the main roads.. But it is no freeway over Solihøgda, thats true!. (I know the area, as Im living 15-20 min with car from Utøya.)

I doubt police could have been doing anything different, even tho Police and other emergency agencyes, tha last decade or so, have been practice what might came in their way.. One thing is to practice it, and be in the know that it is just a practice.. A whole different thing is to really experience it in real life. I would guess it was as shockfull to police, as to the rest of Norway that it really happened..

And as you pointed out, we never expected it to ever happened, as Norway as a whole, is a peacefull nation, where wiolent gun crime is allmoust non.. The few times it have ever happened (in the time I have been living) it have been shown in "war type lines" in most news channels and newspapers.. But even then, our police are not set up with weapons as part of their uniform - they do have it in some of their cars, in closed down boxes. And have to communicate in, to office if the are in need of using weapon..

Diclotican

[EFerrari]

18. When we were attacked on 9/11

there was no military response at all even though those planes were in the air for a long time.

I hope the news continues to get better.

[Diclotican]

19. EFerrari

EFerrari

After 9/11, in fact Norwigian Airforce F16 was patroling over US airspace for a long while, as part of our friendship, and alliance between the two nations..

Hopefully Norway wil not go the way of the doodo, and be more closed than before. The only way to win over this horrible thing, is to do the right thing, and be a open democratic country, with all our values intact..
Then the ideas this person have, wil never win...

Diclotican

[malaise]

5. Thanks for your post Lydia Leftcoast

Enjoy the rest of your holiday

sp

[Diclotican]

6. Lydia Leftcoast

Lydia Leftcoast

Thank you. It is allmoust sureal what happened.. Mostly becouse it happend so sudden..

A good news, is that it is posible that the number killed at Utøya is fewer than told in the weekend, and that is a good news.. How low the number is, are not known, but even just a few ones is great numbers.. But even then, it is as tragic at it can be..

I guess Oslo is a different City today, than it was last time you wisit the City.. But slowly the City wil awake again.. slowly be what it was before...

Diclotican

[NYC_SKP]

10. Many thanks to you, Diclotican, and to Lydia Leftcoast, for your perspective.

Most of us have never been to Norway, hearing from you about the place and about the events is helpful.

:thumbsup:

NYC_SKP

[Diclotican]

15. NYC_SKP

NYC_SKP

That I can understand.. Hopefully we wil learn many things from this horrible act. And not answer it wil a more closed country, rather the opposite is what we need..

Diclotican

[Bryn]

13. Thank you, too, Diciotican

My hearts breaks for what happened. I hope the number is less. Norway is one of few places I want to visit someday.

[Diclotican]

14. Bryn

Bryn

The number is in fact lower than first expected.. "just" 86 is now confirmed dead, after the weekend.. It is still a tragedy, but at least the number killed is lower than feared... But still... This is a horrible act of terrorism, never seen in Norway before..

But we wil prevail, and be better than we was before. Even tho it wil a long time to get to understand what really happened.. Or to grasp it all..

I hope you wil be able to wisit Norway someday.. And to discover this nice little place on earth.. And hopefully when you arive, we wil be as we was before this horrible act happened...

Diclotican

[Arctic Dave]

20. Diclotican. My sympathies to your country for this tragedy. nt

[moondust]

8. Finse.

Almost heaven.

:cry:

[Fokker Trip]

9. I thought exactly the same thing when I heard the number 80

I couldn't believe that the number was 80, I thought for sure that they meant 8. 80 people is an enormous number.

This level of "success" will already have stirred the loins of many an extremist right winger in other countries.

Terrifying, there is no real defence against this kind of thing unless one wants to usher in such totalitarian control that life becomes unlivable for all. I don't believe that arming everyone is the answer. See the other thread on DU about the drunk guy who shot the 4 year old in the head.

[Ruby the Liberal]

11. Thank you for the report

k&r

[Bryn]

12. Thank you for your post

My heart's with Norway. K&R

[suffragette]

16. K&R

[proud patriot]

17. Will you leave a flower at the memorial on my behalf please ?

perhaps a note with a link to our candlelight vigil here on DU ?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. I left a pink rose at the memorial site, which has nearly doubled in size

since Sunday.

[Diclotican]

23. Lydia Leftcoast

Lydia Leftcoast

Thank you - it means a lot for most of Norway. That you did that.

Diclotican

[proud patriot]

24. Thanks Lydia

:loveya:

[Zookeeper]

21. Thanks for sharing your experience with us....

My heartfelt condolences to Norway. :(