We enjoyed two weeks in Norway in March and found the country, its people and the geography fascinating. This post provides our overall impression of Norway plus some interesting tidbits. Read about our 1 week Hurtigruten coastal trip from Kirkenes to Bergen (we saw the northern lights off the ship – amazing!) and read about our explorations of Oslo and Bergen to find out more about these colourful cities.
Long, tall Norway:
Like it’s people, Norway is long and lean. It’s unusual elongated shape (some see a long fish others a Viking’s bludgeon) runs north-south for a length of 1,750 km kms. That alone creates such varying climatic and cultural differences, but when you add in the jagged fjord-torn coast ( with over 320,000 islands and islets) and its endless connection to the sea on all sides (plus Russia up north) you can see how where you live really dictates your life – whether that’s in the towering mountains, huge forests, big empty rocky expanses or on the 3% of arable (farmable) land or in one of the cities, your life is very different. Almost half of the population (approx..5.4 million), live in and around the capital city, Oslo (1.4 million ) and Bergen (290, 000). The rest are spread out over lots of smaller cities and towns.
The people (see the song “Beserk warriors” by Mental as anything.”)
The people are fiercely independent (almost aloof), environmentally conscious, proud of their pioneering and old traditions (see 2nd pic below), innovation and experimentation yet strangely addicted to banalities like frozen pizza, and quite docile – accepting rigid government controls and taxes (the government owns the Vinomonpoulet -Wine Monopoly and alcohol is very expensive to buy and horrendously expensive in restaurants where starting price is AUD$90 a bottle. There is little sign of gambling- the government also controls all gambling – we didn’t see a single casino or even betting shop so these are even better hidden away than the liquor stores. Nothing is open on public holidays or Sundays – I mean nothing. Sundays (and most other days) are for heading outdoors to hike, bike, ski, cycle, tennis and langlough. They also have some curious winter sports in northern Norway such as Skidoo championships – a motor cross in the snow and Yukigassen – championship snowball throwing competition (see 1st pic). We acted like a local and found ourselves a mountain to climb in each city. They are very egalitarian and their Royals are very accessible – we saw the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace in Oslo which was open to anyone to walk up and even shat to the guards (see 3rd pic).
Sustainability
Where are the cars? The cities of Oslo and Bergen have very few cars as they offer excellent electric tram and bus networks that connect the city – and airport – that are speedy, quiet and clean. Electric scooters and bikes are the next choice of transport then feet and finally cars (mostly electric).
Which bin is that for? Recycling is taken very seriously with solar powered bins with separate glass, plastic, paper and food waste bins on every block. You take your rubbish to the bins – it is not collected from private bins and it is your responsibility to put the right material in the right repository (it is completely frowned upon to mix materials)! Most curious of all was that many bins had solar panels on them (did they compost the rubbish inside?). You also recycle your clothes – Bergen has more up-cycle-re-cycle clothing stores than new clothing shops. Secondhand Uff (pictured below) was a big one.
Where are the power lines? There are very little (if any) overhead power lines or electricity poles. We think it must have all been underground as we saw many manholes in the pavements.
The Norwegian cuisine
A fishy affair: The Norwegians have a fairly limited and specific range of cuisine with a huge focus on fish Cod (3rd pic below), Salmon, pickled herrings – which makes sense given the endless coastline. They also love their reindeer stew, reindeer meatballs, Lamb and potatoes (1st pic below), creamy salads –( beetroot, potatoes, cabbage). Our favourites were the delicious Scandinavian crispy seedy Knekkebrod crackers, topped with the nutty Jarlsberg cheese (2nd pic below) and the tangy lingonberry jam – which all go well together for breakfast!
Would you like mayonnaise with that? You can tell a lot about a culture’s cuisine preferences by perusing the supermarket aisles. Norway has entire aisles devoted to mayonnaise. They use it as a topping on everything! When we went to a Mexican restaurant in Bergen our nachos were corn chips with cold mayonnaise and avocado. Interesting… Then we tried Thai and I enjoyed a rather sweet noodle and vegetables dish which tasted like some mayo had snuck in. They love their crepes too and they have their own version of the french galette. We had one superb meal for our wedding anniversary at a French restaurant called Le Benjamin in Oslo where I had a delicious cheese souffle and Jamie a good steak (see pic 3 below). Coffee culture is dominated by a chain called Joe and the juice (see 2nd pic)which made good versions of each (for a hefty price tag!).
