After two weeks here now, it’s time for some impressions and strange things about Norway, that i had not expected.
- Hotdogs at IKEA are cheaper than in Germany, but do not come with pickles and roasted onions.
- There seem to be more Döner Kebab bars than Hotdog bars. Moreover Döner Kebab all over the city (but not so much like in Berlin).
- Securitas! Securitas everywhere! Be it the security guard in the student dorm, security for office buildings, almost every residential house has a Securitas sticker. Even the ticket inspectors on the bus are Securitas people.
- NFC public transport tickets. Get a card at a ticket machine, charge it, and then activate your ticket by holding it to an terminal when entering the bus. Neat!
- Tickets at the bus driver are more expensive.
- Chilled, calm and friendly bus drivers. Never seen one in a hurry or furiously shouting. They are happily waiting for running people that want to catch that very bus.
- Very friendly car drivers. They wait very calmly on every zebra-cross, let public buses merge into roundabouts. Never heard a car honking yet.
- Overall a lot of roundabouts all over the place, feels a little bit like Britain. Only in the inner city are traffic lights.
- Same goes for zebra crossing/crosswalks. No pedestrian lights on the outer skirts, only in the inner city.
- Frozen mashed potatoes. We don’t have such in Germany.
- Free Bus Shuttles to IKEA with free WiFi.
- Free WiFi all over the place. Airplane, Metro, Museum, etc.
- Jogger, Cyclist and people in sports/jogging leggings everywhere. I mean i’ve heard they are very sporty, but that’s more than i expected.
- Norwegians seem to like Pizza and American Restaurants/Food.
- Lots of foreigners in Oslo.
- Plenty beggars. At almost every convenience store and every bigger train station. And they are quite active as they approach everyone.
- Fast Food restaurants like McDonalds and Burgerking have different prices depending on whether you eat there or take it away.
- Norway’s nature is much more beautiful than on pictures.
- Moreover the nature begins immediately behind the city boundary. Just one step from your house and you are in a forest.
- Stores on a shopping promenade have loudspeakers outside blasting music on the street.
- Digital price tags in convenience store.
- Separate streets for bicycles and pedestrians only. I’ve seen a bicycle four way intersection.
