The first three months in Norway flew by. Winter has arrived and I'm on the road again.
Table of Contents
Arrival
After my 60 days in Iceland, I rested in Oslo for two weeks. I didn't really do much because I was pretty exhausted and a warm room and a warm bed are very comfortable. Overall, Oslo doesn't have much to offer. There are a few historic buildings here and there, but otherwise you mainly find shops and restaurants. At the beginning of November, I was busy with my work.
Work
I had the opportunity to help out at the Oslo Christmas Market (Jul i Vinterland) for about two months. In short: No one should ever work for this greedy and ungrateful company (Lunds Tivoli)!!! Modern slavery.
I was aware that this job wouldn't be ideal, but I still expected more after the interview... You work about 48 – 50 hours per week. In addition, some shifts are 13 hours long (including 1.5 hour break). So you have exactly no free time. We knew beforehand that the salary wasn't great (base salary of NOK 19,000). But no one told us that we would have to fight for our overtime pay and that we wouldn't get a night shift allowance (in Norway, everything after 9 p.m. must be paid at a rate of 1.5).
My colleagues were all very nice and most of them were between 20 and 30 years old. The higher-ups are extremely greedy, unable to take criticism, opposed to any objection or improvement, and insufferable. The apartment was also so-so, and it's shocking how the long-term contract workers (mostly Filipino) are exploited. But when you've been around for over 100 years and the owners are filthy rich, you have certain opportunities.
The pricing at the Christmas market is also a fever dream. A hot dog costs NOK 99 (~ €8.50, January 2026) and six churros cost NOK 109 (~ €9.30, January 2026), etc. A bit of a rip-off. To show how absurd the prices are: our churros consist of approx. 48% flour, 1% salt, 50% water and a little oil for kneading. This means that a portion of churros should cost around NOK 10. The most popular variety is with Nutella for NOK 129. Your hourly wage is ~ NOK 118 (~ €10, January 2026). On a Saturday around 500>> churros with Nutella are sold in 1 hour. Yeah... People always swear by safety first, but no fume hood is used on the charcoal grill. I got to enjoy two months of heavy chain smoking. Here's a little comparison: on the left is a new Christmas hat and on the right is my hat, which I washed twice a week...
In addition, a serious accident occurred during deconstruction. This happens when you don't get enough rest and are then forced to work even harder because you are behind an unrealistic schedule. But yeah, safety first...
That's why I ask everyone to never work for Lunds Tivoli or ever visit the Oslo Christmas Market. It's a tourist trap!!! Boycott the entire Lund Group Arrangement (LGA)!
My destination
After this ordeal lasting several weeks, I can finally explore Norway. My destination is the North Cape, but it's winter and Norway has one of the harshest winters in Europe. It's going to be cold, very cold, and it remains to be seen whether all the roads will be open. Nevertheless, I'm already sitting in a rental car (this time from Hertz) und friere meine Zehen ab. Wenn ich mich bewege ist alles sehr angenehm. Wenn ich dann im Kofferraum liege sind halt die Temperaturen von um die -15 °C sehr unangenehm…
With the right of public access, you enjoy great freedom, but a warm bed would still be nicer. Unfortunately, it's very expensive in Norway (~ €50 per night).
As always, you can view more pictures in the gallery.
