The reality in the country with the world's highest GDP I never knew much about Norway besides it's fjords, death-metal bands, Oslo(the land of the midnight sun), it's governments role in the Sri Lankan crisis and now the Nepal crisis. This article was a real eye-opener and from now on I will take Norway seriosuly, infact we all must.

Arriving in Oslo, the airport terminal is spanking-new, enormous and eerily quiet; all signs of prestige spending projects funded by easy money. The bullet-style train into the city centre is the first warning of price shocks to come; £30 return for a 15-minute hop, but at least the ticket seller smiles. And I thought the Heathrow Express was the world's priciest train.

In oil-boom Oslo, one might expect rows of Dubai skyscrapers, swaggering executives and a glut of fat 4x4s. Instead, it's more like Birmingham city centre on a quiet shopping day. There's two big glass towers, but they were built in the 1960s and most Oslo-ites would happily see them demolished.

But don't be fooled by the sky-high prices; even after taking them into account, Norwegian incomes still top the table on a "purchasing power parity" basis. Though food and drink (especially wine) is at times gobsmackingly expensive, other goods are on a par with Britain. Housing in Oslo (despite recent rises) is cheaper than London.

So where's the money going? Is the government splashing out on schools, hospitals and lavish welfare projects? A brief visit suggests spending is indeed up - a new cancer wing here, a fancy new school gym there - but nothing that shouts boom-time.