1. There are no answering machines in Norway unless you work for a U.S. based company (may be an overstatement but I don't think so).
2. Service groups (lets say at hotels) do not feel the need to answer the phone. You will call back if it's important.
3. Norwegians keep the toilet brush in the bathrooms in hotels and restaurants and other offices. If necessary one should clean after use...yes, you are expected to clean up after yourself. Always.
4. If you don't pay your car taxes the police will cut your license plate in half.
5. If you get caught drinking and driving they will take 10% of your household's gross income. Yes, they have my attention. We should try this in the U.S.
6. Norway is known for fish but their pastries are pretty good.
7. You can leave your wallet in a restaurant and it will be there when you go back to get it. Everything will still be as you left it.
That's it for learnings...for now...
I went to our office this morning. Although the word is that your average Norwegian isn't that friendly, I must disagree. The folks at the office are extremely friendly and helpful. Enough said. It was a great opportunity to talk with the folks I'll be working with and get to know them. Coming back in six weeks will be a lot more comfortable now that we've had this time.
After a few hours of chat time at the office, the hubby and I restarted our house hunting adventure. There was an amazing house on a fiord overlooking the main shipping lanes and port. The inside was modern and sleek. It had an interesting building in the back yard - let's call it a pool house, although there was no pool. It was modern with two glass doors and furnished with a wood stove, TV and leather sofa & chairs. If I were to judge by the odor, I'd say it was used as a smoking shack - man cave combo. The back yard was beautifully landscaped and had multi-level decks. Truly unique. Unfortunately there is an occupied apartment and the house was located too far out of town for us.
After the fiord house we saw what could only be described as the polar-opposite house. Bad inside, bad outside - "Why are we seeing this place?".
The third house was located in the "rich" section of town. The owner is eager to rent it to a company expat so he's offering it at a cut rate. We couldn't see the inside today but may tomorrow. It's a huge house - more than we need but we're into seeing it. It's close to town - an easy walk to the city center and all of the fun.
The most suitable house for us is the one we saw yesterday. Not the biggest, not the newest or most modern but it seems to fit our life style and preferences. It is the closest to the city core. It's only a few minutes walk and is surrounded by a number of parks.
We'll make decisions by 10 am tomorrow and we leave at noon. We may know if we get the house we select by the time we arrive in Amsterdam. It would be great to get over this hurtle but in reality we could live in temporary housing if we're not successful but, let's not go there if we don't need to do so.
Twelve more hours to go....
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