
two cute girls sat at the table next to me and spoke in some European tongue while eating their gelatos.
I listened and pondered whether to spring my "Ich bin ein Berliner" shot, held in reserve for just such an occasion but was not sure it was German. Finally, when all were finished, I asked the brunette nearest me what language they were speaking. "Norwegian"! She was a nurse from Norway on vacation.
I spoke of my dad's folks being from Norway, never having been myself, told the 'fattigman' story, asked if there were lots of reindeer, etc.
We spoke of relative tax rates (about 30% here, 36% there), disparities between our respective health cares. I told her of our Norse webmaster and all the 'berserks'. As they left, I made them promise to help me find a place to live when I move to Norway.