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| From BERGEN, NORWAY |
I stayed up pretty late (my brain fog cleared around 11pm or so, which was
helpful for writing a talk) and got up around 7:30am local time (CEST). The sunlight I got upon opening the blackout shade was very bright, and really helped my mood and general ability to wake up. Walked to the department and got in ~15 minutes before my talk. Plenty of time for more delicious coffee. Again, ate some grab & go yogurt for breakfast. Talk went well.
Lunch was at another student cafeteria. Fish stew, salad, fresh bread and an apple. Again, 90 NOK. Some other people managed 45, so maybe if I had gotten the thinner soup or more salad. Eh.
The afternoon was a blur of chatting. It started raining quite heavily and hasn't stopped at all since. Like their shades, Norwegans take their rain seriously. They dress sensibly for the weather, some people walking around in rain pants, even, all in gortex (or similar) rain jackets. I was told that there's a Norwegian saying that there's no bad weather, just lack of preparedness. They do have a good point. If I added a rain-proof bag, pants, coat and galoshes to my inventory, I would be just fine here. I've borrowed an umbrella, and still ended up with pants soaked from hip to ankle. Thank goodness my sneakers are waterproof.
Dinner was pizza at the student cafeteria annex/afterhours cafe. Flatbread, cheese wasn't mozerella. Also had the local beer, Hansa. The alcohol here is priced by the government, based on alcohol content (increasing as the %alc/volume increases). The cheapest beer is the local beer, which was definitely a light beer.
After sloshing through the rain some more, I discovered my new room-mate, who is a Seattle-area native and current Portland resident. Her first trip to Europe. She works at a brewery, and has had a hard time adjusting to the cost of beer here. I suggested she try Belgium some time. We talked for a while about Norway and travel.
Thoughts/comments on Norwegians and their government:
I learned recently that nutella is fixing to be banned in the EU because it's too sweet. This is keeping with Norwegian views. The cost of alcohol is so much, and scales the way it does, because it's considered a drug and they don't want their citizens to become alcoholics. Similar idea with cigarettes; not many Norwegians smoke. They *do* however use snuff, which is banned in the rest of the EU.
I'm told that any time a person's labor is added to a product, the cost goes considerably up, which is what causes bakery sandwiches to not be as cheap as they were in Amsterdam or Brussels.
Cars/gas: Despite being an oil-producing country, Norway heavily taxes gasoline. I think it's 3 or 4 euro/liter, but I wouldn't swear by it. In the long run, this makes sense, since they don't anticipate their supply to last longer than 50 years. The price should discourage use and make it last longer. They also make it very hard to get a driver's license. Also makes sense -- most of the driving will be done in the dark, the rain, and on bad roads. Cars are horrifically expensive. I was told that 2 professors' salaries combined is not enough to afford a new car here.
