a lot of Norway's landscape are like this- gorgeous

a ferry crossing the fjord- large bodies of water





"Time? I've got lots of that"

Quantum physics has recently proven that time bends in rural areas due to the topography of the land, and not traveling in a straight line, takes longer to get from Point A to B, which explains why the locals drive infuriatingly slow.

As many of the roads wind their way around hills and mountains, you'll often find yourself lacking the ability to safely pass a line of cars who are placidly following a truck or elderly person driving well below the speed limit.





Nature

But it's not a one way trade-off, the good news is that while it might take awhile to traverse the country, you can take that time and enjoy the often stunning vistas and nature which Norway offers in abundance.

While it's never fun to spend long periods of time in a car, you can pull over nearly anywhere, go for a hike, meditate, or just appreciate the natural beauty of the land. And if you want to camp/ sleep in your car, it's all perfectly safe.

Now if they'd just spend some of their vast oil revenues on some more bridges I'd be able to get a hotel room and ditch the back seat of Kristine's car. But only if breakfast is included- food here ain't cheap either.





Here are short excerpts from our journey around "rural" Norway.

I put rural in quotes as almost all of Norway is like this

Lots + lots of forest in Norway

a lonely house in the middle of nowhere

The cheapest way to travel around the vast expanse of land that is Norway, calculating in the opportunity cost of your time, is undoubtedly to walk.Gas runs over $10 a gallon, and if you think that's your biggest expense, you're in for an unpleasant surprise.Criss-crossing most of the country are fjords- large inlets of brackish water (fresh mixing with that of the North Sea.) Although bridges span many, a number require boats to ferry you and your automobile across. It puts a solid dent in the wallet when you're shelling out $30-$70 five times over the course of your journey; double up on the way back. Ferries were literally my largest single expense during my Norwegian visit.By the time we returned home from a 3 day excursion, the only thing that would come out of my wallet if you pulled it open were moths.