There is something of a tradition in the eastern part of Norway to travel to Sweden on occasion to buy stuff, especially alcohol and tobacco, where it is generally much cheaper. From Oslo, it takes around 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way to get to a town in Sweden where you can get your shopping done. I was invited to go with some people on Saturday, and it was amazing just how many people were out there getting their shopping done. Obviously there are some limitations - on alcohol and tobacco at least, there are limits on how much you can bring back into Norway without having to pay customs - it's around 2 liters of wine, 1 liter of spirits, and some amount of beer - I think 2 liters, but I'm not sure.
This trip is called a "Harrytur", or at least it has been for the past few years - since around 2002 when a politician named Lars Sponheim said the practice was "Harry". "Harry" is a derogatory term that has been around since the beginning of the 20th century and suggests that something is low-class or in bad taste. Still, the Harrytur is popular, especially when 100 Swedish Kroners are only worth around 80 Norwegian Kroners.
Of course, as an American, I looked at this as a road trip, another great tradition!
This trip is called a "Harrytur", or at least it has been for the past few years - since around 2002 when a politician named Lars Sponheim said the practice was "Harry". "Harry" is a derogatory term that has been around since the beginning of the 20th century and suggests that something is low-class or in bad taste. Still, the Harrytur is popular, especially when 100 Swedish Kroners are only worth around 80 Norwegian Kroners.
Of course, as an American, I looked at this as a road trip, another great tradition!
The living standard in Norway is really amazingly high!! I have heard that quite a few Norwegians drive across the border to Sweden to buy some cheaper things. It's hard to imagine how Norwegians can make ends meet, I think they must be very frugal. The bus fare is expensive, and the dishes served in the restaurants are also expensive. Everything there seems to be high-priced.
Hey there!
Well there are so many of your experiences i would like to post a comment on, so i decided to just take the last one and write everything here ;-)
I had to laugh about so many things u mentioned and said, cause i felt or experienced the same thing. Just like Telenor, or well TeleNOT. lol. Norskkurs, Harrytur, Nightlife, Prices and so on. It´s good to see that other foreigners make same/similar experiences!
Today i got a ticket for wrong parking. 500 NOK !!! Thats all i can say for today lol.
Greetings from a German in Oslo ;-)
Yeah, I've heard that tickets can be really steep here. Luckily I haven't needed a car, so it's not something I've had to worry about. I've heard that speeding tickets can be especially nasty!