One fascinating feature of "Norwegian-ness" is their understatement - in contrast with other countries where I have lived such as the US (where marketing often uses the world's "best" or "largest" or "biggest"). Or London where art exhibits that will happen "once in a lifetime", or a play that is a "masterpiece you can't afford to miss" and literary festivals will bring together the "best writers of a generation".
So I got used to superlatives.
So Norwegian understatement has taken me by surprise. This country can be so shy.
(One example is Vigeland's Park, which few outside Norway know about, but that is a separate story).
Here is a concrete example from a recent visit to Bjørn's parents in the North.
As we drove, we passed this tiny town that hosts the place where the Vikings -- at least those who were in Norway - used to have their first parliament.
That is amazing, I thought. That's huge.
And then comes the Norwegian moment.
You could drive by and almost miss it!
You get off the car and find a beautifully simple, humble monument (see photo) that was done by the locals about 100 years ago.
If you think about it, this is a place of serious historical and touristic significance: how many places can claim to have the first Viking parliament?
I suppose Norwegian see no need to make a big fuss about this site. In my head - aware of the contrast to what I am more used to - I was imagining how the anglo-saxon version of this place:
A plate, a story, a local team, reminding you of the "uniqueness" of the place where you are standing up. Over the years it would have become a mandatory stop for tourists, a place for viking storytelling, plays and narratives of "once upon a time, in this village, the vikings dominated the sea, and it was in this place where...". No doubt they would remind you that there was a time where they had conquered the world...
The local approach is shy, silent, reflective. It is almost as if they expect each visitor to see the place and draw their own conclusions. And it is definitively less commercial: in front of the monument there was a a simple farm. And more silent. To one side a beautiful bench had been constructed for anyone who wanted to sit, view the monument at the top of the little hill and then continue driving.
There was no trace of a souvenir shop, or touristic outlet. Fascinating.
One last thing about the Vikings: I learned they were not called that way when they were alive. I will find out more and tell you that story in a future entry.
