Lagertha Sheildmaiden, beloved of the Gods (above).
Sunday morning is so quiet here, shops are closed, even the local cafe is closed. However, the sun is out, so I’m off to the nearest beach, Hellvik.
I guess it’s time for some history. People associate Norway with Vikings, but what we call Vikings included people from Denmark, and Sweden too. (see above for more info on Vikings). Viking was a term in Norse to mean to, ‘go on a raid.’ The English called them Northmen, and Nor, meaning North. The trade route to the North was called, the North Way, hence the country is called, Norway. You might recognise that Norway is similar to Norman, and Normandy. King Charles the Simple, yep that’s his name, King of France gave Rollo, a leader of a Northman army, the land at the end of the Seine river after a great Viking raid on Paris. The deal with Rollo was to stop the other Viking groups from raiding Paris by making him a Duke of this land. The French called the Northman, Norman, and the plural is Normandy. Hence, you get the Dukedom of Normandy. If your English you will know about William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, also known as, ‘William the bastard.’ (he was a bastard child). Well, Rollo, was Williams great-great-great grandfather. Watch historian, Dan Snow’s program to learn more. He also has some great English Castle walks and you will see the Normans met significant resistance, hence all the castles, and he talks to some of the Norman families still literally, ‘holding down the fort.’
King William the conqueror, built Windsor Castle (where Harry got married), the Tower of London, and many of the great castles of England, and most of the English aristocracy are descendants including the Royal family (although mostly German) of the Normans, or Northmen. As the new Norman aristocracy were culturally, ethnically, and linguistically different (they spoke French) from the Anglo-Saxon population they conquered, therefore the origins of the English class system was set in stone.
Anyway, I spent a nice day at the beach. The water temperature is perfect, and not cold like you would think, because the Gulf Stream brings the warm water up here. The beach has little pebbles, crushed shell, and is not that comfortable. Although, its not as bad as, say, Brighton Beach in the UK, where you need a sun lounge.
All those stories about Norway being expensive are true for tourists. I've talked about the alcohol prices, but the groceries are expensive too, with a 25% tax (like a GST). So, I'm spending more money than a budgeted, but Norway is beautiful, and worth it. I guess if you were paid in Norwegian Krones it might not be so expensive.
However, alcohol is still expensive for Norwegians, so I've read they take a drive to Germany through Denmark and load up. Germany does have much cheaper groceries (and alcohol) through discount grocers like Aldi, and Lidl.
Travel tip 1: Save money like a Norwegian and buy your alcohol and groceries in Germany, where its substantially cheaper.
Travel tip 2: Accomodation through AirBnB is not that expensive, however book ahead, because the better value accomodation gets taken early.
Thats a mistake I made, because I was going to Bergen, on the West coast, but decided to stay here, and enjoy the 30 + temperature at the beach, when I went to book I had to pay more than I could have by booking earlier.
In conclusion, Norway requires a little more planning and preparation if you want to save money, as it is an expensive country for foreigners.
Further information:
Why Norway is so expensive - https://sites.utexas.edu/culturescontexts/2013/08/29/why-is-norway-so-expensive-think-living-wages/
