Road Trips

Road trips are a big part of Norwegian life.  We’ve taken many in Norway over the years.  There’s no better way to fall in love with the country than driving around in it.  The quaint farms at the water’s edge with red barns and white houses, the dramatic landscapes along the coast – all of it feeds my soul.  Having to stop for sheep and goats in the road only adds to the charm, and the very low speed limits make sure I don’t zip past a thing.

Nowhere is the saying, “The journey is more important than the destination,” more true. 

One year we went on a road trip with Cousin Odd and his wife Turid.  We headed south to visit the area where my ancestors came from.  Odd is a doctor and was very tired of listening to people complain all day about their various maladies.  He wanted this road trip far more than the rest of us. 

We stopped often for photo opportunities and “coffee.”  Coffee stops always include brown goat cheese on bread - the standard Norwegian breakfast, lunch, and in-between meal snack.  Norwegians bring their own food because it’s possible to drive for days and never find an open restaurant.  Even if one were open, they’re just too expensive.  Every few miles along many roads, however, are picnic tables on which to enjoy a coffee break.

I chuckled each time we stopped and Turid got out the coffee and bread with cheese.  Norwegians eat goat cheese several times a day, but they never tire of it.  When Odd took the first bite, he closed his eyes, smiled, and after a few chews he let out a celebratory, "Ahhh…" and then went on to tell me just how good it tasted, as if it were the first time he'd ever tasted such a thing.  He was in high spirits.  He savored everything about that moment - being free from his job and life’s responsibilities, and also being surrounded by the beauty of Norway.

Trying to estimate our arrival time to the hotel, I then asked Odd what time it was.  "It's a good time," he answered. And he was right.  It didn't really matter the time of day; the time we were having was what was important.  It’s what I love most about Norway.  Just being there.

After taking our first road trip with Stuart, a friend that visited us when we were in Norway this year, I asked him what he thought about all he saw.  “Well,” he said, “when I die and go to heaven, I think it will be one step down from Norway.”  He might be right.

Electricity

Per capita, Norway ranks number two in the world in energy consumption.  Norwegian families use almost twice the amount of electricity as Americans do.  Most of that power comes from hydroelectric sources.  All homes use portable electric heaters and have heated floors in their bathrooms and entryways.  I’m glad there’s electricity in Norway because it’s cold there in winter.  Many people supplement with wood-burning stoves because Norway’s electricity rates are so high, and they go even higher as the weather gets colder.  

One cousin told us last winter it was so cold his power bill was over a thousand dollars a month for his small house.  Yikes.  We’re lucky where we live in Norway because the radiant heat in our condo comes from hot water generated by the burning of trash.  The government supplements that heat source, so our electricity bill is thankfully, never very high.  They also run water pipes under the streets in the downtown area from this same source, so in the wintertime, it melts the snow.  It’s a good thing Norwegians are big consumers because we need lots of garbage to keep our power bill low.  Norwegians throw away an average of a thousand pounds of garbage per person, per year, which is a lot, and that number continues to rise.

Driving down roads in Norway, every once in a while, a huge door can be seen on the side of a mountain.  Chances are pretty good that a power plant sits behind that door.  Norwegians figured out that mountain lakes are a great source of hydroelectric power, so they tunneled up through the rock and the gravity fed water spins the turbines.  They thought of that one after the Germans bombed their power plants in World War II.  Now they are all neatly hidden away inside mountains scattered around Norway and impossible to detect from the air.  Clever.

The first country in the world to develop a power plant using wave energy from the ocean was Norway.  They also have several wind farms throughout the land.   Norwegians can even choose which type of power they want brewing their coffee in the morning.  Green energy costs more, however.

Norway is a huge exporter of hydroelectric power to other European countries and sometimes they sell too much then have to buy it back for a higher rate.  But last summer a friend told us that one area of Norway had so much rain that the local hydroelectric plant produced more electricity than they could sell so they just gave it away for free for three months to all their Norwegian customers.  Now there’s something that would never happen in America.  Power to the people.

Healthcare

Nationalized healthcare is a hot topic here in America.  In Norway, it’s taken for granted.  Everyone gets “free” healthcare yet everyone pays for it through a 7% tax on their wages.  There are $15 co-pays for doctor visits and prescription drugs, but the maximum anyone would ever pay is three hundred dollars a year total.  Hospital stays are exempt from any kind of co-pay but there are no televisions, and visiting hours are minimal, so it’s almost like prison.  

There’s a lot to be said on both sides of this debate over whether America should have nationalized healthcare.  It works okay in Norway because they are a much smaller country and as a whole, they lead a much healthier lifestyle, but America could never have what Norway has.  There’s just too many of us.

I know plenty of people in Norway that have “suffered at the hands of the physicians,” but in Norway, it’s not allowed to sue doctors.  I’m sure if America did away with medical lawsuits, we’d probably have medical care that everyone could afford.

On the downside, Norwegians wait months (or get denied) for surgeries because there aren’t enough doctors.  Often, Norwegians leave the country and pay privately if they can’t wait their turn.  On the upside, no one loses their home because they have an unexpected medical condition. 

One year my husband, Kory, had a routine physical here in America and a lump near his collarbone was discovered.  We were sent to a specialist who ordered three different tests.  After spending several thousand dollars and a month of stress waiting to hear the results, we found out he was just born with an extra rib - a physical anomaly.  It was much ado about nothing.

Shortly thereafter, we were in Norway and I decided to “test” the kind of medical care available there.  My husband’s cousin, Odd (pronounced Ode), is a doctor.  One day we were all in the car and as Odd was driving, I whispered to Kory, who was in the front seat next to him, to ask Odd if he knew what that lump was. 

Kory pointed to the lump and asked Odd what he thought.  Odd took his right hand off the steering wheel and reached over and felt the lump.  He put his hand back on the steering wheel and thought about it a minute, then reached over and felt it again.  He then said, “I might need to use both hands, but I think that’s an extra rib.  I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve read about them.”  It was then that my opinion of the Norwegian healthcare system went up a few notches.  

Coffee

A friend of mine came over for coffee recently.  When she arrived, I made a pot of coffee, pulled mugs out of the cupboard, and we sat in the living room with our feet up on the couch and had a chat, American style.  I didn’t even offer her a cookie.

It struck me then just how casual we Americans are with the whole coffee ritual, and I was glad I wasn’t in Norway at the time, because it’s a lot of work to have someone over for a cup of coffee in Norway.  Norwegians take their coffee, like many other things, very seriously.

“Coffee” at a Norwegian’s house, doesn’t look anything like the scene in my living room a few weeks ago.  A Norwegian’s house, for one thing, would be immaculate.  The coffee would already have been brewed and waiting in a carafe long before the guests arrived.  The coffee table would be covered in linen, set with fine china, delicate coffee cups, lit candles, and fancy napkins.

Food is always part of the coffee experience, so a bowl of candies or fruit would be on the table, with a tray of open-faced sandwiches and other baked goods waiting in the kitchen.  The food is decorated a little like we might do for tea parties.  The most common bread topping is meat and cheese, but my favorite is white cheese with a slice of red pepper on top.  Often they serve sliced eggs with caviar, or just brown goat cheese on bread, which tastes surprisingly good.

Sitting around the coffee table drinking coffee is quite the social event.  Norwegians rarely invite non-family members over for a meal, but inviting someone for “coffee” anytime of the day or night is common.  Everyone knows what to expect because they all do it the same way, and the more the merrier.  I’ve been around a coffee table in a home with 21 people circling it.  They like to be cozy when sipping the Java and everyone joins in on the conversation.

Some of my husband’s cousins often stop by after work to have coffee with their mother, but they always call her well in advance of their arrival so she has time to prepare everything.  Even for her own sons, the fine china is used and the candles are lit.  Tradition and conformity are key.

I’m thankful we can be so casual when friends come over for coffee in America, but when in Norway, we must do as the Norwegians do. I always pack several pounds of fresh roasted coffee to take with me to Norway though, because ironically, I think Norwegian coffee tastes terrible.