How to survive in winter in Norway

Those who have never been to Norway can easily argue from the sofa: “They would have our problems, the climate is different there.” But once you go yourself, and questions no longer arise.

Now I will show you what the happiest country in the world looks like in winter.

When I wrote this post, I specially checked the weather in neighboring cities on opposite sides of the border. Between the Norwegian Kirkenes and Russian Nickel 50 kilometers and an impressive temperature difference. Is it true that the climate border runs along the fence?

The main thing you need to know about winter Norway is that there is a lot of snow. So much that, falling in October-November, it does not melt until May. Look how clean and white it is! Not like ours!

Have you bought it? Here is a motorway in Norway, attention to the side of the road, what is it there? That brown dirty slurry. And the road scraped to the asphalt.

But there are few highways in the country; most of the roads between cities look like in this photo. Here, the snow is white and the roadsides are clean, and there are red signs on the edges of the road in case of a snowstorm.

When you look at the Norwegian villages from afar, it seems that you got into a winter fairy tale.

But it is only on postcards that the snow is beautiful. When you have to deal with the elements every day, dig out your house and car, there is little romance. I don’t know about you (or the Norwegians), but several times during the winter I went out into the yard, saw a snowdrift on wheels, which I was digging up just yesterday from the same state, and I just drove a taxi. Well, impossible!

For the Norwegians, snow removal is on stream and does not seem to be a problem. Moreover, each owner must take care of the territory around the house. In the US state of Maine, SUV drivers attach a plow to the bumper and clean yards and roads, while jeeps are not so popular in Norway, people buy mini-snow blowers or use a tractor.

No matter what, even with a mop and a shovel - the main result. Maybe we also need to delegate the snow removal in the yards to the residents themselves, since the city does not really cope with this (and most importantly, the state employee Muhammad Ivanovich does not have a personal interest in licking someone else’s yard for a penny, but if the house HOA personally hires a janitor and will leave it to ask… )

That's what the Norwegians do. It snowed all day, and by evening, everything was clean.

A Tajik team would pick around here for about a day or more. One indifferent tractor driver managed in a couple of hours.

Norwegians love their nature and love to spend time outdoors. But in winter, the weather does not always lead to walks and even skiing. Then they sit at home.

In general, it was the Scandinavian countries with their harsh and cold climate that became famous throughout the world for cozy houses and the organization of space. They even have such a thing as a hugg. The word itself hygge the explanatory dictionaries of the Norwegian and Danish languages are described as “something good, comfortable, safe and familiar with respect to the psychological state”. And this is not only about interior design (although remember the famous Swedish shops with their simple, practical, but beautiful furniture), but about the human condition. To reach Norwegian nirvana, you need to make your home and office comfortable, receive guests and go visit yourself, eat tasty food and enjoy cooking, lead an active lifestyle, dress in comfortable clothes that you like, enjoy simple pleasures, enjoy a hobby ... and do not forget about the sense of proportion, receiving these pleasures.

That’s the whole secret of a good life. That is why even in small towns there are gastronomic restaurants that can be reached by sled. Why sledding? That's more interesting!

There must be a fireplace inside. He immediately adds +20 points to comfort.

You can pass the time while waiting for dinner at a local beer tasting: in recent years, mini-breweries have become very popular in Norway, as well as around the world.

Fed tasty.

But what the "Vikings" surprised. I went to Norway with my flask of whiskey, with the conviction that there is a dry law and almost no one drinks it: alcohol is sold only in state-owned shops that work a couple of hours a day, the northern people are intolerant and all that - in general, with complete a set of stereotypes. It turned out that the guys know a lot about drinks with a degree: in supermarkets, yes, only beer is sold, but in such a variety of species that the Belgians will envy!

There is also its own strong alcohol - "aquavit", it happens from 35 to 50 degrees.

By the way, in Norway it is completely legal to drink a glass of beer / wine or a stack of aquavit and then drive. The permissible dose of alcohol in the blood is 0.2 ppm (higher than in Russia, we have zero). But it’s not worth exceeding, in many cars (and absolutely in all commercial ones) there are breathalyzers: exceeded the norm - went on foot.

By the way, about cars. In Norway, already 10% of cars are fully electric, with gas stations everywhere. Interesting fact: “Tesla” starts and goes even in cold weather.