When we told friends in Addis that we were going to Norway, just about every one of them said the same thing: “Wow, nice! But you know, it’s really expensive.”
It’s hard to understand just what that means until you get here. $6 to ride the city bus, $200 for the cheapest hotel room, $15 for a (small) glass of (very ordinary) wine, $20 to get into a museum, $40 for the simplest dinner for two (chicken stirfry with plain rice) from the Chinese takeout place. Ouch.
We had thought we would travel to Narvik, above the Arctic Circle, just for the heck of it, but our overhead here is too high for joyriding. Instead we’ll spend our remaining time in Norway looking for free outdoor activities instead of museums, more cheese and fish sandwiches from the market instead of restaurants, and more hostels instead of hotels.
One fun way to save a little money is to take the overnight train, which we are doing right now as we head back down to Bergen.
Lorna of Arabia 
Years ago I headed to Narvik on the train to go above the Arctic Circle and see the “sun never set”. What I saw was “the grey that never changed”. They don’t tell you that Narvik is overcast much of the time, and in fact when I was there it rained or was grey for 36 hours until I finally left! I got a nice postcard though of the midnight sun. So based on your change in plans, you probably did the prudent thing (if it makes you feel any better!). Imagine how you would have felt if it were grey the whole time when you got there!
Thanks for that, Kevin! I’m happy with our choice.