Money

Money makes the world go round - sweet, hard currency. Right? Well, not quite in Norway. Hard currency is pretty outdated and most Norwegians don't touch paper money. Checks don't exist, at all. They're considered archaic and unnecessary.

Everything is done by debit, credit or electronic transfer. There's barely any physical banks - I can only think of DNB - and most people can carry out all their business by text message.

This took me some time to get used to.

Bills come in the mail, the first time (you are expected to supply either a cell number or an email address after that). At the bottom is a giro or faktura, which contains the banking information about the company you owe money to. You go online to your bank - I use Skandiabanken - and type the kundeidentifikasjon (customer ID) number of the institution you owe cash to and send off whatever amount you need. It all happens instantly and you can save the payment information for your account to make regular payments at scheduled times.

Your paychecks come in this form as well, very similar to direct deposit in the States. Your employer is required to withhold taxes to be paid to the tax authority, so the amount you're paid is all yours without hidden costs.

Taxes are handled by text message or email, as well. You don't have to file your own copies, the tax authority takes care of all the paperwork. All you have to do is press a button that states that you confirm the amount you've paid and owe no more or less. Quick, painless, and very prompt.

Besides all of this, the physical currency here is gorgeous. The idea of universal design and accessibility is apparent in the design, as well. The Krone has different sized bills for each denomination - something I always wished the States would do.

The bills celebrate modern Norwegian heroes, natural phenomenon and landmark constructions.

The 500 kroner note has Sigrid Undset on the front. She won a Nobel Prize (surprise, surprise - did you know that the Nobel Hall of Peace is in Oslo?) in Literature in the 1920s. She's most famous for her trilogy about medieval Norway called Kristin Lavransdatter. The wreath on the back of the note is an artistic rendering symbolic of that series.

On the 200 kroner note is Kristian Birkeland, a scientist noted for researching and discussing electromagnetics. Most importantly, he explained how the Aurora Borealis works. On a darker note, he also created the first rail gun (coil gun), which is a very deadly and, admittedly, very cool piece of weaponry. The back shows off the aurora and polar north, which Birkeland was known to travel and witness many times.

The 100 kroner note bears Kirsten Flagstad's visage, one of Norway's famed opera singers, who worked with the Metropolitan Opera in the early part of the 20th century. Coupled with her is the floor plan for the Oslo Opera House, one of Norway's most distinguished architectural achievements and an extremely popular public park near city centre.

The 50 kroner note has Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, a children's author, folklorist and environmental activist. He was a zoologist and is the most celebrated folk tale author in the country. The back shows some water lilies and other natural elements.

The coins are pretty standard, on the other hand, and more driven by the ancient Sami roots of Norway. The 20 and the 10 both have the King's portrait; the 5 has a wreath and the 1 has a cross. The backs are also pretty standard Norwegian imagery. The 20 has a viking long boat, most likely the Oseberg ship (which was likely owned by Queen Asa in the 800s; I could go on and on about this early history, but I'll save it for a later post). The 10 has a modern depiction of the roofs on stave churches, some of which still stand 900 years later.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while; I've been reading tons and trying to learn as much as I can about Norwegian culture and history. More on these findings will come soon.