New word for the world: fellesferie Doug Mellgren has written a great and funny article in the Chicago
Sun-Times about the Norwegian phenomenon known as fellesferie
(literally "common vacation" or "joint vacation"). He discovered what
we who live here know so well: everything closes down in three weeks of
July (now!). July, for Norway's 4.6 million people, means three weeks of national paralysis called ''fellesferie'' -- vacation time.
Summer shutdowns are the norm for Europe, but are all the more far-reaching in this Scandinavian kingdom.
Here, every 70-degree day is precious, so government, parliament and businesses take time off.
Suddenly even the
simplest expedition, to find a piece of pipe for the kitchen sink,
becomes tantamount to scaling a glacier. As millions head for the
fjords, islands or the Mediterranean, the capital, Oslo, sinks into an
eerie quiet. He also tried to find out more about this phenomenon by asking the well informed people. Well, guess where they were?
But exactly when did
it all start? Surely the Norwegian Confederation of Business and
Industry, the main employers' organization, would have the answers.
''I have just the man
for you. He knows everything about 'fellesferie,''' said spokesman Finn
Langeland, and offered up a name and phone number.
Naturally, the expert on fellesferie was on fellesferie.[...]
And the government? With the prime minister and virtually all other ministers on vacation, who was running the kingdom?
The prime minister's spokesman couldn't help. He was on vacation. His deputy? On vacation. Information department? On vacation.
That's fellesferie. Just my luck, then, that I am right now working on a project that
requires rather urgent contact with leading local politicians and professionals. Where do you think they are right now?
All together now: fellesferie!
9:13:38 PM 
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