I’ve been to Norway 22 times and when you’ve been to a country so many times, it’s because it has something extra that keeps you coming back. Norway is extraordinary! A truly beautiful country, but I still have a bit of a love/hate relationship to Norway. These are the 3 things I HATE about Norway!

1: The Weather

Let’s take Oslo: The weather and darkness in November; wet, chilly and dark. No bright snow or crisp air, no leaves on the trees; mostly windy, rainy and dark, with some wet snow (sludd) that clings to you and feel wetter than rain, but melts on the ground. Hate it! Or even worse, snow in May. I want Summer in May, not a massive snowfall. I’m sure most Norwegian people think about immigrating to Italy or somewhere else down south, when they have snow in May! Other than that, I have no trouble with the oddities of the Norwegian weather. Or if I have, I’ll check the weather forecast and dress properly!

At the same time 2 meter snow in Winter time and skiing in Geilo is wonderful, but overall I’m not the biggest fan of the rainy, cold weather most times in the south of Norway.. Go to Lapland in the North in the winther months and you’ll have lots of snow, but it’s nearly totally dark for half a year..

This negativity is coming from a guy who just had the most perfect summer weather on his latest Norway-trip, with 20 hours of day lights and sunshine. The irony! The advantages of going in July!

2: The Insects

Having Faroese blood (Faroe Islands), which is the only country in the World along Iceland where mosquitoes (culicidae) don’t exist, makes it always a shocking experience to go out in the wild in Norway.
I always get a lot of mosquito bites in Norway, which really sucks! The Norwegian sand fly ‘knot’ (ceratopogonidae) is literally my worst enemy with the mosquitoes on a close 2.nd spot!

I hate biting insects.. Yet still, I visit the Norwegian wilderness a lot! I’m a weirdo! I know, right?

3: The Prices

This image shows the downside of Norway’s prices.. You arrive to Norway with money bills and leave with small coins.. Norway is expensive! I still remember my night out in Oslo with my friend Tor in 2013, where the absolutely most normal Domestic Beer you could get (1 pint draught) was around $13-15.

I remember buying 3 cucumbers in Egersund, Norway in 2012 for around $15 too, when I did a football trial for their local football team there. Insane! They offered be a pretty well-paid contract offer, but when I experienced the Norwegian prices on my own, I quickly figured out I wouldn’t have much money left anyway. So it was a no from me! After I had a big injury and had to quit my football career, which was the start of my travels, which I’m so thankful for looking back. Anyway, back to the prices!

When I say I’m happy I didn’t move to Norway at that time, it was because Norway is simply too pricey! This is more than 5 years ago and Norway isn’t cheaper now.. The Norwegian salaries are of course very high and one things is to live in a place, another thing is to visit. End of story, the Oslo cost of living index is 19.78% higher than my city Copenhagen, which is NOT a cheap place, in fact Oslo is considered to be the most expensive city in the World, and a city like Bergen is pretty much on the same level as Oslo.

Prices: Don’t Forget The ‘Bompenger’

Another thing I dislike when driving around Norway is the ‘bompenger’ (a tax you need to pay when driving around Norway) for use of the roads. It’s of course good for the nature that people maybe reconsider taking their car out and pollute the nature, but it’s pretty annoying getting a letter, when going back to Denmark with a bill you need to pay. And sometimes it can be a lot of money. Normally it’s $5-10 once around every 35-40 min, but I remember when driving from Bergen towards Oslo there was a point where it was $25. It adds up quickly and makes the most beautiful road trips a little less enjoyable!

All being said Norway is a beautiful country, I’ve been there 22 times and I hope to come back soon again!

The nature, the scenery, the fjords, the waterfalls, the people, the adventures.. Too many good things about Norway to not to come back. But these are some of the honest, negative sides about the country from my point of view.

Any thing you hate about the beloved Norway?

Gustav

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