Five months in and we've had our first brush with the long arm of the law. Who knew that an innocuous trip to 'the tip' on a Saturday morning would result in (a) a breathaliser test and (b) a car tax check? We pulled up in Forus to join a queue of cars/trailers (not unusual) but it quickly became apparent that something else was afoot…various people in hi-vis jackets talking to every driver.
Mr R was at the wheel and had the pleasure of blowing into the tube. Needless to say he was absolutely fine but it certainly polarises the amount of wine you had with dinner the previous night! Even though >12 hours had gone by since alcohol was consumed, it still makes you wonder.
The law on drinking and driving in Norway is crystal clear i.e. they don't tolerate it…at all. The legal limit is 20 milligrams of alcohol (-v- 80 in the UK) per 100 millilitre of blood, essentially enough to allow for any alcohol in food, as well as certain medications. The penalties are severe, ranging from a fine and 6-month suspension of licence to a very heavy fine, 2-year suspension of licence and imprisonment…depending on how much over the limit you are. In addition, fines are calculated according to your income.
Having had the cultural training before/after we arrived here (thanks to GdF), we were already acutely aware of the various laws around driving. It must be said, the Norwegian stance on drinking and driving makes it very easy for drivers, there's no dubiety whatsoever, no wondering 'will I be ok with one'….you just don't do it.
As Alexander the meerkat would say…seemples!!
Which brings me neatly on to a not-unrelated story. December is upon us and with it the usual festive gatherings. Tonight sees Mr Robertson head off out to his very first 'lutefisk dinner', which tradition demands will be washed down with Aquavit. Lutefisk is a traditional dish of the Nordic countries made from dried whitefish and lye. So far so good. It's gelatinous in texture and has a somewhat pungent odour. Uh oh. Aquavit is a very strong alcoholic spirit and is distilled from fermented potato or grain mash before being flavoured with savoury herbaceous ingredients. Hmmm. The reason for having it as an accompaniment to the lutefisk is becoming more apparent all the time…SKÅL!
Suffice to say Mrs Robertson will be assuming full taxi duties tomorrow morning lest we have another run-in with the Politi...
The festive season officially begins here on December 1st and folks houses are literally transformed with welcoming lights both outside and in, as is the town centre. It's very similar to the American traditions of New England although as you can see there's always one who goes slightly overboard…to be fair, this is a drinking establishment down by the harbour, so I guess he's trying to attract customers?!
A topical word of the day…'nisse' (nees-eh) or 'Julenisse' (yoo-le-nees-eh) meaning Father Christmas! It seems that the modern-day Julenisse is a combination of the fabled barn elf from Scandinavian folklore and the American Santa Claus. He's dressed much like the fjosnissen of old, with grey woollen clothes, knickerbockers and a red hat, and heralds his arrival on Christmas Eve with the words 'are there any good children here'? Here's hoping he doesn't get Aquavit left out for him at every house or he wont get far…!
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