Re:Ask HN: If you could work remote where would you live?
by altacc on Monday May 25, 2020 @08:13AM
(#23300213)
Well, Molde & Ålesund are west, not north ;) Tromsø is proper north and very different from Molde/Ålesund. There's a lot more culture there, as well as being the right place for sitting in a fjord and watching northern lights. I know people who have moved there temporarily and really liked it.
But it's definitely the case that whilst the Scandinavian lifestyle often features as best life satisfaction/happiest/whatever, it's definitely down to personal preference. These countries also tend to score low on happiness/life satisfaction for immigrants, which shows that the benefits are only perceived/received by some.
Yeah, the fjords are desperately pretty. I had a great time driving around Geiranger and the Atlanterhavsveien. Trollstigen would have been nice if it weren't rammed with caravans.
But otherwise, no thanks. It's extortionately expensive, there's nothing to do there, it's a breeding ground for billions of mosquitoes, and there's nothing good about such extreme seasonal differences in day lengths.
After having lived in Scandinavia for seven years, I think there's an enormous delta between expectation and reality when it comes to Scandinavian Winters.