Second Norway

Stacey is the second most dangerous person in Norway.

Norway is in the news for strange reasons these days, as what is normally a calm, reasonable country erupted in Gaza Strip-style ultraviolence recently. It's shocking, because Norway isn't though of as being particularly tough... "I'm laying low this week...there's some guy from Norway out to get me."

I had the good fortune to visit Second Norway, where I was almost instantly reminded that Norway is actually a beautiful place.

I got there after the memorials for the massacre victims had concluded, although all the flags were still half mast. There were only a few people there, and I only had my Norwegian translator friend with me for part of my visit.

Norway's charm is in simplicity. You don't go to Norway to kick ass or run wild or anything. Norwegians are a pretty laid-back bunch of people. I know some Norwegians real life (my office in Boston was next to that of the Norwegian Seafood Export Council), and they are a friendly sort. The one thing I noticed is how hearty they are... Boston doesn't have mild winters, and they would walk around in sweaters on even the rottenest cold days.

Second Norway features a very elegant bistro to dine at, a nice art museum, a quaint, Amity-style fishing village, and some residential housing. It looks like where you want to live if you are from Norway and using SL. I'd highly recommend that you pop in and say hello to them, though.

I just visited... I have the wrong personality for Norway, and they'd probably let me freeze to death if they had me hanging around for too long.