My name is Rebecca; I'm an Australian currently living in Trondheim, Norway. I moved here about 4.5 years ago with my Norwegian husband.
Let me tell you a little about Trondheim, and Norway in general.
Trondheim is the 3rd largest city in the Kingdom of Norway, and has a population of approximately 175,000 people (Norway itself only has a population of 5 million). It is a city that dates back over 1000 years, having been founded in 997 in the Viking age, by the then King Olav Tryggvason.
Initially a market town, Trondheim is now home to the Norwegian University of Technology - NTNU, and a growing technology industry, as well as the world famous Nidros Cathederal,
When people think of Norway, they are likely to think of Vikings, Skiing, the Northern Lights (the image to the left is copyright Tony Gulla) and tragically, most recently of the events in Oslo and Ultøya on 22nd July 2011, there is a lot more to the country than this. Having what is rated (by the United Nations), as one of the highest standards of living in the world; the Norwegian people like to spend a lot of time enjoying the great outdoors, with hiking, skiing and trips to the mountains being national pursuits.Having grown up in the Northern Territory, (although I most recently lived in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney), Norway is a very different change from what I was used to. Aside from needing to learn a new language (Norway has 2 official written language and numerous spoken languages as each region has its own often quite distinct dialect), the biggest change would have to be getting used to the weather.
While summer here provides similar temperatures to those found in places like Sydney (without the scorching summer days that occur in Sydney a few times a year), the biggest difference is the length of the days; As Trondheim is situated outside the Arctic Circle (which is about 400km north of here), we don’t experience the true “midnight” sun effect of the sun never setting, however for all practical purposes by the summer solstice (21st June) the days are 24 hours long (the time between the sun setting and rising again is not dark, but consists of a post sunset/pre sunrise twilight that is light enough to be for all intents and purposes daylight).
Winter is the real eye opener – once summer fades away in August/early September, the seasons rapidly sprint towards winter, and it’s not unheard of to see the first snowfall in Trondheim in late October, early November. Temperatures rapidly drop, and the phenomenon of it being “too cold to snow” takes hold. In the middle of winter, it is not unheard of for the temperature to not go above zero for weeks at a time, indeed here we usually have at least one week each year when the maximum temperatures dip below minus fifteen (-15 C) and minimum temperatures are below minus twenty (-20 C) with the windchill factor making it feel like minus thirty (-30 C) or below (the coldest I’ve experienced is -32 with a comfort level of -38). While it would be nice to be able to remain indoors in weather like this (Norwegian houses are designed to retain heat), the practicalities of life here doesn’t allow that to happen and daily life continues no matter the weather.
Even the extreme cold is bearable; it just takes some planning (and suitable clothing), my biggest issue with the winter is ice. With a large amount of the winter being for all intents and purposes too cold to snow, the well worn roads & paths of Trondheim quickly turn into sheets of ice, as snow is trampled into slush (particularly when the temperature hovers around zero), which then freezes into slippery patches of smooth clear ice just waiting to slip up the inexperienced pedestrian (namely me). It took a while to learn that there is a certain way of walking on ice, which is completely different to walking on normal surfaces, it’s something the Norwegian people do instinctively, but a lesson I’m still trying to learn.
In addition to the dangers of slipping on ice on the pavement, as the weather warms and snow softens, there is also the added danger of ice falling from above (large chunks falling from atop a 2 story building can do quite a lot of damage), this is another thing that Norwegians don’t think to mention to newcomers – it’s probably something they learnt as children, and don’t even think about anymore.
All negatives aside, living here is an adventure I wouldn’t want to miss, and the harsh weather does give way to incredible scenery that more than makes up for it, and a warm and inviting people who are incredibly proud of their heritage and lifestyle.
Anyways, that’s it for now what was going to be a “quick hello” has turned into an epic tale, far longer than I was intending.
