I discovered the most densely populated place in Norway: the liquor store in Tromsø at 2:45pm on Saturday December 9th! I headed to town today, a weekly Saturday ritual, with Stian and we took the bus at 2:40pm. Our first stop was the alcohol store which closes at 3pm. We could barely walk in as people filled all the aisles in an amorphous mass of desperate alcohol seekers. We were there to get some alcohol for a Christmas party and I think everyone had the same plans! Stian had to escape and I made a mad dash for the gin aisle, which also doubled as the back of the line for one of the four cashiers. I grabbed the bottle inbetween customers and looked across the store to find the shortest line. I counted the people, 20 in the first line, 17 in my line, 22 in the third line, and 18 in the far line. It was like we were at Disney World waiting for a ride, except there was no "15 min wait from this point" sign. So, I battled the crowd and snuck out with my life in tact. I can't imagine trying to get in at 2:56pm. I'm sure the bodyguards have to come in order to close it down. Off now to enjoy the fruits of my strenous labor. God Jul.
Labels: alcohol, liquor store, vinmonopoliet
