The Oulu–Tromso trip

The bus leaves from Oulu Central Bus Station at 2:00 AM at night, between Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th.

After our departure at 2:00, we'll pick people up at the following bus stops:

1. Tuomiokirkko / Cathedral ("Kuvernööri P")
2. Tuira ("Merikoskenkatu P")
3. Välivainio ("Kemintie P")
4. Ranta-Koskela ("Rantakoskela P"
5. The University ("Yliopistokatu E", right next to the chapel)

Just ask if you'd prefer to jump in somewhere else, and we'll consider it!

We'll have some coffee breaks at service stations on the way, but we won't stop long enough to have a proper meal – so please take enough food with you to eat in the bus! There's a toilet and a microwave oven in the bus.

We'll arrive in Tromsø around 12:00 (noon, Norwegian time). First, we'll unpack our stuff at Tromsø Camping. Those who took part in our group ticket reservation should then come with me to Fokus Kino to pick up their tickets. (You can also pick just one person per cabin to get the tickets for everyone in the cabin.)

The return trip

The bus leaves from Tromsø Camping at 12:00 (noon, Norwegian time) on Sunday 20th. Depending on weather, we'll arrive in Oulu around 11:00–11:30 PM Finnish time.

Again, we will only make a few short stops, so be sure to have enough food with you to last the return trip. Some people have a train to catch!

Useful links

• The Film Festival web site
• Tromsø at Wikipedia
• Tromsø at Wikitravel travel guide
• Destinasjon Tromsø – a general tourist information site
• Tromsø at Google Maps

Money

Important: you will need to exchange some Norwegian crowns (NOK) before the trip! During the trip on Thursday morning, I will be collecting money for

1. the accommodation for three nights (570 NOK)
2. film tickets & festival bracelets (I'll send the exact sums by e-mail)
3. the bus trip; only from those late-joiners who didn't pay it yet (either 65 € or 510 NOK)

Norway is not a cheap country! Eating at restaurant is generally very expensive. The cheapest pint of beer can be had at about 45 NOK if you can find the right bar. Some places (Driv?) may offer a discount if you have a student card.

Beer, basic food supplies etc. can be bought at grocery stores at about the same prices as Finland, but harder liquors are more expensive. See also "Things to take with you" below.

You can basically forget about doing any general "shopping" unless you have a lot of spare money...

If you run out of cash, you can withdraw crowns at ATM's (pankkiautomaatti) using a credit card (at least Visa works). They charge you some extra for this, though.

As I write this on Jan 15th, the exchange rate of Norwegian crown is 7,83 NOK for 1 €.

Accommodation

Most of our group will be sleeping at Tromsø Camping, which is a 4 km walk from the city centre. Alternatively, you can take the bus, but then you'll miss out much of the scenery.

There'll be 5–6 persons in each cabin. As there are five beds and one couch, some people will have to sleep on the couch – but it's quite comfortable. See the accommodation list and just let me know if you'd like to make any changes.

For more information, see the Tromsø Camping web site. Our cabins are the "Large 5/4 person" models.

Things to take with you

• A pillow (for sleeping in the bus)
• Sleeping bag or sheets (alternatively, you can rent sheets and towel for 90 NOK)
• Good walking shoes/boots (the weather may be wet and sloshy)
• A camera (for the stunning scenery)
• Food (there are cooking facilities, kettles and dishes in the cabins)
• Alcohol, optional
• Tobacco, even more optional (very expensive in Norway!)